Scott,
You nailed it.  Congratulations!

tj



On Wednesday 06/01/2011 at 8:36 am, [log in to unmask] wrote:
> A clause has a subject (expressed or understood) and a finite verb.
> Those clauses that express a complete thought may stand alone as a 
> sentence;
> all others are dependent clauses.
> A phrase is a group of words that acts as a single part of speech 
> regardless
> of its internal complexity.
> "His learning how to sing continuously in a basso profundo style is
> remarkable."  Everything before "is" is a noun phrase
> even though the R-K diagramming is complex.  I have never used or 
> needed to
> use the terms "reduced clause," "small clause," or
> "non-finite cause" to teach my university or high school students 
> English
> grammar.  Even my professors in Advanced English
> Grammar, and Advanced English Grammar and Composition saw no need.  I 
> shun
> the profuse verbosity of modern English grammars
> as adding nothing to the understanding of the students.  People use 
> big
> words so the readers/listeners will be impressed and
> will not understand what the self-proclaimed expert is talking about.  
> If
> the self-proclaimed expert used simple words that
> allowed the members of the audience to understand what is being said 
> then
> they might well realize that the "expert" does not
> know what he is talking about.
> If this be treason (heresy), then make the most of it
> Scott Catledge
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of ATEG automatic digest 
> system
> Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2011 12:00 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: ATEG Digest - 30 May 2011 to 31 May 2011 (#2011-107)
>
> There is 1 message totalling 304 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
>    1. Infinitives as clauses (was RE: Adjective or adverb?)
>
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