Grammar: Difference between revisions
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* see: [https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/gerunds_participles_and_infinitives/infinitives.html Infinitives (owl.purdue.edu)] | * see: [https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/gerunds_participles_and_infinitives/infinitives.html Infinitives (owl.purdue.edu)] | ||
=== noun phrase === | === noun phrase === | ||
* two or more words that together act as a noun | |||
** noun phrases may include modifiers or determiners | |||
*** the little dog | |||
*** my little dog | |||
** noun phrases may be the subject or object of a sentence: | |||
*** "The little dog begged for a bone" | |||
*** "I ordered the little dog to sit" | |||
** noun phrases are easy to see as they include a noun and together act like a noun | |||
*** test out a noun phrase by replacing the phrase with a pronoun: | |||
**** "The little dog begged for a bone"= "He begged for a bone" | |||
**** "I ordered him to sit" | |||
** gerund phrases are more difficult to distinguish | |||
*** especially as to if the gerund is acting as a noun or an adjective/adverb | |||
* gerund phrases are noun phrases: | |||
** a gerund phrase may include an object of the gerund, adjectives, infinitive or a prepositional phrase, ex.: | |||
*** "''Watching my boring professor drone on about grammar'' leaves me bored beyond crying" | |||
**** the gerund "watching" is the subject | |||
***** note that "crying" is gerund, as well | |||
** when the gerund phrase becomes descriptive, it becomes a participial or adjective phrase: | |||
*** "Running with the ball, he scored!" = "running" describes "he", thus it is an adjective | |||
**** if the present participle cannot be replaced by a distinct noun, then it is an adjective and not a gerund (noun) | |||
***** we cannot say, "running with the ball scored" so "running" = a present participle adjective not a gerund | |||
**** see also, "He scored running with the ball" | |||
**** or, "He scored 12 points running with the ball" | |||
***** in both cases the present participle acts as a modifier (adjective or adverb) | |||
*** it's easier to see with this gerund phrase: | |||
**** "The doctor said ''smoking is bad''" = gerund phrase as direct object | |||
* see [https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/gerund-phrase/ Gerund Phrase (gingersoftware.com)] | |||
=== participial phrase === | === participial phrase === | ||