Syntax- přednášky

Doctors often recommend rabies shots for anyone who is bitten by a strange dog.

bitten

Those houses which are being pulled down were built 50 years ago.

being pulled down → general passive progressive

The orchestra members, who had been practicing all day, were very tired.

having been practising → perfect progressive

Mr. Richards, who had been wounded in the last war, was receiving a pension from the government.

having been wounded → perfect passive

Punctuation is the same as in relative clauses.

A student hoping to finish college in 3 years must work very hard.

• Defining relative clause – its function is post-modification of noun phrase

• It is a common entity

Robert, hoping to finish college in 3 years, must work very hard.

• Unique entity – proper name – non-defining relative clause

ABSOLUTE CONSTRUCTIONS WITH PARTICIPLES

• Used in very formal English

• Normally the subject of a participle clause is the same as the subject of the main clause in a sentence.

• Using a participle clause which has its own subject.

Subjects are different:

As nobody had any more to say, the meeting was closed.

• Nobody having any more to say, the meeting was closed.

Since all the money had been spent, we started looking for work.

• All the money having been spent, we ………………….. → perfect participle constructions

DANGLING – UNATTACHED - UNRELATED PARTICIPLE

• The subject of the participle is different from the subject of the finite verb, but is not expressed.

FIXED PHRASES – used as comment clauses

• Broadly/generally/…. speaking, taking everything into account ……………………… - function: comment

• Generally speaking, women are better drivers than men.

ACCEPTABLE: (scientific writing)

• Nitrogen was determined in milk, using the Kjeldahl method.

• We can change second clause by means of adverbial clause with an indefinite or general subject (we, you)

  • Nitrogen was determined in milk when we used the Kjeldahl method

• We can change second clause by means of passive voice

  • Nitrogen was determined in milk when the Kjeldahl method was used.

UNACCEPTABLE:

• Reading the evening paper, a dog started barking → We have to change it somehow

• Ing condensers functioning as noun phrases:

GERUND PHRASES

• Perform the same functions as nouns.

Subject: Her watering the plants every day is not necessary.

Object: Her mother appreciates her watering the plants………

Object of preposition: Her mother insists on her watering …….

The boy was fired for not coming to work on time.

These old people are counting on being helped financially.

I seem to remember doing this exercise before.

having done

Non-finite subordinate clauses after prepositions

Before answering, think twice. → “before” can be conjunction OR preposition

He apologized for having been rude.

You can’t get well without following the doctor’s advice.

He studied with the intention of becoming a doctor.

Forms of expressed subject in a gerund phrase

Who told you of John’s being there? Formal – Kdo ti řekl, že tam John je? (subject = who) – possessive form