Diagramming Phrasal Verbs?

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I'm having phrasal verb problems!

I run a sentence diagramming website, and I like to diagram quotes from celebrities on one section of my site.

You can see my problem on this page:

Walt Disney Quotes- Diagrammed

The second quote is, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

Since making the diagram, I now know that "come true" is a phrasal verb, but I have no idea how to diagram it!

Any ideas?
 

Kondorosi

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I'm having phrasal verb problems!

I run a sentence diagramming website, and I like to diagram quotes from celebrities on one section of my site.

You can see my problem on this page:

Walt Disney Quotes- Diagrammed

The second quote is, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

Since making the diagram, I now know that "come true" is a phrasal verb, but I have no idea how to diagram it!

Any ideas?

'come true' is a multi-word linking verb construction, an idiomatic verb-adjective combination. Semantically, 'come' is a verb of occurence (reports an event that comes true without an actor). Regarding its syntactical function, it is a linking verb. Your diagram is fine, in my opinion. However, there is one I cannot be at one with:

The way to get started is to [(quit talking) and (begin doing)].

My SmartDraw program is playing up. I can't post my diagram right now. :(

getstarted.gif


Fixed it.
 
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Frank Antonson

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Two small things on the "All our dreams..." sentence. First, "All" needs to be capitalized and second in the infinitive phrase at the end there is a direct object -- not predication -- so the descending line should stop at the base line.

I agree with Kondorosi about the second one.

Keep up the good work.

Frank
 

Kondorosi

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Two small things on the "All our dreams..." sentence. First, "All" needs to be capitalized and second in the infinitive phrase at the end there is a direct object -- not predication -- so the descending line should stop at the base line.

I agree with Kondorosi about the second one.

Keep up the good work.

Frank

Frank, I admire your ability to notice details. The subordinator links the VP's, yes. The broken line goes diagonally down to the verb 'have'.
 

Frank Antonson

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EnglishGrammarRevolution is a website that I am trying to help. The woman who maintains the site is very interested in what we are doing. I recommend that you check it out, if you haven't already.
Diagram Sentences
 

Frank Antonson

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An "x" in a Reed-Kellogg diagram stands for a word that is understood. The process is called ellipsis. Many, many naturally spoken sentences are loaded with elliptical phrases and clauses.
R-K even used the "x" for an understood subject in a command instead of a "you" within parentheses. I prefer their way because within their system parentheses are used for appositives and appositive phrases.
If you look at my diagram for , I think it was, "Diagramming Shakespeare 7" you will see how much of that thought -- "That which we call a rose..." is elliptical.
 

Kondorosi

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Wow, thanks for all of the information, Kondorosi and Frank.

What does the small x after "doing" represent in the diagram?

Valency reduction. I put that 'x' there because I view 'doing' in the sentence as a mutilated verb: it has been deprived of its obligatory complement (direct object).
 

Frank Antonson

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The sentence works without anything being understood there. If something must be understood, it would be a word like "something" which would be a direct object of "doing".
 

Frank Antonson

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Kondorosi,

I'm slipping up. Back in your diagram I would consider "talking" as a gerund serving as a direct object to "stop", "doing" as the same for "start". I would put them on standards.
 

Kondorosi

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Kondorosi,

I'm slipping up. Back in your diagram I would consider "talking" as a gerund serving as a direct object to "stop", "doing" as the same for "start". I would put them on standards.

First I was thinking the same thing. Not the slipping-up part, but the direct object part. :-D I still think, however, that I am right. Whether I am right in thinking that is a different kettle of fish, though. ;-) The way I see it is 'stop' is an aspect verb in 'stop talking' that characterizes the stage of progress of an activity. I drew this comparison:

1. I stopped talking.
2. I am talking.,

and began pondering. 'stopped' in #1 does the same thing as 'am' in #2. Auxiliary. Aspect auxiliary. talking = direct object of 'am'? No! talking = direct object of 'stopped'? I very much would like to think that it is not.
In grammar there are no facts, only interpretations. What do you think?
 

Frank Antonson

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Forms of the verb to be serve to make the "progressive form" of a verb.
"Am talking" is not the same as "stopped talking". You can say "I am stopping talking". That would be the progressive form of the verb "to stop". You can't say, "I stopped 'amming' talking".

Also, you can say "I stopped the conversation and started the action" like "stopped talking and started doing". "Talking" and "doing" are gerunds acting as direct objects.
 

Kondorosi

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Forms of the verb to be serve to make the "progressive form" of a verb.
"Am talking" is not the same as "stopped talking". You can say "I am stopping talking". That would be the progressive form of the verb "to stop". You can't say, "I stopped 'amming' talking".

Also, you can say "I stopped the conversation and started the action" like "stopped talking and started doing". "Talking" and "doing" are gerunds acting as direct objects.

'Talking is being stopped.' Yes, it looks like a direct object. However, In 'I stopped talking', 'talking' is more like a verb than a deverbal nominal constituent to me.

I do not feel comfortable with this comparison:

I stopped talking.
I stopped it.

A direct object, on the other hand, is realized by a noun. The hybrid nature of verbals can be confusing for NNES.

A reversed dilemma comes with middle verbs:
This pair of jeans fits me.

The accusative form and the post-predicate position makes one strongly tempted to treat 'me' as being a direct object and 'fits' as being transitive. But where is the corresponding passive sentence?

I is fit by this?

Bottom line: I think you are probably right. Thanks for the comments.
 

Tdol

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Maybe not with the jeans example, but someone can be fitted for a position or job (suitable, etc), which is closer is meaning than being fitted for a suit by a tailor. 'Fit' is a bit of a pig of a verb.
 

Frank Antonson

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Kondorosi,
It occurred to me that gerunds may seem a little different to you from the way they are to a native English speaker. The use of a present participle as a noun does not occur in any of the other languages I know. It is a bit of a problem for an English speaker trying to learn a foreign language -- sort of like the uniquely English use of the helping verb "do, does, did". Such a speaker has to learn to use the infinitive instead of the gerund -- and to form questions differently,
 
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