Business English Part 37

39. I saw the man (present participle of _lie_) on the ground.

40. After he (past perfect of _lie_) there a few minutes, he suddenly (past of _sit_) up.

41. The biplane, which (past perfect progressive of _lie_) in the hangar since it (past perfect pa.s.sive of _raise_) from the water in which it (past perfect of _lie_) for two weeks, (past of _rise_) up over the city.

42. Large crowds (past progressive of _sit_) on the fields, (present participle of _wait_) for the aeroplane (infinitive of rise).

43. Many people (past perfect of _set_) tents on the field during the night and now (past progressive of _get_) a good view of the flight.

44. All eyes (past progressive of _turn_) toward the aeroplane, which (past progressive of _rise_) steadily.

45. The biplane (past of _rise_) until it (past perfect of _rise_) about five hundred feet above the tallest building; then it (past pa.s.sive of _raise_) about fifty feet more to get it out of an air current that (past progressive of _raise_) one end of it.

=Exercise 121--Infinitives and Participles=

_Infinitives_ are verb forms that are used as nouns, as adjectives, or as adverbs. _Participles_ are verb forms that are used as adjectives.

Thus at the same time each acts as two parts of speech. As verbs both have the meaning of the verbs from which they are made; both have tense and voice; both may be modified by adverbial expressions; and, if they are made from transitive verbs, both may take objects.

The Participle

The tenses and voices of the participle are as follows:

ACTIVE VOICE

_Present_

_Simple_ _Progressive_

selling ----

_Perfect_

having sold having been selling

Pa.s.sIVE VOICE

_Present_

being sold ----

_Perfect_

having been sold ----

The participle frequently introduces a phrase. Usually the phrase is used like an adjective; occasionally it is used like a noun (sometimes called the _gerund_ phrase).

_Adjective_: _Seeing your perplexity_, I'll offer a suggestion. (Notice the punctuation.)

_Noun_(Gerund): _Playing tennis_ is good exercise.

The Infinitive

The infinitive is distinguished by the word _to_, either expressed or understood. The tenses and voices of the infinitive are as follows:

ACTIVE VOICE

_Present_

_Simple_ _Progressive_

to sell to be selling

_Perfect_

to have sold to have been selling

Pa.s.sIVE VOICE

_Present_

to be sold ----

_Perfect_

to have been sold ----

The infinitive is often used to introduce a phrase; as,

_Noun_: _To get to the top of the hill_ was a difficult matter.

_Adverb_: I went _to buy the sugar_.

_Adjective_: It's a drawing _to be proud of_.

Grouping all the facts that we have thus far learned about phrases, and expressing them in diagram form, we have the following:

Phrases may be cla.s.sified:

_According to Form_ _According to Use_

Prepositional Adverbial Participial (Gerund) Adjective Infinitive Noun

The prepositional and infinitive phrases may have all three uses; the participial phrase has two--adjective and noun (gerund).

Variety of Expression[2]

Phrases are important because, like clauses, they help us to vary the form of our sentences. They help us, above all, to avoid the childish _so_ habit. Thus, instead of _They wished to make the ice smooth so they flooded the pond_, we may use, for example: