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Old 11-Oct-2003, 11:17
whl626 whl626 is offline
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Default Re: Subject of a verb

Quote:
Originally Posted by EMAIL REMOVED - Send PM to This User Instead
In the sentence, "I saw him coming here",

(1) Must a verb (regardless finite or non-finite) ALWAYS have a SUBJECT?
(2) Does "coming" have a subject? If yes, which is the subject?

(3) Can an OBJECT of a verb be simultaneously the SUBJECT of another verb? "Him" is the object of "saw"; is "him" simultaneously the subject of "coming"?

In the sentence, "I saw John who was coming here" or "I saw him who was coming here",

(4) "John" or "him" is the object of "saw" but not the subject of "coming", because "who" is the subject of "coming". This merely avoids Questions (1), (2) and (3) above.
" I saw him coming here " is a complete sentence, so to say that ' him ' is the subject of ' coming ' is not correct.

When verb of senses is used, this is the common sentence structure. and You can also say " I saw him come here ' :). The difference is one is emphasizing the continous action and the other is just a statement.
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