Firstly, your Topic Title should read ‘What function do these words have?’
1. Boa constrictors(S) swallow(V) their prey (O) whole.
What is the function of ‘whole’ ?
‘their prey’ is DO=direct object
‘whole’ is an adverb, stating how the Boa swallows its prey. It swallows it as a whole. The preposition ‘in’ could precede ‘who’e making it clearer, perhaps.
It is the same as saying
Boa constrictors swallow their prey slowly.
2. Sitting passively, waiting for Molly to wake up, was opting out.
What is the function of ‘waiting for Molly to wake up’?
Without more context it is hard to know what the subject of this clause is. It could be either of the two ing clauses.
Can you give more context?
My guess is that the two ing clauses are gerunds, either of which is the subject, and the other of which is in apposition to the subject.
It swallows it as a whole- this sentence is a kind of sentence I like most because I can understand better this way.
For #2 question, here is a part of the context;
‘You like Janet in a way, you know. When something is troublesome, you opt out, said Zoe.
Julia thought about what Zoe said a lot in the ensuing hours. Molly slept on.
It was only when noon neared that Julia realized she was doing precisely what Zoe had accused.
Sitting passively, waiting for Molly to wake up, was opting out.
So she went to Molly’s room, quietly opened the door.
1. Boa constrictors(S) swallow(V) their prey (O) whole.
What is the function of ‘whole’ ?
‘their prey’ is DO=direct object
‘whole’ is an adverb, stating how the Boa swallows its prey. It swallows it as a whole. The preposition ‘in’ could precede ‘who’e making it clearer, perhaps.
It is the same as saying
Boa constrictors swallow their prey slowly.
Sorry to disagree, Eddie, but I think ‘whole’ would be better described as an object complement (i.e. an adjective) rather than an adverb. It more closely describes the state of the prey when swallowed than the manner of swallowing. But it is an arguable point.
Eddie88 - 14 October 2009 05:16 PM
2. Sitting passively, waiting for Molly to wake up, was opting out.
What is the function of ‘waiting for Molly to wake up’?
Without more context it is hard to know what the subject of this clause is. It could be either of the two ing clauses.
Can you give more context?
My guess is that the two ing clauses are gerunds, either of which is the subject, and the other of which is in apposition to the subject.
This is a tricky one. Having thought hard about it, I would analyse it as follows:
“Sitting” = gerund.
“Passively” = adverb.
“Waiting for Molly to wake up” = adverbial phrase.
“Sitting passively, waiting for Molly to wake up” = noun phrase.
“Was” = main verb.
“Opting” = gerund.
“Opting out” = noun phrase (complement of first noun phrase).
Sorry to disagree, Eddie, but I think ‘whole’ would be better described as an object complement (i.e. an adjective) rather than an adverb. It more closely describes the state of the prey when swallowed than the manner of swallowing. But it is an arguable point.
I agree. Definitely makes more sense to restrict the meaning of the noun, prey.
“Sitting” = gerund.
“Passively” = adverb.
“Waiting for Molly to wake up” = adverbial phrase.
“Sitting passively, waiting for Molly to wake up” = noun phrase.
“Was” = main verb.
“Opting” = gerund.
“Opting out” = noun phrase (complement of first noun phrase).
I could be wrong with this, but what you call the adverbial phrase, I think, doesn’t really answer the question how he was sitting. I think the subject would more likey be waiting for Molly to wake up and the adverbial would be sitting pasively. Also,you are more likely to opt out by waiting, not sitting.
Sitting passively, waiting for Molly to wake up, was opting out.
It’s possible that the sentence is an elliptical version of “Sitting passively [and] waiting for Molly to wake up was opting out,” if you consider the actions of “sitting and waiting” to be one activity, which is the only way for the verb to be singular.
Sitting passively, waiting for Molly to wake up, was opting out.
It’s possible that the sentence is an elliptical version of “Sitting passively [and] waiting for Molly to wake up was opting out,” if you consider the actions of “sitting and waiting” to be one activity, which is the only way for the verb to be singular.
I don’t think it could be elliptical. We would never say, for example, “Reading, writing, is important”, or “Playing golf, jogging in the park, is a good way to keep healthy”.
So, could “waiting for Molly to wake up” be a parenthetical expansion of “Sitting passively”? (That would make it equivalent to “Sitting passively - waiting for Molly to wake up - was opting out”.) I don’t think so, because “waiting for Molly to wake up” gives new information.
What of Eddie’s view that “waiting for Molly to wake up” is the main subject, and “sitting passively” is adverbial? The problem with this is the comma after “up”. This comma should not be there if “waiting for Molly to wake up” is the subject. Eddie says this phrase doesn’t answer the question “how was he sitting?”. Well, I think that is arguable, but it certainly answers the question “Why was he sitting passively?”, so it is equivalent to a “because” clause, and hence adverbial.
So I’m sticking to my opinion in my previous post.
I don’t think it could be elliptical. We would never say, for example, “Reading, writing, is important”, or “Playing golf, jogging in the park, is a good way to keep healthy”.
So, could “waiting for Molly to wake up” be a parenthetical expansion of “Sitting passively”? (That would make it equivalent to “Sitting passively - waiting for Molly to wake up - was opting out”.) I don’t think so, because “waiting for Molly to wake up” gives new information.
What of Eddie’s view that “waiting for Molly to wake up” is the main subject, and “sitting passively” is adverbial? The problem with this is the comma after “up”. This comma should not be there if “waiting for Molly to wake up” is the subject. Eddie says this phrase doesn’t answer the question “how was he sitting?”. Well, I think that is arguable, but it certainly answers the question “Why was he sitting passively?”, so it is equivalent to a “because” clause, and hence adverbial.
So I’m sticking to my opinion in my previous post.
I thought ‘participle’ means verb form with functions of both verb and adjective.
Can it function as adverb also?
I thought ‘participle’ means verb form with functions of both verb and adjective.
Can it function as adverb also?
You can think of “waiting for Molly to wake up” as adjectival if you like; it does not affect the rest of my argument. The problem is that the person who was waiting is not mentioned in the sentence, so there is no noun to which “waiting” can properly be attached as an adjective. That is why I decided to call the phrase adverbial. But, as I said, it is a tricky sentence to analyse, because it is awkwardly constructed.
Sitting passively, waiting for Molly to wake up, was opting out.
I found the entire book from which this sentence is taken on the internet. All I can tell you for sure is that Molly wakes up and argues with her mother, who is the one sitting passively and waiting.
Whether Mom was waiting adverbially or nominally is still unclear—and equally unimportant to the plot.
What of Eddie’s view that “waiting for Molly to wake up” is the main subject, and “sitting passively” is adverbial? The problem with this is the comma after “up”. This comma should not be there if “waiting for Molly to wake up” is the subject.
I don’t see why no comma could be there… It separates the adverbial from the base clause. I think it’s hard to say without the full context. It’s a troublesome sentence, IMO.
I don’t see why no comma could be there… It separates the adverbial from the base clause.
Yes indeed - so that makes “waiting for Molly to wake up” adverbial. But you were arguing that it was the main subject (i.e. the base clause), and that the adverbial phrase was “sitting passively”. If that were true, the main subject would be adjacent to the main verb “was”, so it would be wrong to put a comma after “up”.
