1

Here is the example:

We condemn such behavior that can risk damaging a company’s brand and reputation.

I think, the 'a company's brand reputation' is the object of 'damaging'. And the whole phrase is the object of 'risk'. is it right?

Improve this question
4
  • The title of your question isn't quite clear; could you edit? I'm not quite sure how transitive verb [for] an object quite relates to the final question in the body.
    – Jimi Oke
    Commented Jan 19, 2011 at 17:11
  • A nit: the combination of "such behavior that..." doesn't sound natural to me. I suggest dropping the word "such".
    – JSBձոգչ
    Commented Jan 19, 2011 at 17:43
  • Agree with JSBangs: "such" is a specifier which does not allow another specifier such as a restrictive relative clause. It would be OK with a commenting relative clause (comma before "that").
    – Colin Fine
    Commented Jan 19, 2011 at 18:54
  • @JSBangs @Jimi Oke I mean 'must', a transitive verb must follow an object. When it be used as a gerund, is it still need to follow an object?
    – lovespring
    Commented Jan 20, 2011 at 6:38

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3

Your analysis of the sentence is correct. The -ing form is a present participle, which can take a direct object, in this case "a company's brand and reputation". The participle + object acts as the complement of the verb "risk".

Improve this answer
2
  • Thank you, JSBangs! I ever think that the participle+object acts as object. so, what's the difference between object and complement? why you think it as a complement, not object?
    – lovespring
    Commented Jan 20, 2011 at 6:03
  • 1
    I think this is a gerund phrase rather than a participial phrase. An example of participial use may be, "I saw him damaging the company's reputation." (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) The gerund+object combination acts as the object of the verb risk.
    – Tragicomic
    Commented Jan 21, 2011 at 10:24
0

Excuse me, but I do not think the participial phrase would be "I saw him damaging the company's reputation." It may be this way: "I saw HIS damaging OF the company's reputation." because in "I saw him damaging the company's reputation", damaging's function is not an adjective but a verb. I may be wrong, if so anyone who has an explanation can post it, so everyone can be clarified! Thanks in advance!

Improve this answer
1
  • Thanks for your comment - but you have posted this as a new answer, whereas it is actually just a comment on the existing answer, plus a new question. I appreciate that you do not have enough reputation to post a comment, but you could create a completely new question, incorporating the relevant parts of the previous answer and your query about them.
    – TrevorD
    Commented Jul 27, 2013 at 0:38

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .