Grammar: Difference between revisions

1,811 bytes added ,  5 February 2022
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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 ===