taking

Once a hare was roaming near a lake in a forest. Suddenly he saw a tortoise and mocked at him saying – “Hurry up, you slow coach! Don’t you find life very dull taking so long to cover a few yards? I could have run to the other side of the lake by now.”

1. I would like to know the subject of "taking"
2. I wonder if "taking" is gerund or participle.

wowenglish1 said:

Once a hare was roaming near a lake in a forest. Suddenly he saw a tortoise and mocked at him saying – “Hurry up, you slow coach! Don’t you find life very dull taking so long to cover a few yards? I could have run to the other side of the lake by now.”

1. I would like to know the subject of "taking"
2. I wonder if "taking" is gerund or participle.

Click to expand...

As far as I know:
1- "taking so long to cover a few yard" is a participle phrase.
2- This participle phrase functions as a modifier.
3- What does it modify? I am not sure, But I might say that it modifies the subject of the main sentence:"you".

I am not a teacher, and the terminology of English grammar is not standardized.

"Taking" is a participle heading a participial phrase used as an adjective (taking so long to cover a few yards). Such a participle is said to have an object (long) instead of a subject. The phrase modifies a pronoun that is not there, "you" (Don’t you find life very dull [you] taking so long to cover a few yards?) We normally do not bother to repeat the pronoun just so the participle has a playmate.

Here's another opinion:

you / do find life / dull

(when?) taking so long to cover a few yards

"find life" is an idiom and acts as a verb in this sentence.

the "taking" phrase acts as an adverb telling when one finds things dull.

susiedqq said:

Here's another opinion:

you / do find life / dull

(when?) taking so long to cover a few yards

"find life" is an idiom and acts as a verb in this sentence.

the "taking" phrase acts as an adverb telling when one finds things dull.

Click to expand...

"an adverb telling when one finds things dull"
I interprete your opinion this way: it's a participle phrase which modifies the clause before it("Don't you find life dull?").

I wrote that it modifies the subject of the previous clause, but I was not sure. Your suggestion sounds better to me.

susiedqq said:

you / do find life / dull
[...]
"find life" is an idiom and acts as a verb in this sentence.

Click to expand...

'Find life' is hardly an idiom. "Find' is the verb, not find life'. Here are some other examples of this verb in use:

I find life exciting
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Don't you find such attitudes frustrating?
George found things very difficult after his dismissal.