Non-finite forms of the verb: double nature. The grammatical categories of verbals. Different points of view on the number of non-finite forms in Modern English

Non-finite forms of the verb: the infinitive (to fuck), the gerund (fucking),participle I (fucking), participleII (fucked).

Non-finite forms have a double nature, nominal and verbal. The participle combines the characteristics of a verb with those of an adjective/ adverb. The gerund and the infinitive combine the characteristics of a verb with those of a

noun.

The verbals, unlike the finite forms of the verb, do not express person, number, tense or mood.

Non-finites possess the verb categories of phase, voice and aspect.

And now DETAILS.....

THE INFINITIVE

the nominal character	the verbal character
is manifested in its syntactic functions. The infinitive can be used as: 1. the subject => To kiss you is pleasant. 2. a predicative => My plan is to pass the exam. 3. an object => I've never learned to drink vodka.	1. the infinitive of transitive verbs can take a direct object => He began to feel some curiosity. 2. it can be modified by an adverb => I like to do it slowly. 3. - phase distinctions - aspect distinctions - voice (inf. of transitive verbs)
PHASE	ASPECT	ACTIVE VOICE	PASSIVE VOICE
non-perfect	common	to go to take	to be taken
non-perfect	continuous	to be going to be taking	-
perfect	common	to have gone to have taken	to have been taken
perfect	continuous	to have been going to have been taking	-

 

THE GERUND

the nominal character	the verbal character
1. can perform the function of subject,	1. the gerund of transitive verbs can
object, predicative =>	take a direct object => I made
Drinking leads to joy.	progress in understanding the
Everybody likes making love.	Bushmen language. =)
My duty is fighting for peace.	2. can be modified by an adverb => She
2. can be preceded by a preposition =>	burst out crying bitterly.
Iam tired of typing.	3. - phase
3. can be modified by a noun in the	- voice (the gerund of transitive
possessive case or by a possessive
pronoun => I wonder at Marina's/ your
doing this.
PHASE	ACTIVE VOICE	PASSIVE VOICE
non-perfect	running kissing	being kissed
perfect	having run having kissed	having been kissed

 

THE PARTICIPLE (I, II)

the adjectival/ adverbial character	the verbal character
is manifested in their syntactic functions: attribute and adverbial modifier => I -> I saw the girl sitting by the window. Having done it, I went to bed. II -> I saw your name written on the wall. When left alone, she masturbated.	1. participle I of a transitive verb can take a direct object => Opening thedoor, he went out. 2. Participle I and II can be modified by an adverb => Looking at him gently, she began crying. Deeplyaffected, he killed her. 3. participle I: - phase – voice (p I of transitive verbs)
PHASE	ACTIVE VOICE	PASSIVE VOICE
non-perfect	going kissing	being kissed
perfect	having gone having kissed	having been kissed

Participle IIof transitive verbs, when it is not part of a perfect form, is always passive in meaning.

 

DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW..........

Some grammarians do not distinguish between the gerund and participleI. BUT look at my tables and you'll see that these are two different non-finite forms, BECAUSE:

1) The participle combines the characteristics of a verb with those of an adjective/ adverb. While the gerund combines the characteristics of a verb with those of a noun.

2) They have absolutely different syntactic functions.

3) The gerund can be preceded by a preposition and modified by a noun in the possessive case or by a possessive pronoun. The participle cannot.

AT THE SAME TIME their verbal characteristics fully coincide! (probably that i< th« hnsie ooint of the above-mentioned grammarians)

 

Non-Finite forms of the verb: double nature. The grammatical categories of verbals. Different points of view on the number of non-finite forms in Modern English.

Non-Finite= N-F ;Verbals= Vls; Finite=F

The V has finite and N-F forms (also called Vls)

The Vls, unlike the F forms of the V, do not express person, number or mood. Therefore they cannot be used as the predicate of a sentence.

Like the F forms- the Vls have Tense and Voice distinctions, but their tense dist. Differ greatly from those of the F V.

There are 3 Vls: the participle (I or II) (Part), the gerund (Ger), the infinitive (Inf)

The characteristic traits of the Vls are as follows:

They have a double nature-1. nominal &2. verbal.

1)The Part. Combines the characteristics of а V with those of an adjective; the Ger. And the Inf.- of a V with those of а N.

2)The tense distinctions of the Vls are not absolute, but relative!

The form of a Vl does not show whether the action it denotes refers to the present, past or future; it shows only whether the action expressed by the Vl is simultaneous with the action expressed by the F V or prior to it.

All the Vls can form predicative constructions (p.con), i.e constr. Consisting of 2 elements- a nominal (N or Pronoun) and a verbal (Part, Ger, Inf); the verbal element stands in predicate relation to the nominal element, i.e in a relation similar to that between the S and the P of the sentence. In most cases p.con. form syntactic units, serving as one part of the sentence.

The Vls have the Gr. Cat-es of ORDER and VOICE. The Inf. Has also a sd Gr. Cat-y- ASPECT.

Order. (Correlation)

The cat. of Order is built up by 2 forms: perfect & non-perfect.

Non-perfect Perfect

Inf to ask, to give to have asked, to have given

Ger asking, giving having asked, having given

Part asking, giving having asked, having given

The perfect form is used to present the event as prior to another event (generally prior to the event expressed by the predicate V)

The non-perfect form will be generally used to present the event as non-prior to another event (simultaneous, posterior or referring to no particular time).

Voice.

Active Passive

Inf to ask, to give to be asked, to be given

Ger asking, giving being asked, being given

Part I asking, giving being asked, being given

The active form of the Vl will indicate that the doer of the action is denoted by the S of the sentence, the passive- that the doer is not denoted by the S of the sentence:I wanted to ask him that question; I wanted to be asked that question.

NB! In certain cases the Vl (the Inf or the Ger) though active in form may be passive in Mg. The Inf may indicate it when used as predicative in some traditional contexts: They were not to blame.; The house is to let.

The Ger. will be passive in Mg when used after the Vs want, need, require and the adjective worth: The woodwork needed painting.; He has got one friend worth having.

Aspect.

The cat. of A is built up by 2 aspect forms: continuous and common.

Only one Vl, as was said above. Has the cat. of A- it is the Inf.

Common Continuous

To write, to read to be writing, to be reading

The Cont. form of the Inf. Will generally indicate that the event is presented as temporary, as being in progress at the time of another event or at a definite moment (period).

The Common- will be often used just to name the event without specifying its character or time.

Part. II as was said above has one unalterable form. Consequently, it has no morphological Gr. Cat-es.

When formed from transitive terminative Vs it is generally passive and perfective in Mg.

The answer given by him did not explain his attitude.

When asked he did not know what to say.

When formed from non-terminative transitive Vs it is generally passive but non-perfective.

She is a pleasant girl called Mary.

NB! When formed from non-trans. Vs such as fall, vanish, return, grow (in the Mg of grow up) and a few others Part. II is ACTIVE in Mg.: He is a retired soldier .

 

18. Word-groups and sentences: basic differences. Classification of word-qroups based on syntactical relations between the members of the word-group:

coordinate, subordinate, pfedicative> cumulative.

Syntax deals with both sentences and word-groups.

Смирницкий: the analysis of sentences ma in problem of syntax, analysis word-groups=secondary, because joining of words into word-groups is only a step, toward making a sentence.

Word-groups Sentences

* not complete (structurally-and semantically) * units of speech (can function as independent utterances)

* can't be used as units of communication

Fundamental feature thatdistinguishes a sentence from a word-group=INTONATION

*noun+verb ≠word-group * normally contain a verb in-afinite form

(noun+verb=subject&predicate)

Word-group - logical and grammatical combination of 2 or more words which don't form a sentence.

Sentence - basic unit of communication, grammatically organized and expressing a complete thought.

Traditional grammar => 2 types of syntactic relations between words: coordination, subordination

Coordination: grammatical' equality of words joined together; is realized by coordinating conjunctions or by word-order: John and Mary; John, Mary or Marinka

When connection is realized by word order -> asyndetic coordination (бессоюзие) + only homogenious members of the sentence can be joined by coordination

Subordination: implies Inequality in the grammatical status of words in the sentence -one of the words becomes the head of the phrase & the other =the modifier subordinated to the head. John's room/ his- book

Can be expressed by agreement(согласование) and government(управление).

AGREEMENT

Kind of relation in which the subordinated word takes a form similar to that of the head-word's

- Ильиш: only 2 cases of agreement -> demonstrative pronouns "this/that", "these/those" (agree in number).

- Some grammarians: "agreement" can be applied to word-groups in which words belong to different grammatical classes

When everybody has given his, opinion... (agrees in number with everybody; colloquial - ...has given their opinion )

- between the subject and the object She's making a cake for herself

He injured himself in the bottom.

the form of The subordinated word

is determined by the head-word but

isn't similar to it.

GOVERNMENT

-the form of the subordinated waod is detemined by the head-word but isn’t similar to it

- extremely limited: the predicate verb governs the form of the object expressed by a personal pronoun, because the personal proN is to be used in the objective case: He gave him/her/me a book.

 

Modern English: analytical means to reveal subordination, most important - word order prepositions.

 

Predicative relations (так их зовут Смирницкий с Бархударовым; = interdependence)

Relations between the subject and the predicate:

- subject determines the gram, form of the predicate (person&number) I am, he reads

- predicate ascribes to the subject some action, state or quality He went, he is old, he is married

Cumulation (кумуляция)

subordinated

His new coatnew coat

Subordinated his new; some old = > somehow connected with each other

Easy to prove: can't change their word order,

Subordinated the relations between them are not very distinct;

Subordinated lectors can't be identified, only against the background of

Subordinated the head-word in the word-group

 

Also cumulation between nouns in:

To write John a letter

There's some strange relation between John and

a letter (can't change their position, we are to

introduce a preposition “to”)

 

Word groups and sentences: basic differences. Classification of word-groups based on syntactical relations between the members of the word-group: coordinate, subordinate, predicative, cumulative.

Syntax deals with analysis of the structure of a sentence. The first step to build a sentence- word-group (not an independent utterance).

Basic English sentence must contain a verb in the Finite Form .Sentences without verbs convey only fragments of information (not full info). Глагол- структурно-семантический узел предложения, предопределяет, какие члены предложения будут находиться, их смысловые отношения. When a noun and a verb in the F.F. follow each other they become the subject and the pred.icate – the main parts of the basic English sentence, they may be accompanied by other words in a sentence, but that doesn’t change their functional status, that’s why many ling-s exclude them from the domain of word groups.. Some foreign ling-s suggest that we should use a special term to denote relations between them – clause. Word group – a logical and gram. combination of 2 or more words, which don’t form a sentence. Cood word group brings together items of equal rank #Boys and Girls. Subordinate word group in which one word is the head and the other are subordinates Sentence – a unit of communication, grammatically organized and expressing a complete thought ( Bloomfield).The sent. is char. by predication, that establishes or indicates relations b\n the utter-s and reality, it’s expressed through the F.F of a verb, which expresses Tense, Mood, Person, Number, traditionally. It’s said that the most universal means of expressing pred. is intonation.