verbal phases

**ben9108** · 27-Dec-2005, 09:21

I have studied an english grammer book in this week. In verbal phases chapter, some questions concerning the usage of verbal phrases have been found as follows.

to choose a pet

Chosen for its intelligence

choosing a seeing Eye dog

Ex

1. Carla waited to hear the choreographer's opinion of her audition. (Original)

2. Carla waited hearing the choreographer's opinion of her audition. (Revised)

3. Trying to get to the airport on time, Josephine got a ticket for speeding. (Original)

4. To try to get to the airport on time, Josephine got a ticket for speeding. (Revised)

5. Snowed in for a week in the mountains we couldn't get back in time to take our final exams. (Original)

6. Snowed in for a week in the mountains we couldn't get back in time taking our final exams. (Revised)

7. To be Snowed in for a week in the mountains we couldn't get back in time taking our final exams. (Revised)

Have any one tell me my revised sentence is correct?

If the above sentences are wrong, How to know whether the infinitive and the participle to use?

In the meantime, I have found another problem why use two prepositions together in sentence no 5.

"Snowed in for a week in the mountains"

**Tdol** · 27-Dec-2005, 11:59

1 & 2- The change is incorrect- we wouldn't use a gerund there.
3 & 4- This changes the meaning and suggests that she got the ticket for speeding as a way of getting to the airport on time, which isn't logical.
These transformations don't really work to me- the gerund and infinitive are not alternate forms, and where both can be used they normally cary a different meaning.

Snowed in = unable to get out because of the snow
for = the length of time

**ben9108** · 27-Dec-2005, 16:12

How to use infinitive and participle in sentences?

**Tdol** · 28-Dec-2005, 03:50

Very often, there are orules about why we use a gerund or an infinitive after certain words, so it is a question of checking in the dictionary. there are some fairly easy cases- we use gerunds after prepositions. We tend to use infinitives after adjectives. However, in many other cases, it's a case of collocation- simply, that words are associated by usage rather than having a grammatical rule underlying the association.