Search results for 'tag:Predicates tag:helping verbs' matching tags 'Predicates' and 'helping verbs'

Re: subject of subordinate clause

Avangi — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:03:44 GMT

#1 John who took my pen is here.

#2 John who is wearing my jacket is here.

How firm a grasp would you like to obtain? (I know I shouldn't have written that, but I couldn't resist.)

The thing that works for me is to take out the the subject and the "verb" and see if it still makes sense. (That may even be the "rule.")

The reason it works in #2 and not in #1 is the difference in tenses and in verb forms. In "who took my pen" vs "who is wearing my jacket" "who" is the subject in each case, so that's not the difference. (If you took out "who," what would you propose for the subject? Without a subject you have no clause. You might think to claim "John" as the subject, but it can't be the subject of both clauses. You could use a compound predicate: "John is wearing my jacket and is here." )

Notice that in #2 both clauses are present tense. The verb is actually "is wearing," present progressive of "to wear." So you don't actually take out the verb - only the helping verb "is," which leaves you with the present participle, "wearing." You now have a participial phrase, "wearing my jacket," which is just fine. He's wearing it now and he's here now.

In #1, there's no helping verb to take out. You could take out the "who," leaving you with a compound predicate, but you'd need to add a conjunction. "John took my pen and is here." (The two different tenses work, but "is here" is no longer the dominant idea.)

If the original were, "John, who is taking my pulse, is Russian," then it works like #2. "John, taking my pulse, is Russian."

If you use two different tenses, as in the original #1, you'd have, "John, who was taking my pulse, is Russian." That leads to, "John, taking my pulse, is Russian." What happened to your past tense?

So try it, and ask yourself if the meaning is still the same.

Best wishes, - A.

need some help with some english exercises.

market-huxley — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:13:04 GMT

I'm taking a correspondence course. These are some of the exercises that I need to submit. So please I need help from grammar exerperts thnaks.

Exercise 1: Identify each of the â __ â words in the sentences as one of the following parts of the sentence:

1.Direct object

2.Indirect object

3.Predicate noun

4.Predicate adjective

A. I sent âherâ an âemailâ yesterday to comfirm the date of the meeting.

email=direct object. her=indirect object.

B. Elton John is a pop âicon.â

icon=predicate noun. But I'm unsure? Need help.

C. She seemed âhonestâ , but I was deceived

honest=predicate adjective.. the word itself is a adjective..ex:the honest doctor.

D. Give âmeâ a break!

me=indirect object. Ex: give what? A break, to whom ... to âmeâ

is this one right?

Exercise 2: copy each sentence; identify the simple subject and the simple predicate.

a. It is a shame! it=subject is=verb

b.Will you go to a movie with me? you=subject go=verb

c. Janet has been singing in the choir for years. Janet=subject .. the predicate I'm having trouble with... Is it "has been singing" or "singing" becuase "has been" are helping verbs. What is the "simple" predicate?

d. Through the dense bushes and into the open fields ran the white-tailed deer.

deer= subject. ran=verb

e. To win the gold medal is the goal of many athletes.

To win=subject is=verb (is this one correct?)

How are my answers looking?

Need help ( subject, predicate)

market-huxley — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:59:07 GMT

5. copy each sentence; underline the simple subject once and the simple predicate twice.

a. It is a shame! it=subject is=verb

b.Will you go to a movie with me? you=subject go=verb

d. Through the dense bushes and into the open fields ran the white-tailed deer.

deer= subject. ran=verb

e. To win the gold medal is the goal of many athletes.

To win=subject is=verb

How are my answers looking?

Re: In the following sentence ''He'' is subject, ''is'' is a...

Doll — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 17:26:06 GMT

And please let me know the definition of ''compound nominal predicate--- I told you my thought about it. You should learn it yourself.

1: What is the difference between categories and functions?- -- Think about functions as jobs and categories as names.

2: I never heard anyone calling is a verb phrase. Mostly they call it helping verb or linking verb. What do you say on this?--- I can't force them to call it verb phrase. If you haven't heard this before, you should be happy to have learnt a new word. Search it.

Re: In the following sentence ''He'' is subject, ''is'' is a...

Jackson6612 — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 18:35:24 GMT

Hi Doll,

Calm down Jackson. You will find the answer you want in the end. If you don't want any other person to answer your posts, please add " teachers reply only" .And what is wrong with learning other sides of point? I think it is a chance for you to learn compound nominal predicate. By the way, don't forget that we are all volunteers here.

I didn't ask Paulio to stop replying to my question. I just asked him to be little more comprehensive. Yes, I do learn from everyone and I do respect everyone for teaching me.

And please let me know the definition of ''compound nominal predicate

He --- subject is --- copula a nice person--- subject complement/attribute. Who is a nice person? He. You see subject answers this so it is subject attribute. The things I explained are functions.¹As for categories¹: He---noun , is ---verb phrase² a nice person ---- noun phrase . More detailed: a is an article, nice is an adjective modifying person.

This is what I think.

1: What is the difference between categories and functions?

2: I never heard anyone calling is a verb phrase. Mostly they call it helping verb or linking verb. What do you say on this?

Re: The meaning of 'Gonna'

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 07:43:18 GMT

What is the word sucks in "Homework sucks"? Is it a verb or an adjective? If it is a verb, what does homework suck?

This brings up an excellent point, and a wonderful opportunity to discover the beautiful syntactic structure of the English language. The question at hand is "Does an English verb need to have an object?" Consider the simple construction, "I eat" (Subject-ActionVerb). It is a coherent English thought; there is no need to express what is eaten. Just because an English sentence contains an action verb does not mean an object of that action must occur. The neat thing is, though, that it can occur and the thought is just as coherent. "I eat pizza" (Subject-ActionVerb-Object) is an equally logical thought.

Action verbs that have an object of their action are said to be transitive, while those that do not are said to be intransitive. Objects can receive the action of their verb either directly or indirectly. An object which is indirectly acted upon only occurs when there is one which is directly acted upon as well. Objects which receive their verb's action directly are said to be direct, whereas those which receive it indirectly are said to be indirect. In the sentence "I baked them pizza," pizza is a direct object, and them is an indirect object.

We have observed three fundamental patterns of the English language:
                        Subject-IntransitiveVerb                                              (S-InV)                I eat.
                        Subject-TransitiveVerb-DirectObject                          (S-TrV-DO)         I eat pizza.
                        Subject-TransitiveVerb-IndirectObject-DirectObject (S-TrV-IO-DO)    I bake them pizza.

As it turns out, the entire English language follows only about six different fundamental patterns, depending on how you count them. Essentially, there are only three more. I find this fascinating, so here I have written a short exposition on the topic. I intend to learn as much from those who view this forum as they can learn from me, so please read, enjoy (hopefully), and critique it.

        An Inquiry into the Syntactical Structure of the English Language

Fundamental Parts of Speech
There exist various schemes that depict the fundamental parts of speech in the English language. The underlying assumption of them all is that every English word can be classified into a fairly small number of categories. According to a word's inherent qualities these are somewhat nebulous, but according to how the word is used in a sentence they our definitive. The scheme I adopt here models English words in seven divisions: nouns* (N), verbs (V), adjectives** (Adj), adverbs (Adv), prepositions (Prep), conjunctions (Conj), and interjections (Interj). No attempt will be put forth to define these whether operationally or inherently. That being beyond the scope of this work
*Nouns in this work refers to both nouns and pronouns. Though they constitute two distinct categories they are used virtually interchangeably distinguishable only by the inherent qualities they possess. (A point in which syntax is largely uninterested.)
**This class contains what other schemes might divide into the categories of articles, determiners, qualifiers, modifying nouns, etc.
A Steal Framework
Again the various models of English syntax would number the fundamental patterns differently. I have adopted a scheme of six. The patterns are concerned only with two parts of speech: verbs and nouns. They form a sort of a metal framework upon which the rest of the fundamental part bestow their graces connecting and decorating it into a beautiful masterpiece. I model English nouns as possessing eight unique functions (subject (S), direct object (DO), indirect object (IO), objective complement (OC), subjective complement (SC), object of the preposition (OP), noun of direct address (DA), and appositive (App)) and English verbs as possessing four unique functions (action verb*, linking verb (LV), state of being verb (Be), helping verb** (Aux)). Only the first five of the noun functions and the first three of the verb functions are used in constructing the patterns. The rest are added on later for decoration.
*As it has been aforementioned actions verbs are either transitive verbs (TrV), possessing objects, or intransitive verbs (InV), not possessing objects.
**Helping verbs also known as auxiliary verbs or simply auxiliaries serve solely to aid the one main verb of a syntactic pattern in expressing such complexities as tense, mood, or voice. Unlike other languages, English verb ending are unable to accomplish this consisting of only four principle parts with little variation or no variation for person or number. Rarely will you find a verb written more than four ways.

The Fundamental Syntactic Patterns
Some schemes include adjective and adverb elements. I do not, however, because I do not consider them the pegs on which other elements can hang. They are merely filler. I have put alternate examples in boldface type for where some find grounds for other patterns.

                                            1. S-Be*                    I am. or I am here.
                                            2. S-LV-SC*,*              I am Daniel. or I am good.
                                            3. S-InV                         I eat.
                                            4. S-TrV-DO*                I eat pizza.
                                            5. S-TrV-IO-DO*        I bake them pizza.
                                            6. S-TrV-DO-OC*,*    I consider pizza food. or I find pizza tasty.
* "I am here," or, "I am of the tribe of Benjamin," are examples of an adverb element on the S-Be pattern. Under some schemes this would be a new pattern, S-be-Adv. The adverb element, often referred to as the adverbial modifies the verb indicating where or when.
*The subjective complement is the completer of the subject. If it is an adjective it is called the predicate adjective (PA). If it is a noun it is called the predicate nominative or noun (PN). As a noun it is said to rename the subject (Daniel). As a adjective it is said to modify the subject (good). Under some schemes these two cases form distinct patterns (S-LV-PN and S-LV-PA).
*Depending on whether or not the definition of linking verb is broadened to include the state of being verbs, a separate pattern (S-be-SC) is often employed which in turn is typically divided into the two distinct patterns (S-be-PA and S-be-PN).
*Both direct and indirect objects are considered to be predicate complements (PC). So the distinction between them is sometimes lost and these patterns can be depicted S-TrV-PC, S-TrV-PC-PC, and S-TrV-PC-OC with the former two occasionally fusing into one pattern (S-TrV-PC).
*Sometimes a distinction is made between an objective complement that functions as a noun (pizza), objective noun (ON), and one that functions as a adjective (tasty), objective adjective (OA). Thus two distinct patterns are formed (S-TrV-DO-ON and S-TrV-DO-OA).

Whether or not it is wise to exclude the patterns S-Be-Adv, S-LV-PA, and S-TrV-OA, I do not know, but since I maintain that the fundamental syntactic units are composed of certain nouns and verbs I will. For now the other parts of speech and remaining nouns and verbs are for filling out the framework.

The Decorations and Connections
The remaining verbs, helping/auxiliary verbs (Aux), come before the verbs in the patterns and give them tense. Of the remaining nouns, nouns of direct address (DA) are when you address the person you are talking two by name, appositives come right after one of the nouns in the fundamental patterns and serve to rename them, and objects of the preposition are the words the prepositions (Prep) are relating to the rest of the sentence. Prepositions (Prep) then relate nouns to the rest of the sentence. Conjunction (Conj) join elements whether they be fundamental patterns, subject, or verbs. Interjections (Interj) do just that. Butt in breaking the flow of everything. Adjectives (Adj) modify nouns, and adverbs (Adv) modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

These nine links and flesh may simply be one word or, as four of them (OP, App, Adj, and Adv) often are, be expanded into multiword units composed themselves of smaller units which in turn are linked to other units. Thus you have the massive interlocking structure of the English language.

What are these large units with in units though? They are either clauses or phrases.

Clauses
Clause contain both a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete thought. They are one of the fundamental units fleshed out. They come in three varieties those that will function as an adverb (Adv), those that will function as a adjective (Adj), and those that will function as a noun (not just OP and App, but the fundamental makeup of the patterns S, DO, IO, OC, and PN/SC).

Phrases:*
Phrases certain either a subject or a verb, but not both. The prepositional phrase--the unit Prep-OP (sometimes fleshed out with other elements)--functions as either an Adj, Adv, or a N. There are three phrase which are one of the six or nine depending on how you look at it fundamental patterns with the S severed from them. The gerund phrase is the one in which the main verb must be in the second principle part** and functions as a N. The participle phrase is the one in which the main verb must be in the second or fourth principle part** and functions as an Adj. The infinitive phrase is the one in which the verb must be in the infinitive (nearly synonymous with the first principle part** and functions as an Adj, Adv, or a N. A fifth and unusual type of phrase functions as a modifier (Adj or Adv) of the entire sentence, and is composed of a noun followed by a participial phrase.
*Sometimes the classifications of phrases are broadened to include a noun phrase, verb phrase, adjective phrase, adverb phrase, and appositive phrase. However, I will abstain from such a measure because noun phrases are just simply any of the five above which can function as a N, appositive phrases are just simply any of the five above which can function as an appositive (a N), adjective phrases are just any of the five above which can function as Adj, adverb phrases are just simply any of the five above which can function as Adv, and verb phrases are just the verb of the six fundamental patterns with its auxiliaries.
**Sometimes English verbs are depicted as having three principle parts, (1) present, (2) past, and (3) past participle, presumably because the present participle of all English verbs is the present + -ing. However, the scheme used here is that which depicts four principle parts, (1) present, (2) present participle, (3) past, (4) past participle, which can be derived from the infinitive [to . . .] by asking the four questions (1) Today, [I/we, you, he/she/it/they] . . .Currently, [I/we, you, he/she/it/they] [to be] . . . , (3) Yesterday, [I/we, you, he/she/it/they] . . . , (4) Previously, [I/we, you, he/she/it/they] [to have] . . . of the infinitive.

Re: Basic problem

Pemmican — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 19:40:21 GMT

The problem here is the word order:
In a usual sentence (main clause or subordinate clause), the word order is Subject-Predicate-Object (O): "He told me where you are."

Even in an interrogative clauses, this word order remains: "Can you(S) tell(V) me where you are?".
(Can here is an auxiliary verb that helps to keep the actual order (hv-S-V-O), if there's no auxliary like can, may, must - a paraphrasing with 'do' is necessary.)

In questions that start with a question word (where, what, how etc.), the word order is not kept, but "inversed" i.e. the subject of the sentence and its predicate change positions:
"Where are you?" - in these cases, a helping verb such as 'do' is not necessary.

Re: Verbs v. Infinitives - Part II

pemmican — Tue, 21 Oct 2003 09:39:25 GMT

Yes, whl you're right!

>>"Learning may be easy, if you are learning from a good teacher, but teaching is work."

Verbs in this sentence are:
may, be;
are, learning;
is

may & be; are & learning belong together - they build the predicate of each part of the sentence - in this sentence, "may" and "are" are helping verbs, the first used to express a modus (may= in this sentence equal to can, could) (modal helping verbs are always followed by the infinitive of the full verb); the latter used to form the present progressive tense (followed by the full verb in its present participle form):

Learning may (modal helping verb) be (full verb - infinitive) easy, if you are ('be' as a helping verb to form a progressive tense) learning (full verb - present participle) from a good teacher, but teaching is ('be' as a full verb) work.

Hope I could help you

Re: Subjects and verbs

pemmican — Thu, 11 Sep 2003 15:11:19 GMT

The subject is "Beads or balls".
The predicate is "may be moved" and consists of 3 verbs:
The modal helping verb "may" which shows the modus (allowance) of the full verb "move" that is here in its passive voice of the infinitive. [to move (active) -> to be moved (passive)].