Appositives and Appositive Phrases

An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed beside another noun or pronoun to identify or describe it. It always appears after the word it explains or identifies. The appositive is always a noun or a pronoun, and the word it explains is also a noun or pronoun. Look at the examples,

  •  You students should study hard.
  •  Our teacher, Mr. Stone, is very strict.

An appositive phrase consists of the appositive and its modifiers.

Appositive phrase = Modifier(s) + Appositive

Appositive phrase is usually placed after the noun which it modifies. However, is sometimes placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis. Look at these examples,

  •  My friend, a university teacher, won a scholarship to study abroad.
  •  English, my favorite subject, is not difficult to study.
  •  Angkor Wat, an ancient temple in Cambodia, is very famous.
  •  He is going to visit Siem Reap, an old capital city of Cambodia during the Angkorian time.
  •  Tom Teav, a Khmer love tragedy, has been studied and rewritten in English.
  •  Our class monitor, Mona will make a presentation today.


Note: COMMAS

The appositive is essential if the noun is too general without it; in this case, do not place commas around the appositive.

  •  Your friend Samnang is genius.
  •  We Cambodian should work harder in a more efficient way.

If the sentence would be clear and complete without the appositive, then commas are necessary; place one before and one after the appositive.

  •  Samdech Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, is going to win another election.
  •  Wat Phnom, the symbol of Phnom Penh, is a man-made hill.

Participles and Participle Phrases

Participle is a verbal which is formed by adding -ing or -ed to the verb. Participle is used as adjectives in sentences. Present participle is formed by adding –ing to the verb; past participle is formed by adding -ed to the verb. Look at the examples,

  •  The film was boring.
  •  I am reading an interesting book.
  •  The audience was bored.
  •  The teacher was talking to a frustrated student.

If you need to details of when to use -ing or -ed adjectives, click here.


Participle phrase is a group of related words that begins with a participle and ends with its modifiers.

Participle phrase = Participle + Modifiers

Participle is used as adjective in sentences. It doesn’t tell the action, but modifies noun or pronoun (same as adjective). Look at the examples,

  •  The newspaper publishing the tycoon's story has been sued.
  •  Do you know the man running this shop? 
  •  The students coming from countryside find it hard to live in city.
  •  He was disappointed with the news.
  •  I've finally found the key lost yesterday.
  •  She bought the book written by Robert Kiyosaki.

Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

Infinitive is a verbal (verb form usually preceded by to) that is used as a noun, adjective or adverb. For examples,

  •  To think helps us understand things better. ("To think" is used as noun subject.)
  •  I want to read. ("to read" is used as noun object.)
  •  It is the time to study. ("to study" is used as adjective modifying noun "time".)
  •  It is easy to blame. ("to blame" is used as adverb modifying adjective "easy".)
  •  We come to study. ("to blame" is used as adverb modifying verb "come".)


Infinitive phrase is a group of words that begins with an infinitive (to + verb) and ends with its object or modifiers.

Infinitive phrase = Infinitive + Object / Complement

Infinitive phrase is used as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

As noun

  •  To exercise everyday is a good habit. (Subject)
  •  To be a millionaire is my dream. (Subject)
  •  We've planned to buy a house. (Direct object)
  •  I expect to finish my project. (Direct object)
  •  He has no choice except to leave the company. (Object of preposition)
  •  The woman was about to leave the shop. (Object of preposition)
  •  His goal is to become a sale consultant. (Subject complement)
  •  His hobby is to run early in the morning.(Subject complement)
  •  I saw a man run out of the shop. (Object complement)
  •  She feels the rain fall on her face. (Object complement)
  •  His proposal, to merge the two companies, was rejected. (Appositive)
  •  His habits, to tell jokes, will hurt him. (Appositive)

As adjective

  •  She will reserve time to answer your questions. (Modifying noun)
  •  The company has got the license to import its products. (Modifying noun)
  •  Find someone to design our company website. (Modifying pronoun)
  •  Something to do at this moment is researching. (Modifying pronoun)

As adverb

  •  A student comes to see his teacher. (Modifying verb)
  •  The teachers met to discuss the course development plan. (Modifying verb)
  •  We are glad to meet all of you. (Modifying adjective)
  •  She is not confident to deal with the problem. (Modifying adjective)
  •  He came too late to join the meeting. (Modifying adverb)
  •  The company responded too slowly to please its angry customers. (Modifying adverb)
  •  To tell in advance, I will not accept late submission. (Modifying whole sentence)
  •  To be honest, you have performed quite well. (Modifying whole sentence)

Gerunds and Gerund Phrases

Gerund   is a verbal that is formed by adding -ing to a verb. Gerund is used as a noun or adverb. Look at the examples,

  •  Reading may broaden your thinking. ("Reading" is used as noun, subject.)
  •  My favorite hobby is sleeping. ("Sleeping" is used as noun, subject complement.)
  •  I thanked him for helping. ("Helping" is used as noun, object of preposition.)
  •  He goes skiing every winter. ("Skiing" is used as an adverb telling place.)


Gerund phrase is a group of related words that begins with a gerund and ends with its object or modifiers.

Gerund phrase = Gerund + Object /Modifiers

Gerund phrase is used as noun or adverb.

AS NOUN

  •  Driving a car needs concentration. (Subject)
  •  Staying updated with technology is a key to success in job. (Subject)
  •  Thida has finished painting his room. (Direct object)
  •  My nephew loves playing computer games. (Direct object)
  •  She gives studying English her best effort. (Indirect object)
  •  Some people give playing chess their attention. (Indirect object)
  •  I am tired of waiting for him. (Object of preposition)
  •  The man has been accused of stealing the money. (Object of preposition)
  •  Success is not only earning a lot of money. (Subject complement)
  •  Our dream is owning a small shop.(Subject complement)
  •  Her favorite exercise, swimming in the pool, makes her body strong.  (Appositive)
  •  His tough job, dealing with difficult customers, makes him tired. (Appositive)

AS ADVERB

  •  He usually goes camping in summer. (Adverb)
  •  Who did you go dancing with? (Adverb)

Participle

Sam An Teng

Participle is an adjective, not a verb, formed by adding -ed (past participle) or -ing (present participle) to the verb. Although it looks like a verb, it functions as an adjective modifying noun or pronoun.

For examples,

• boiling water [ = the water which is boiling. ]
• cooked rice [ = the rice which is cooked. ]
• a boring movie [ = the movie that is boring. ]
• a bored man [ = the man who is bored. ] 

គួរចំណាំៈ Participial adjective មានទម្រង់ស្រដៀងទៅ នឹង verb (present or past participle) ដោយ វាបញ្ចប់ ដោយ -ed ឬ -ing ​ប៉ុន្តែវាពុំមែនជា verb ទេ។ ផ្ទុយទៅវិញ វាមានតួនាទី ជា adjective គឺវាបញ្ជាក់ន័យឲ្យ nouns ។

Usage

The use of past and present participles are a little bit different that might confuse you and your audience. You can compare or differentiate as in the following:

PRESENT PARTICIPLE: -ING (shows)	PAST PARTICIPLE: -ED  (shows)
1. Cause or source of the feelings	1. the feelings
For example, The movie is boring.	For example, The boy is bored.
(១) ពណ៌នាពីប្រភព ឬ មូលហេតុ​នៃ អារម្មណ៍។	(១) ពណ៌នាពី អារម្មណ៍ ដែល កើត ឡើង ពីហេតុការណ៍មួយ។
2. an on-going process	2. a completed process
For examples, Frying egg I smell the cooking soup.	For examples, Fried egg I taste the cooked soup.
(២) ពណ៌នាអ្វីដែលកំពុងកើត ឡើង ឬ មិនទាន់បញ្ចប់។	(២) ពណ៌នាអ្វីដែលបានបញ្ចប់ រួចរាល់ហើយ។
3. purpose or function of something	3. natural quality or means of something
For example, He has a driving license.	For example, He's got a typed letter.
(៣) ពណ៌នាពីគោល បំណង ឬ តួនាទី របស់វត្ថុអ្វី មួយ។	(៣) ពណ៌នាពីធម្មជាតិ ដើម ឬ មធ្យោបាយនៃវត្ថុអ្វីមួយ។

Participle phrase

A participial phrase is a relative clause which has been reduced, i.e. reduced adjective clause.

For examples

• The passengers injured in the accident were taken to hospital. [= The passengers who were injured in the accident were taken to hospital.]
• The boy standing at the gate is my son. [= The boy who is standing at the gate is my son.]

 

Infinitive

by Teng Sam An

An infinitive is a verbal which is formed by "to + verb". Although it looks like a verb, an infinitive functions in a sentence as  a noun, an adjective, or an adverb -- not a verb.

For examples,

• To write an informal letter is quite easy. [noun subject]
• Most students plan to study abroad. [noun object]
• His plan to own a business is delayed due to financial reason. [adjective]
• I am happy to meet you. [adverb]

Functions of infinitives

Again, an infinitive can function as noun, adjective or adverb. 

1. As a Noun

It can be used as subject, subject complement, direct object, and object of preposition.

a. Subject

For examples,

• To read is so important.
• To get a scholarship needs preparations.

b. Subject complement (predicate nominative, standing after verb to be)

For examples, 

• His ambition is to fly. 
• Our priority now is to research the market.

c. Direct object

For examples, 

• She's committed to win. 
• The guy promised to return the money.

The common verbs followed by an Infinitive are: afford, agree, aim, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, be able, beg, begin, can’t bear *, care, claim,  choose, condescend, consent, continue, dare, decide, deserve, demand, detest, dislike, expect, fail, forget *, get, happen, hate *, hesitate, hope, hurry, intend, leap, leave, like *, long, love *, mean, manage, need, neglect, offer, ought, plan, prefer*, prepare, pretend, proceed, promise, propose, refuse, regret *, remember, seem, shoot, start *, stop, strive, swear, threaten, try *, use, volunteer, wait, want, wish,... 
 
Note: Those are marked with asterisk ( * ) can also be followed by gerund

d. Object of preposition (prepositions: except and but )

For examples, 

• We have no choice except to accept their conditions.
• Nothing is left for us but to pack up our belongings and leave.

e. in Infinitive clauses
 
For examples, 

• They asked me to bring some food. [ "me" is an actor ]
• Everyone wanted Rita to be the team leader. [ "Rita" is an actor ]
• Everyone expected her to win.  [ "her" is an actor ]

The common verbs followed by an object and an Infinitive are: advise, allow, ask, beg, bring, build, buy, cause, challenge, choose, command, convince, dare, direct, encourage, expect, forbid, force, have, hire, instruct, invite, lead, leave, let, like, love, motivate, need, order, pay, permit, persuade, prepare, promise, remind, require, send, teach, tell, urge, want, warn,... 

Note: However, there are some Verbs that take infinitive objects without actors, but express slightly different meaning :
 
For examples, 

• I asked him to write a letter. [ I told someone to write the letter. ]
• I asked to write a letter. [ I asked for permission to write the letter. ]

2. As an Adjective 
 
The infinitive is often an adjective used to help define an abstract noun (see the list below).

For examples, 

• It was a good idea to change the key words. 
• The possibility to attract new customers is obvious now.
• The company has no strength to resist the price competition.

Here are some common abstract nouns used with infinitive: advice, appeal, command, decision, desire, fact, instruction, motivation, opportunity, order, permission, plan, possibility, preparation, proposal, recommendation, refusal, reminder, request, requirement, suggestion, tendency, wish, ... 


3. As an Adverb

a. Modifying a verb

For examples, 

• He rushed to finish the sales report. [ Adv: reason modifies verb "rushed" ]
• We must research to find out the trend. [Adv: reason modifies verb "research" ]

b. Modifying an adjective

For examples, 

• They were anxious to begin the adventure.
• She was delighted to receive such good feedback.
• I am lucky to have such good friends like you.

Here are some adjectives normally found in this constructions: ahead, amazed, anxious, apt, ashamed, bound, careful, certain, content, delighted, determined, disappointed, eager, eligible, fortunate, glad, happy, hesitant, liable, likely, lucky, pleased, proud, ready, reluctant, sad, shocked, sorry, surprised, upset,...

c. Expressing the idea of "in order to do something"

For examples, 

• She resigned to run her own business. [ in order to run ] 
• He bought a new Iphone to prove he is stylish. [ in order to prove ]

d. too + adjective / adverb + to infinitive

For examples, 

• The box is too heavy to carry.
• The television is too expensive to buy.
• We arrived too late to see the beginning of the movie.

e. adjective/adverb + enough + to infinitive

For examples, 

• He is old enough to know what is right and wrong.
• They didn't do hard enough to achieve the sales target.

f. enough + noun(s) + to infinitive

For examples, 

• He has enough money to buy his own car.
• We need enough people to start new project. 

INFINITIVE WITHOUT "TO"

We use the infinitive without to in the following cases.

a. after auxiliaries/modals: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would…

For examples, 

• He can run very fast.
• It may rain this afternoon.

b. after ‘to do’

For examples, 

• I don't know.
• I do like the performance.

c. after the following expressions

• had better       ==> You had better clean your room.
• would rather   ==> Rita would rather study for her exam tomorrow.
• would sooner ==> I would sooner read a book than watch this film.
• why not           ==> Why not ask your neighbors for help?   
• why should we      ==> Why should we go by car?
• why should we not ==> Why should we not go by car?

d. after verbs of perception + object (action has finished)

For examples, 

• She feels the rain fall on her face. 
• I heard the boy shout.
• He watched the thieves steal a car.

e. after let + object

For examples, 

• Maria let her daughter decide on her own.
• Let's go for a walk through the park.

f. after make + object
 
For examples, 

• His father made him do the homework.
• He makes his secretary prepare the reports.

Gerund

Sam An Teng

A gerund is verbal which is formed by adding -ing to the verb; though it looks like a verb, it functions as a noun.

For examples,

• Reading is my favourite.
• I love reading.

Functions of gerunds

As a noun, gerunds can function as subjects, subject complements, direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions.

a. subjects ( standing at the beginning of the sentence)

For examples,

• Flying makes me nervous.
• Growing cereal crops is more profitable now.

b. subject complements ( standing after verb to be and modifying subject.)

For examples,

• What he likes is drinking.
• His main duty is researching the customer perception.

 c. direct objects   

For examples,

• I enjoy running. 
• They do not appreciate my singing. 

Usually direct objects standing after these verbs: dislike,admit, advise*, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, begin*, can’t bear, can't help, complete, consider, continue*, delay, deny, discuss, detest, enjoy, escape, excuse, finish, forbid, forget*, get through, hate, imagine, mention, mind, miss, permit, postpone, practice, prefer*, quit, recall, report, resent, resist, resume, risk, spend (time), suggest, tolerate, understand, waste (time),...

Note: Those are marked with asterisk (*) can also be followed by infinitive.

d. indirect objects (only the verb “give”)

For examples,

• Samnang gives swimming all of his energy and time.
• He gives studying his best effort.

e. objects of prepositions

For examples,

• The police arrested him for speeding.
• Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?
• She is good at painting.
• They’ re keen on windsurfing.
• She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.
• We arrived in Rattanakiri after driving all day.
• My boss has decided against postponing the meeting. 

Other usage of gerunds

We also use the Gerund after the following phrases:

• to be busy      → He is busy reading the paper.
• couldn't help   → She couldn't help laughing.
• don't mind      → I don't mind telling them my opinion.
• feel like          → We feel like flying in the sky.
• how about      → How about going for a walk this evening?
• it's (no) good → It's no good talking about this problem.
• it's no use      → It's no use registering in that training course.
• spend one's time  → They spend their time reading.
• there's no      → There's no cheating anymore.
• there's no point     → There's no point complaining further.
• what about    → What about going to the zoo?
• worth             → The book is worth reading.