The absolute nominative constructions

Adjectives and nouns which form the second part of these objective constructions are in subject-predicate relations to the first part and show what the person or non-person expressed by it is or becomes, or what quality it acquired. Because of its meaning the nominal part is often calledan objective predicative.

Objective constructions with non-verbals

The objective with participle II construction

The objective with participle I construction

This construction comprises a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the objective case and participle I, which is in subject-predicate relation to the nominal part. In comparison with the infinitive in this position participle I shows more clearly the durative character of the action. The construction functions as a complex object.

§ 127. The objective with participle I construction can be used with verbs of three semantic groups, although with two of them it occurs very seldom. In all cases only non-perfect forms of participle I can be used. These groups are as follows:

1. Verbs of sense perception (see, hear, feel).

There we saw the crocodiles swimming about.

Over his shoulder he could hear them snuffing.

I felt tears running down my chieks.

2. Verbs of wish. These verbs combine with the construction only occasionally.

Nobody wanted him going there alone.

3. The causative verbs to have and to get.

He got them running his errands every day.

We’ll have them trembling with fear.

§ 128. This construction shows that the action expressed by participle II is (or was) performed not by the person denoted by the nominal part due to the passive meaning of participle II for most verbs. However after the verbs to have, to get, to want participle II may denote an action performed at the request of the person denoted by the nominal part.

The objective with participle II construction can be attached to verbs of four semantic groups.

1. Verbs of sense perception (to see, to hear, to feel, to watch):

We heard the door shut.

They watched him examined by the doctor.

I heard my name echoed in the distance.

2. A few verbs of mental activity (to think, to believe, to consider, to remember).

At first she thought Johnny killed.

3. Verbs of wish.

Nobody wanted it done in such a way.

4. The causative verbs to have and to get. With these verbs the construc­tion means that the action of

participle II is done for the benefit of the person expressed by the nominal part of the construction.

How do you think the men would have their wounds dressed, get themselves washed, have their beds

made if nobody worked on a Sunday?

The objective with participle construction attached to the verbs of this group cannot be transformed into object clauses because these verbs do not take object that- clauses.

These constructions may be used after the following verbs:

I. Verbs of mental activity and sense perception, which acquire in this construction the meaning of judgement, opinion or conclusion (to appreciate, to believe, to claim, to class, to consider, to condemn, to count, to deem, to esteem, to fancy, to feel, to figure, to imagine, to impart, to interpret, to judge, to look (at, on, upon), to perceive, to picture, to place, to pronounce, to recognize, to regard, to see, to sum up, to take, to think, to view, to visualize, etc.); also after some other verbs (to find, to discover, to welcome, etc.) expressing the same meaning. Occasionally a non-verbal element is introduced by the prepositions as or for.

He judged her young and pleasing.

The girl condemned herself as stupid.

They saw him as the greatest man in Europe.

The town esteemed him as a successful man.

I figured you for a good guy.

These constructions may be transformed into object clauses:

I thought it a wonderful opportunity —— > I thought that it was a wonderful opportunity.

He found his life dull ——> He found that his life was dull.

Several verbs of this group (to consider, to deem, to feel, to find, to regard, to suppose, to think, and some others) may take a complex object with the nominal part expressed by a verbal (an infinitive, a gerund) or by a clause. In this case the formal introductory object it is used:

Не thought it useless going to Paris.—— > He thought that going to Paris was useless.

I consider it possible to talk to him now.

They will think it strange that you should be frightened.

II. Verbs implying that the result of the action will be a new quality, state, social standing, or attitude to the action. These verbs are rather numerous and form several semantic subclasses.

A. Verbs with causative meaning (to make, to render, to hit, to have, to worry, to scare, etc.) implying

change of state or impression, as in:

This blow made him crazy.

The sight of the animal scared the boy stiff.

His sudden appearance rendered us speechless.

B. Verbs denoting the action resulting in the change of colour (topaint, to dye, to stain, to tinge, to

dust)

They painted the door green.

She has dyed her hair blonde.

The storm dusted everything grey.

C. Verb denoting actions resulting in the change of social rank, status, function of, or giving

identification to, a person (to appoint, to call, to christen, to elect, to raise, to select, etc.) as in:

They elected him President.

They appointed him chief in the office.

I’ll raise my kid a Catholic.

The parents christened the boy Paul.

They deliberately selected Elizabeth as an ideal mother-substitute.

D. Verbs denoting motion, movement to a different position or state (to bring, to carry, to deliver, to

fing, to kick, to march, to pick, to put, to send, to tear, to toss, etc.).

She pulled the drawer open.

I tore the letter open.

Christin kicked the door open.

The girl clicked her bag shut.

Most of the verbs in group II have a very general vague meaning, they are often incomplete without the adjective or noun denoting the result of the action. Therefore they are very closely connected with it, forming a set expression:

to make

somebody   something

crazy (mad, happy, important, famous, an eager listener, restless, stunned)   invisible (concrete, interesting, handy, certain, clear)

to make oneself agreable (comfortable, cosy)

to set

somebody something

free straight

to drive mad (crazy, desperate)

to leave somebody stunned (doubtful, weak, indifferent, blind, crippled)

to keep

somebody something

busy clean (handy)

to consider

somebody something

responsible (famous, big, great, unique, a master, charming, pleasing, awful) as possible (extreme, ridiculous, dreadful, a nuisance)

to render

somebody something

spellbound (speechless, motionless, blind, dumb.) useless (hopeless, unimportant)

to have

somebody something

as a teacher clear (right, definite)

to count

somebody something

an enemy (a friend, as the greatest man) as useless (as ugly, as most attractive)

§ 130. These constructions are called ‘absolute’ because they are not dependent on any other part of the including sentence, though they cannot be used without it, as they lack a finite verb form and thus have no predicate.

From the point of view of their transformational possibility, absolute constructions fall into two types, verbal and non-verbal ones.

I. Constructions with verbals as their second part. When transformed into clauses they retain their predicate part, which takes a proper tense-aspect form.

She sat on the porch, Mary playing with her doll ————> She sat on the porch, and (while) Mary was

playing with her doll.

The clauses resulting from such transformations usually have a simple verbal predicate. If the second part includes a form of the verb to be, the predicate of the clause is, of course, a compound nominal one:

It being late, he went home ——> As it was late, he went home.

II. Constructions with non-verbals with an adjective, a stative, an adverb or a noun (with a preposition) as their second part. When transformed into clauses, a proper form of the link verb to be must be introduced, as these constructions lack a verbal component of their own.

He marched out of the room, his head high up —— > He marched out of the room, and his head was high

up.

Thus clauses resulting from the transformation of constructions of this type always have a compound nominal predicate.

§ 131. Absolute constructions may have two forms: non-prepositional and prepositional. The latter is introduced by the preposition with (in the case of the infinitive construction it may be without).

Dinner over, everybody rose.

He was slowly coming to us, with his hands up.

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