188 Verb Phrases Get and have both mean to cause somebody to do something. For example: The police have got volunteers searching the woods. We have the interns searching the records. One of the diffi culties in recognizing this complement type is that present participle verbs look just like present participles used as gerund phrases. (Gerund phrases are discussed in detail in Chapter 6.) Gerund phrases are -ing forms of the verb used in noun phrases. For example, consider the following sentence: NP Working on his report kept Rudolph up all night. The gerund phrase working on his report is a noun phrase playing the role of subject. Fortunately, there is a simple and highly reliable way to identify gerund phrases: they can always be replaced by it: It Working on his report kept Rudolph up all night. When we try to substitute it for a present participle verb phrase, the result will always be ungrammatical. For example: X it I saw him working on his report. The object ϩ present participle complement type is very close in meaning and usage to the object ϩ base form complement type. For example, compare the following sentences: Object ϩ base: We watched him fi x his bicycle. Object ϩ present participle: We watched him fi xing his bicycle. There is little difference in meaning between these two sentences. There probably is some slight emphasis on the process of repairing the bicycle in the object ϩ present participle complement as compared to the object ϩ base form complement, but it would be easy to overstate how signifi - cant that difference is. A practical problem for nonnative speakers is that the two different complement types use many of the same verbs. For example, the following verbs are freely used with both complement types: feel, have, hear, listen to, notice, observe, overhear, see, spot, spy, watch. Some verbs can be used with the object ϩ present participle complement but not the base- form complement: catch, discover, fi nd, get, leave, smell. For example: (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 188 3/16/09 12:34:17 PM Multiple Verb Complements 189 Object ϩ present participle: We found them working in the back offi ce. Object ϩ base form: X We found them work in the back offi ce. Only one common verb can be used in the object ϩ base form but not with the object ϩ present participle: make. For example: Object ϩ base-form: We made them fi x the bill. Object ϩ present participle: X We made them fi xing the bill. Here is a list of the verbs that are commonly used with object ϩ present participle comple- ments. Note that most of these are verbs of sense perception: catch hear see discover leave smell feel notice spot fi nd observe spy get overhear watch have perceive Exercise 11.12 Choose the correct complement type (present participle, base form, or both) from the two forms in parentheses. If both are correct, write both above the verbs. both We will have the workers (painting/paint) the hallway tomorrow. 1. We left the painters (fi nishing up/fi nish up) the trim in the dinning room. 2. Listen to her (playing/play) that piano. 3. He made me (doing/do) it. 4. We discovered the kitten (hiding/hide) in the attic. 5. I heard the kitchen faucet (dripping/drip) all night. 6. Fortunately, I smelled the brakes (smoking/smoke) on the rear axle. 7. After a bad beginning, we got the two sides (talking/talk) to each other. 8. During the earthquake, we all felt the building (shaking/shake) a little. 9. Finally, we spotted a white sail (fl ashing/fl ash) in the afternoon sun. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 189 3/16/09 12:34:17 PM 190 Verb Phrases 10. I found myself (worrying/worry) about tomorrow’s presentation. 11. We made Johnny (fi nishing/fi nish) his homework before he watched any TV. 12. They must have overheard us (talking/talk) about it at lunch. 13. We were watching our daughter’s team (playing/play) soccer. 14. I caught myself (dozing off/doze off) during the performance. 15. We saw them (getting into/get into) a taxi on 53rd Street. Exercise 11.13 Underline the complements in the following sentences. Label the type of complement using the following terms: IO ϩ DO for indirect object ϩ direct object; Obj ϩ NP Comp for object ϩ NP complement; Obj ϩ Adj Comp for object ϩ adjective complement; Obj ϩ Adv of Pl for object ϩ adverb of place; Obj ϩ That for object ϩ that clause; To ϩ That for to phrase ϩ that clause; Obj ϩ Inf for object ϩ infi nitive; Obj ϩ Base for object ϩ base form; or Obj ϩ Pres Part for object ϩ present participle. Obj that Don’t tell me/we were right all along? 1. Please let me help you with that. 2. The test proves the suspect innocent. 3. I noticed them leaving during the meeting. 4. They appointed her chief counsel. 5. He is putting the leftovers into the refrigerator. 6. My parents sent the kids some books. 7. Fortunately, the board considered my idea quite promising. 8. I told them they needed to get prior approval before going ahead. 9. Sadly, I put the iPhone back on the counter. 10. We thought the outcome a big disappointment, to tell the truth. 11. Can you give my friend a lift to the airport? 12. Let us prove to you that we can do the job. 13. We moved the kittens out of the kids’ bedroom. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 190 3/16/09 12:34:17 PM Multiple Verb Complements 191 14. I wanted my parents to stay with us this Christmas. 15. I drove the car over to my mother’s house. 16. I had the waiter set an extra place for you. 17. We helped them to get ready to leave. 18. I told them that we would be a little late for dinner. 19. Jane baked Sarah a birthday cake. 20. I considered our project a success. 21. What prompted John to change his mind so suddenly? 22. The oven will keep food hot for hours. 23. She explained to us that her parents would need to use the apartment that week. 24. I caught my son watching TV while studying. 25. I confess to you that I am more than a little nervous. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 191 3/16/09 12:34:17 PM 192 12 Adverbs The term adverb is used both narrowly to refer to single-word adverbs and broadly to refer to any grammatical unit (word, phrase, or clause) that functions as an adverb. In this book, unless specifi ed otherwise, we will use the term adverb broadly to include all types of adverbs. If we need to be more specifi c, we will use the terms single-word adverb, adverb phrase, or adverb clause. Adverbs are conventionally defi ned as grammatical elements (words, phrases, or clauses) that “modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.” Since 99 percent of the time, adverbs are used to modify verbs, from this point we will focus exclusively on adverbs that modify verbs. This chapter is divided into two parts. In the fi rst part, we will discuss how adverbs are formed. In the second part, we will discuss how adverbs are used. How adverbs are formed In this section we will examine how adverbs are formed at the word level, at the phrase level, and at the clause level. Word-level adverbs Adverbs fall into two distinct groups: (1) a small number of mostly single-syllable words that are used with very high frequency, and (2) the great majority of adverbs that are derived from adjec- tives, for example deep/deeply; true/truly, sad/sadly. Here are the twenty-fi ve most commonly used adverbs (note that not one of the very high frequency adverbs is derived from an adjective by adding -ly): 1. only 2. then (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 192 3/16/09 12:34:18 PM Adverbs 193 3. now 4. also 5. even 6. just 7. here 8. back 9. still 10. never 11. well 12. again 13. so 14. there 15. away 16. always 17. once 18. however 19. often 20. over 21. perhaps 22. thus 23. yet 24. too 25. almost One of the fundamental identifying features of modifying adverbs is that they are by defi ni- tion optional elements. Unlike the other major parts of speech—nouns, adjectives, and verbs— adverbs can always be deleted without affecting the grammaticality of the sentence. For example, consider the following sentence: We had dinner then. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 193 3/16/09 12:34:18 PM 194 Verb Phrases The adverb then can be deleted without making the rest of the sentence ungrammatical: We had dinner then . Exercise 12.1 Underline the single-word adverbs in the following sentences. Confi rm your identifi cation by deleting the adverb. It always costs a fortune to eat at Gordy’s. 1. I usually don’t have that much trouble printing documents. 2. We went to Mexico City once. 3. I simply couldn’t understand what they were saying. 4. The audience suddenly became quiet. 5. We often see them on the weekends. 6. They knocked on the door again. 7. We have made our decision, too. 8. She really plays the piano well. 9. Perhaps we will see you at the conference. 10. I always take the bus to work. 11. Are we done already? 12. We probably can’t get to the meeting by ten. 13. Let’s arrange a meeting soon. 14. We always see them over the holidays. 15. My parents often discuss moving to a smaller place. Ninety-fi ve percent of adverbs are formed from adjectives by adding an -ly suffi x. Here are some examples: Adjectives Adverbs abrupt abruptly eager eagerly fi rst fi rstly (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 194 3/16/09 12:34:18 PM . adverbs that modify verbs. This chapter is divided into two parts. In the fi rst part, we will discuss how adverbs are formed. In the second part, we will discuss how adverbs are used. How adverbs. substitute it for a present participle verb phrase, the result will always be ungrammatical. For example: X it I saw him working on his report. The object ϩ present participle complement type. object ϩ base form but not with the object ϩ present participle: make. For example: Object ϩ base-form: We made them fi x the bill. Object ϩ present participle: X We made them fi xing the bill. Here