Quote:
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Originally Posted by ing1 "This is the one you returned two months
ago thinking we wouldn't notice." |
My 2 centavos...
Firstly, what does the phrase "thinking we wouldn't notice" describe? Does it describe the person, or the action the person is performing? It seems to me, it describes the action of returning the object. The speaker noticed the action and comments on it.
In which case, the phrase is adverbial, using the participle "thinking". I believe this is called an adverbial participle phrase.
Regarding gerunds, you can tell the difference between participles and gerunds (or verbal nouns) by replacing the '-ing' for with a noun and testing to see if the sentence still holds true.
Running down the street, the water flooded the apartment.
Running down the street helped Doris become fit.
Okay, which is which?
Iain