None of those explanations work for me. They seem forced. I would, in fact, rely on a traditional explanation, which would render a different analysis: Statements #1 & #3 would be logical responses to the question, "HOW (adverbial) did you spend the morning/weekend?" Some possible responses to the above would: Smiling, Singing my favorite show tunes, listening to the radio, doing my taxes Sentence #1,then, would be in response to that question: Q: HOW did you spend your morning? A: #1. I <[SUBJ] spent <[V] the morning, [smiling = participial/adverbial]. Statement #2 would be a possible response not to the HOW (the process) but to the WHAT (the activity). The response to the question above would be a nomimal(in this case, a gerund). Consider the following: Q: With WHAT do you have [the most] trouble? OR WHAT do you have [the most] trouble with? A: I have trouble (with)sleeping on my stomach, scratching my back, singing in tune, smiling at stranger, keeping secrets, lying to my mom, or even, people who stare, etcetera) #2. I [SUBJ] have [V] trouble [Cf. with "a problem (with)"] dancing in the dark. A traditional analysis of #3 would consider the HOW (adverbial) response to the question, "HOW did you spend your weekend?" This is HOW: #3. I spent the weekend building a shed. As in #1, the focus is on the process or way the weekend was SPENT, not on the activity iself (WHAT). Consider another example: I wasted time getting my hair done. Again, the focus is not on the activity, or WHAT, but on HOW that activity resulted in wasting time. In essence, I would analyze the verbals in #1 & #3 as adverbial and that in #2 as nominal (specifically, a gerund). Patrice D.Williams, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English Troy University, Montgomery Campus [log in to unmask] To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/