chapter 3: gerund phrases

A gerund phrase begins with a participle verb that has an -ing inflection but functions as a nominal only. Remember, a gerund phrase is NOT a main verb phrase if an auxiliary does not precede the gerund, and the headword is the gerund itself. Since gerunds are always nominal, a gerund phrase can  occupy any noun position (nominal FUNCTION SLOT) in a clause. The most common  are subject,  direct object, and object of preposition. SubjectEating my lunch is the best part of my day.SOMETHING is the best part of my day. Direct ObjectI hope that you appreciate my offering you this opportunity.I hope that you appreciate SOMETHING. Object of the PrepositionYou might get in trouble for faking an illness to avoid work.You might get in trouble for SOMETHING. Gerunds appear in the noun positions of sentences, but because they are not really nouns, they cannot take noun inflections. Eating too many green apples made her sick.*Eatings too many green apples made her sick. On the other hand, some gerunds have become true nouns: Meeting with Henry made her sick.Meetings with Henry made her sick. You should also be able to recognize and tell the difference between a participle and a gerund: Untold numbers of students have succeeded searching online for a way of understanding difficult material in their courses. searching = Adverbial participle phrase, modifying HAVE SUCCEEDEDunderstanding = Gerund (nominal): object of the preposition OF Remember, while they may look the same, Present Participle Phrases  always function adjectivally or adverbially, and Gerund Phrases always  function nominally.

REMEMBER: non-finite verbs play functional roles in our language (nominal, adjectival, or adverbial). In this respect, nonfinite verbs are never main verb phrases because nonfinite verbs do not have a tense marker. Always keep this in mind as you analyze in context.

Previous Page

Table of Contents

Next Page

chapter 2: practice exercises

The practice exercises on this page are designed to help you understand the concepts in this chapter more fully. These include both interactive exercises and more complex exercises. The table below lists a variety of interactive practice exercises for Chapter 2, covering the key concepts:

Previous Page

Table of Contents

Next Page

chapter 2: analyzing examples

The English language is messy, and many times analyzing for  grammatical elements is not always as obvious as the simple examples that we use on the content pages. So to assist your ability to analyze  all the different texts you may encounter as you read, we want to offer a  few more sample analyses of more difficult texts.
 
For these more complicated examples, we review some or all  of the key  features discussed in Chapter 2. Please review these  examples closely, trying  to understand the choices made for the analysis. As always, if you have any questions, please ask your instructor  or start a conversation in your work group.
 
Analyzing for Noun Phrases and MVPs – Example #1
Adapted from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:
 
In the evening Elizabeth joined their party in the drawing-room. The loo-table, however, did not appear. Mr. Darcy was writing, and Miss Bingley, seated near him, was watching the progress of his letter and repeatedly calling off his attention by messages to his sister.
 
For this example, we’ll analyze NPs and MVPs in the passage. Remember to pay attention to context, to who the words are “hanging out with”:
 
Noun Phrases

1. the evening – definite article + noun – nominal slot = object of the preposition IN
2. Elizabeth – proper noun – nominal slot = subject (with JOINED)
3. their party – possessive determiner + noun – nominal slot = direct object of JOINED
4. the drawing-room – definite article + verb functioning adjectivally + noun – nominal slot = object of the preposition IN
5. The loo-table – definite article + noun functioning adjectivally + noun – nominal slot = subject (with DID NOT APPEAR)
6. Mr. Darcy – proper noun – nominal slot = subject (with WAS WRITING)
7. Miss Bingley – proper noun – nominal slot = subject (with WAS WATCHING)
8. him – pronoun – nominal slot = object of the preposition NEAR
9. the progress – definite article + noun – nominal slot = direct object of WAS WATCHING
10. his letter – possessive determiner + noun – nominal slot = object of the preposition OF
11. his attention – possessive determiner + noun – nominal slot = direct object of [WAS] CALLING OFF
12. messages – noun – nominal slot = object of the preposition BY
13. his sister – possessive determiner + noun – nominal slot = object of the preposition TO

Main Verb Phrases

1. joined – past + JOIN = simple past
2. did . . . appear – present + modal (DID) + APPEAR = simple present
3. NOT can be included when listing the main verb phrase, but should not be considered as part of the analysis
4. was writing – past + BE + [-ing] + WRITE = past progressive
5. was watching – past + BE + [-ing] + WATCH = past progressive
6. [was] calling off – past + BE + [-ing] + CALL OFF = past progressive
7. The coordinating conjunction AND signals that this is a compound MVP with a common auxiliary (WAS), so should be identified as a past progressive.

Note on Other Verbs

1. drawing – This is NOT part of a main verb phrase. While it has the [-ing] inflection, it is not preceded by a BE auxiliary. More importantly, it is between a definite article and a noun, so is part of the noun phrase.
2. seated – The paired commas signal that this is not action, so this is a past participle, not a main verb. This past participle phrase is functioning adjectivally to modify MISS BINGLEY.

Analyzing for Noun Phrases and MVPs – Example #2
Adapted from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald:
 
I had talked with him a few times in the past month and found, to my disappointment, that he had little to say. So my first impression, that he was a person of some undefined consequence, had gradually faded and he had become simply the proprietor of an elaborate roadhouse next door.
 
For this example, we’ll analyze NPs and MVPs in the passage. Remember to pay attention to context, to who the words are “hanging out with”:
 
Noun Phrases

1. I – pronoun – nominal slot = subject (with HAD TALKED)
2. him – pronoun – nominal slot = object of the preposition WITH
3. a few times – indefinite article + indefinite determiner + noun – nominal slot = direct object of HAD TALKED
4. the past month – definite article + adjective + noun – nominal slot = object of the preposition IN
5. my disappointment – possessive determiner + noun – nominal slot = object of the preposition TO
6. he – pronoun – nominal slot = subject (with HAD)
7. my first impression – possessive determiner + ordinal determiner + noun – nominal slot = subject (with HAD GRADUALLY FADED)
8. he – pronoun – nominal slot = subject (with WAS)
9. a person – indefinite article + noun – nominal slot = subject complement
   This noun phrase seems to rename the subject, so is best identified as a subject complement; however, BECOME also indicates an action whereby A PERSON could also be identified as the direct object of HAD BECOME
10. some undefined consequence – indefinite determiner + verb functioning adjectivally + noun – nominal slot =  object of the preposition OF
11. he – pronoun – nominal slot = subject (with HAD BECOME)
12. the proprietor – definite article + noun – nominal slot = subject complement
13. an elaborate roadhouse – indefinite article + adjective + noun – nominal slot = object of the preposition OF
14. next door – adjective + noun – nominal slot = appositive

Main Verb Phrases

1. had talked – past + HAVE + [-ed] + TALK = past perfect
2. found – past + FIND = simple past
3. had – past + HAVE = simple past
   Remember, HAVE can also be a main verb.
4. was – past + BE = simple past
   Remember, BE can also be a main verb.
5. had . . . faded – past + HAVE + [-ed] + FADE = past perfect
6. had become – past + HAVE + [-en] + BECOME = past perfect
   BECOME can function as a linking verb or a transitive verb.

Note on Other Verbs

1. undefined – This is NOT part of a main verb phrase. Notice, in particular, that it is between an indefinite determiner and a noun, and that it is modifying the noun, so this is part of the noun phrase.

Previous Page

Table of Contents

Next Page

chapter 2: noun phrases

Nominal Subjects are the first required element for all clauses. Noun Phrases are a basic structure that makes up the majority of subjects in our language. A noun phrase can be either a single word or multiple words. This means that the only required element for a noun phrase is a noun: 

As you’ll recall from Chapter 1, a NOUN is a form-class word that typically names entities or concrete/abstract things. However, keep in mind that a noun phrase represents those structures that can fulfill a noun role. So a “noun phrase” can be a single word or multiple words. More importantly, as a single word, a noun phrase is most commonly a typical noun (form-class word), but a noun phrase can also be a pronoun (structure-class word) that serves a noun (or nominal) role (subject, direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition, etc.).

• Mr. Smith
  
• people
• dogs
• I

• he
• she
• they

• we
• you

 If a noun phrase contains more than one word, the first optional element is a determiner

As you’ll recall from Chapter 1, there are seven primary sets of determiners: definite article, indefinite article, demonstrative determiner, possessive determiner, indefinite determiner, cardinal determiner, and ordinal determiner. Each of these can serve as the first element in a noun phrase. In most cases, only one determiner per noun phrase, although the ordinal determiner often combines with articles as the lone exception.

• the dog
•  a dog 

• this car
• that car
• these cars
• those cars

• my house
• our coursework
• your yard
• his/her/its hair
• their business

• some cars
• other cars
• each car
• many cars

• one hedgehog
• two wheelbarrows
• two hundred applications

• the first day
• a second chance
• the last man standing

The second optional element is the adjective/adjectival.

As you’ll recall from Chapter 1, an ADJECTIVE is a form-class word that typically modifies a noun (or nominal). In a noun phrase, the adjective can appear with just a noun:

• happy people
• yellow parakeets

Or it can appear between a determiner and a noun:

• a friendly dog
• those dirty cars
• my yellow house
• some economical cars
• two loaded wheelbarrows

While a NOUN is required for a noun phrase, other words might also be present. These other words are optional, but if they appear, they will follow a predictable pattern. We can think of these as the function slots for noun phrases.
We will discuss the adjectival function in more detail in Chapter 3. The adjective element of the noun phrase is normally one word at a time, although the number of adjectives that can appear in a noun phrase is essentially unlimited:

• a big, friendly, scruffy, brown dog

Previous Page

Table of Contents

Next Page