Maureen, The more I look at it, the more I think "spend" allows participial structures as complement. A "complement" is something specially licensed by the verb. It also often has the feel of being a necessary element. "I spent all weekend" seems to me to need "building a shed" to complete the meaning. So the reason these seemed strange to you is that all three have participial structures as complements, a special property of the verbs "spend" and "have trouble [with]".> I find that more satisfying than what I wrote below. Craig Maureen, > The term "gerund" comes up from time to time on list and often gets an > argument going. Some of us have trouble with it. At any rate, it is > usually used for the -ing form of the verb when the structure it heads > is in a noun phrase role. I like Bruce's analysis of #2 as a complement > of "trouble or "trouble with". But I don't think even a gerund advocate > would use gerund for the other two. > The usual explanation for these participle phrases or clauses is that > they modify their implied subject. (Hence we get the notion of > "dangling participle" when this subject seems missing or misleading. "I > found a dollar walking down the street.") By this analysis, one and > three would modify their implied subjects ("I"). The fact that they > seem to add adverbial meaning (how the time was spent) is worth > pointing out. This isn't unusual for these structures. "Flailing my > arms, I pushed my way through the crowd." Even though this says "how", > it is usually described as an adjectival modifier of its implied > subject, "I". > A word group like "building a shed" is more predicate like than noun > like. "Building" retains its verb like quality, even taking a direct > object complement ("shed") just as it would if this were a primary > clause. "I am building a shed." "I built a shed." For that reason, plus > the fact it's not in a noun phrase role, I would say "gerund" is > inappropriate even for a gerund fan. > We do have the problem that "Smiling, I spent the morning" seems to > mean something different, at least in nuance, from "I spent the morning > smiling." That might be best explained as a sort of special quality of > the verb "spend". which seems to ask for a "how" complement, especially > in relation to a period of time. That way, at least, we won't get too > bogged down with the classification problem. Verbs govern the nature of > the predicate, and they are under no obligation to follow our ideas > about them. > These are fine questions, by the way, very much what we often talk > about on the list. > > Craig > > To ATEG folks- >> I have joined this listserve at the suggestion of NCTE in order to >> seek advice about the following grammar issue. As a brash newcomer, >> I will dive right in. I beg the indulgence of veterans for any >> lapses of local culture or etiquette. >> >> Here are 3 model sentences: >> #1. I spent the morning smiling. >> #2. I have trouble dancing in the dark. >> #3. I spent the weekend building a shed. >> >> What are those "ing" words? They're not gerunds used as direct >> objects; "morning," "trouble," and "weekend" seem to be the direct >> objects. >> -Possible explanation A: Participles that are oddly placed? (smiling >> I, >> dancing I, building I) >> -Possible explanation B: Are they gerunds in understood prepositional >> phrases that serve as adverbs to modify the verb? >> I spent the morning [in] smiling >> I have trouble [with] dancing in the dark. >> I spent the weekend [in] building a shed. >> >> -Possible explanation C: Some sort of obscure direct object? (Doesn't >> really fit the definition or word order - IO before DO). >> -Possible explanation D; A Latinate structure. For example, ablative >> absolute in Latin becomes a nominative absolute in English. Although >> the >> Latin specifications for an ablative absolute seem to fit, the English >> versions provided on the web don't fit the model. >> >> With sincere thanks for any light you can shine on this mystery, >> Maureen >> >> 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/ >> > > 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/ > 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/