The participle tag has no wiki summary.
2
votes
2answers
196 views
Is “hanging bats” a participial phrase, gerund phrase, or simple noun phrase?
In the sentence "Hanging bats populate most of the caves in North America," what is the role of "hanging bats"? I believe it is a simple noun phrase containing the participle "hanging" (which ...
2
votes
3answers
393 views
Advanced rules for shortening relative clauses with a participle?
Once again, a problem encountered while marking German pupils' exams.
We teach them the following rules:
A present participle can be used to shorten an active relative clause:
The boy who ...
2
votes
3answers
316 views
Four-word phrase stress
I'm interested to learn why the following four-word phrases have stress on different words.
"Little Red Riding Hood" (stress is on little and riding)
"Infamous National Rifle Association" ...
0
votes
1answer
100 views
“Continuing” vs. “continued”
So, just a few minutes ago we had this question asking whether one could substitute ongoing availability with continuing availability and what the difference would be, if any. Apart from the question ...
2
votes
2answers
232 views
Order of participial adjective
I'm proof-reading a thesis by one of my friends and there's some recurring construct which I always mark as false but I'd like to check with you.
In the comments I was told that the example I ...
1
vote
0answers
72 views
Is a “perfect participle” right? [closed]
Suppose I've received a document from my colleague and then I want to make a report to my chief in which I want to mention it. Would the following construction be correct?
According to the ...
17
votes
5answers
907 views
When can the -ing form of a verb be placed before a noun?
My native-speaker's grammatical intuition tells me that:
There is a sleeping man under the tree.
is fine but
There is a fishing man by the river bank.
is wrong. Why?
I've thought about ...
9
votes
1answer
225 views
What is this ‘-ing’ structure?
Consider the following sentence:
The Bactrian camel is well adapted to the extreme climate of its
native Mongolia, having thick fur and underwool that keep it warm in
winter and also insulate ...
1
vote
3answers
288 views
“I'm not being” or “I'm not been”?
I'm not been able to make up my mind
or
I'm not being able to make up my mind?
Which one is the correct sentence? Why is it correct and why is the other one incorrect?
Edit 10/09/2012:
...
2
votes
2answers
297 views
Dangling Participial Phrase [closed]
Here’s the original:
The veterinarian was caught off guard when, regaining consciousness,
we were again attacked by the cat.
My rewrite of this sentence is either:
The veterinarian was ...
-3
votes
3answers
351 views
preposition + participle phrases
I think you always see sentences like these:
Asked whether he intended to return soon(when he was asked), he replied that he would be away for about three months.
or
Squeezed by ice(as the steamer ...
2
votes
2answers
203 views
checking parts of speech pattern of this sentence
I wonder if the following sentence is grammatically correct.
Foobar is a novel, set in a scenic landscape of farmland and ancient woodland on the banks of the River Foo.
I suppose the word "set" ...
2
votes
1answer
618 views
What is the difference between “blurry” and “blurred”?
The two quotes below discuss the same topic.
Terry's tortured season took a surreal twist on Tuesday when a blurry image resembling him appeared on cigarette packets in India. GUARDIAN
A ...
9
votes
5answers
622 views
“Poison” is to “poisoned” as “venom” is to what?
As the title says, poison is to poisoned as venom is to what?
I tried looking up venomed but it means something different.
Is there such a word?
2
votes
2answers
178 views
“Connection to/with the server was/has been lost”
Which one is correct?
Connection to the server was lost.
Connection to the server has been lost.
Also, should to or with be used with server?
3
votes
1answer
2k views
Past participle of “fly” [closed]
In a song by Coldplay, Paradise, I found the sentence Away she flied. I'm Italian, and I was not sure that flied could be a form of the verb fly or some other word unknown to me. I looked it up in the ...
-2
votes
2answers
316 views
*Compared to*: Preposition or dangling participle? [closed]
I got these examples from the COCA. Which, if any, strike you as prepositions?
Compared to ICS alone, there was a significantly greater improvement in FEV1 with the addition of LABA.
Compared to ...
1
vote
5answers
170 views
Is “Linux-dependent” right?
I have a C program which depends on Linux system libraries. Which is right:
This program is Linux-dependent.
This program is Linux-depending.
Google search gives me some examples of the ...
4
votes
1answer
159 views
Is “workingest” used as often and casually as “hardest working” and “the most hard working (or industrious)”?
I found the phrase America is “the workingest nation” on earth in the following sentence of Time magazine’s (November 14) article titled “Whatever happened to upward mobility.”
For the first time ...
6
votes
3answers
439 views
superlative + -ing participle + noun ok?
Is it always ok to have a superlative hyphenated with a present participle ending in -ing acting as an adjective (so long as the superlative describes the base verb of the participle)? For example:
...
4
votes
4answers
993 views
“Sour cream” versus “soured cream”
Does anyone besides my husband insist on adding an -ed to sour cream? Etymonline dates "sour cream" to 1855, but has no mention of "soured", so I don't think this is analogous to "iced tea" or "ice ...
5
votes
2answers
120 views
Is there a verb that doesn't take the participle form when used in Present Perfect?
I remember about a month ago I was speaking to a friend and I said a Present Perfect sentence like "I have [VERB]". I forget the verb but I remember it was an everyday verb, not something exotic. But ...
3
votes
1answer
220 views
Is there a difference between saying a place is “well-lighted” versus “well-lit” or is it just stylistic? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What's the difference between “well-lighted” and “well-lit”?
I feel that "well-lit" means there is enough light whereas "well-lighted" ...
3
votes
2answers
112 views
Will the comma suffice to indicate whether the subject or the object is being modified?
There are two separate meanings I'm trying to convey with the following two sentences:
1) "I painted my brother sitting against the wall."
2) "I painted my brother, sitting against the ...
9
votes
5answers
746 views
What does “This being…” mean here?
This being Silverlight, you’d expect there to be some way to get the XAML representation
of the selected text—and you’d be right.
What does the clause 'This being Silverlight', and especially ...
21
votes
2answers
459 views
What is the name for the process which turned “iced cream” into “ice cream”?
There are several words (mostly related to food) which are shortenings of their historical forms. For example, the cold treat ice cream was originally known as iced cream in the 1680s. The -ed ending ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
“Melted” vs “molten”
Is there any difference (e.g. regionality) between the two forms of the past participle of melt (melted and molten)?
4
votes
1answer
371 views
Looking forward to follow vs. following
I was reading this today:
We look forward to following your progress.
Am I correct in thinking that it is missing a be or -ing should be removed?
So
We look forward to be following your progress.
...
4
votes
3answers
344 views
The wild flowers looked like a soft orange blanket _______ the desert
The wild flowers looked like a soft orange blanket ______ the desert.
A. covering
B. covered
C. cover
D. to cover
I chose C. I thought that 'looked' is a past participle and 'cover' would ...
3
votes
2answers
743 views
Participle phrase — what can it modify?
Must a participial phrase always modify the subject of a sentence, or can it modify the object?
2
votes
2answers
230 views
What is the correct form of “advance” in the sentence: “My advance search”?
Which form is correct?
My advance search.
My advanced search.
I ask this in comparison to "simple" that does not have a 'ed' form.
My simple search.
7
votes
3answers
743 views
Why do non-native English speakers get the present participle wrong?
I see people saying things like this:
With a new infusion of cash it allows
to make the film.
...instead of...
With a new infusion of cash it allows
making the film.
I can't find a ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Works as expected vs. is working as expected
Which one of these is the correct one?
The registers testcase checks that the module's register interface works as expected.
The registers testcase checks that the module's register interface is ...
4
votes
5answers
554 views
How do you create the adjective form of an irregular verb such as “read”?
If I understand correctly, some adjectives can be derived from verbs.
For example, an interested person is someone who is interested in me, and an interesting person is someone who is interesting to ...
1
vote
2answers
444 views
To use “to” or not to? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Gerund or infinitive: When to use which?
You like to read books.
You like reading books.
The second second sentence seems to be better than the first. Why is ...
21
votes
9answers
3k views
Can anyone give me a grammatical explanation as to why “that being said” is proper English?
A certain pedant is claiming that beginning a sentence with "That being said" is grammatically incorrect owing to the apparent logical contradiction in claiming that something in the past (e.g. the ...
4
votes
3answers
488 views
Is this use of present participle grammatically correct?
We are a Zhongguancun-based English training school looking for native English speakers from the US and Canada. If you are interested in this position. Please send your CV and photo to [email ...
5
votes
1answer
542 views
Why call them infinite/finite verbs?
The infinite, in my understanding, means huge/countless. So in what sense can we call a verb huge/countless?
5
votes
1answer
724 views
Participle phrase; is the grammar correct?
Beatrice, nine, sent a letter to the actor asking for piracy lessons to help lead a mutiny against the teachers.
What does the asking participle phrase act as? Why is participle phrase used ...
0
votes
1answer
135 views
About 'wh + participle' and 'you guys'
we wanted to share some of what you'll see now on foursquare while out exploring your city.
Is the bolded text a clause with ellipsis or a participle phrase? If a phrase, is the while a ...
2
votes
3answers
677 views
What's the difference between a preposition and a participle?
See title. I really have nothing else to add!
0
votes
2answers
238 views
How to associate a participle with an exact word in a sentence like 'List of items'?
I have a problem with a sentence "A list of items grouped by category".
There are two possible ways to understand this sentence:
(A list of items) that is grouped by category
A list of (items that ...
1
vote
2answers
688 views
Is that an adverbial participle? Should there be a comma?
I found the following sentence:
In part of my spare time, I work on fun projects.
I am not sure as to whether there should be a comma. If it is there, then this obeys some rules, for example on ...
4
votes
1answer
611 views
“otherwise directed” vs. “directed otherwise”?
I've seen conflicting usage of the two phrases below, and I wonder which is grammatically correct and why:
Do something unless directed otherwise.
Do something unless otherwise directed.
4
votes
3answers
3k views
“I don't bother to do” vs “I don't bother doing”
Which one of these sentences is correct?
I don't bother to study.
I don't bother studying.
5
votes
3answers
464 views
Past participle of a verb created from an acronym
Standard GPL would require that those applications be GPL'd (or compatible licensing), whereas LGPL requires only the library's source to be made available.
Is the use of words like GPL'd common ...
2
votes
8answers
1k views
“Visualized” equivalent adjective for audio
Are there such words as "audiolized" or "audibilized"?
EDIT: Merriam-Webster has the word Audibilized indexed with no definition! What I was trying to achieve was to say that something is an ...
5
votes
1answer
644 views
When is it correct to start a sentence with a participial phrase?
Spending an hour in the beauty salon, Melissa got a facial with a steam mist.
Are there cases where starting with a participial phrase is not correct?
21
votes
3answers
5k views
What's the difference between a gerund and a participle?
What is the difference between a gerund and a participle?
