present participle

[emsr2d2]

I want to close this thread.

Your wish is my command.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thread reopened after an exchange of PMs with the OP in which he/she made it clear that "I want to close this thread" was not what was meant.

 

[MikeNewYork]

This "thread" is turning into a book.

 

[captain1]

I did not say that. I said: "Are we making any progress?"

It means that my answer is correct?

 

[MikeNewYork]

If you keep closing this thread, I am going to request that a moderator close it for good. We are not playing games here.

 

[twlost]

***Not A Teacher***
Hi captain1,this link might help a bit:

http://thegrammarexchange.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/340600179/m/7662902937

I think you can choose to put a comma before the ing participle if it is NOT an integral part of the main clause,(i.e. optional,only giving additional information). But even without a comma, the ing participle could be optional too. For example:

The reheat fuel/air ratio would have to be calculated accurately remembering that the fuel is burnt not in air but in the combustion gases from the main combustion chamber.

Comma or no comma, we should analyze the sentence from the context,without being obsessed with the sentence itself only.

Also, the same ing form could belong to different grammatical concepts. Your sentences in question:

(1) I sat watching TV.

seems like a catenative.

(2) Shmuel managed to escape hiding for several months with a Polish family.

reads more like a verb complementation (avoid hiding,an integral part of the main clause)

(3) Shmuel managed to escape, hiding for several months with a Polish family.

adds additional information with the ing participle (try to hide)

Again, only the context can tell what the writer really means.

Hope this snippet won't confuse you more.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Why here there is a comma(after the same)? :
In English-Chinese dictionaries, the two verbs translate the same, causing confusion.

I used a comma there because it could be written as '... the two verbs translate the same and thus cause confusion', where 'thus' makes sense.

And why here there is no comma? - I sat watching TV.

I would not use a comma above because it could be written as 'I sat and watched TV', where 'thus' should not be used.

I'm sure you can be more polite.

I expect from someone to help not to speak harshly.

I think there is semantic misunderstanding between a native speaker and a non-native, which might happen occasionally.

 

[alsp]

Hello, I would like to understand ,what does "Ing" symbolize here?

Shmuel (Shmulik) Shilo was born in Lutsk, Poland, to a Zionist family. In August 1942, in the midst of World War II, most of the Jews of Lutsk were murdered. Shmuel managed to escape, hiding for several months with a Polish family


I know that its a present participle but there are some categories of present participle: like present progressive, past progressive or progressive generally.
In this sentence hiding has the same meaning like "was hiding". So is it Abbreviation?

If it has the same meaning but its still not the same, can you give me an article? I haven't found this yet, I have found other types of present participle(sub-categories).

Thanks.

It means that "Shmuel managed to escape (by) hiding for several months with a Polish family."

It is telling you how he managed to escape.

This may help:
http://esl.about.com/od/grammarstructures/a/English-Gerund.htm

 

[Rover_KE]

Welcome to the forum, alsp. Please read the Forum Guidelines — especially this:

You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly in your post.