The case of the very short participle sentence...

A.
Sentences have verbal parts (their central parts).

There are finite verbal parts and non-finite verbal parts.

Example of the most complex finite verbal part: '(the car) should have been
being repaired (all this week)', the most simple verbal parts are the
simple present forms: '(the sun) sets (in the west)'. Thus we have single
verbs or verb phrases in the verbal part slot.

When a sentence is built around a finite verbal part, it is a FINITE
SENTENCE.


Non-finite verbal part slots are filled by simple non-finite verb forms:
     infinitives (write),
     to-infinitives (to write)
          [the two should not be mixed up, as is done more often than
          not],
     ing-forms (writing)
          [I can't see any reason for distinguishing 'present participles'
          and 'gerunds' and 'gerundivums' and what not - except to torment
          grammar students.]
     participles (written)
          [if there is no 'present' participle, there need not be a 'past'
          participle - and what, may I ask, might be the difference between
          'past' and 'passive' participles???]

Non-finite verbal part slotfillers can also be verb phrases like 'having
seen', 'being associated', 'having been caught', 'to be disturbed', etc.

When a sentence is built around a non-finite verbal part, then it is a
NON-FINITE SENTENCE.


Depending on the type of non-finite verbal part, we may distinguish between
four non-finite sentence types: infinitive sentences, to-infinitive
sentence, ing-form sentences, participle sentences.


B.
No matter whether a sentence is finite or non-finite - its structure is
invariably determined by the valences of full verb.

Now non-finite sentences are frequently minor sentences in that their
subject slot is filled by zero. Cf. these two to-inf. sentences:

     (I want) you/ to help / me / find Datt.

This one has a subject. The following one has not (= has a zero subject):

     0 /To think / that that little thing [the Earth as seen from the moon]
     held so many problems.


And now we are coming to the very short non-finite sentences: When the verb
in the verbal part has only one valence (for a subject) and the subject is
zero, then what is left is sometimes only the verbal part. For
illustration, here are four ing-form sentences with a different number of
parts - depending on the valences of the verb:

     (He had snored and groaned all night,)
     KEEPING /Mr Cowen /awake /[half the time], --- S VP O OC
     (and since day-break has been lying on his back)
     ROLLING /himself /one cigarette after another (and) S VP O O
     GRUNTING /[with satisfaction]. S VP

     (He had to lean hard on the pen to write his name without)
     TREMBLING. S VP

Some of these ing-form sentences contain free adverbials [...] apart from
the central and the necessary parts. From the valence point of view
'grunting with satisfaction' and 'trembling' belong to the same basic
sentence type. Now why analyze the first one as a sentence (or 'clause', as
you may prefer to say) and the second one as just a verb? This is not
logical.

Getting down to to participle sentences - the very short ones (i.e.
sentences which consist of only the verbal part and therefore look like
simple verb forms) are more frequent than the short specimens of the other
three non-finite sentence types. For the simple reason that participles
have one valence less than to-infinitives, etc. (it is usually the object
valence that is lost). (Participle sentences are similar to passive
sentences in this respect.)

These participle sentences consist of two parts:
     '(with) her eyebrows/ RAISED' (subject slot is filled by a noun
     group).
     'SOLD / down the river' (headline - necessary adverbial of direction).
     'FOLLOWED / by Brenda' (free adverbial of agency).

When the verb originally has two valences, the participle form of the verb
has one valence only, the subject valence. When the subject slot is filled
by zero and no free adverbial is added to the sentence, then only the
participle is left:

     (he felt) INTIMIDATED /by her visit
     -->  (he felt) INTIMIDATED.
     OUTWITTED (headline)

Now - are single participles always very short sentences? Certainly not. It
all depends on the function they perform: When they are part of a verbal
part (is WRITTEN, should have been being REPAIRED), then they are not
sentences. In all other functions they are!


Anybody still with me? Thanks.

Burkhard

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Burkhard Leuschner -  Paedagogische Hochschule Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany
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