I’ll take a stab—only half a
cup of coffee into the morning, however.
“Running” is part of the
verb: Patch [subject] is running [verb].
P.S. Thanks to everyone for all the
helpful information about how to get to the conference this summer. I am working
on getting there—largely because I want to put faces with all the names
on this list!
Best,
From:
Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2006 5:26
AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: What Is This?
A student wrote the following sentence in an essay:
Running from the back of his skull down to the front, is a patch
of white hair that opens up into his lips.
The comma doesn't belong there, but I'm not sure why. Is
the "Running" phrase a gerund? If so, then I understand why the
comma is wrong: it separates the subject from the verb However, the
phrase doesn't behave like a gerund. Compare:
Running around the lake is a
part of my daily routine. --> It is a part of my daily routine. -->
A part of my daily routine is running around the lake.
In this sentence, the
"Running" phrase behaves like a true noun phrase in a linking verb
sentence. My student's "Running" phrase doesn't behave like an
NP. It feels participial, modifying "patch". If so, then
the comma would be correct. But it's not.
Any ideas out there?
John
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