Catenative verb
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Look up catenative in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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Look up Appendix:English catenative verbs in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
In the English language, catenative verbs are verbs which can be followed within the same clause by another verb in either the to-infinitive or present participle / gerund forms. An example appears in the sentence He deserves to win the cup, where "deserve" is a catenative verb which can be followed directly by another verb, in this case a to-infinitive construction.
Some catenative verbs are used in the passive voice followed by an infinitive: You are forbidden to smoke in here.
These verbs are called "catenative" because of their ability to form chains in catenative constructions. For example: We need to go to the tennis court to help Jim to get some practice before the game.
[edit] Form of the verb following the catenative verb
- Some catenative verbs are followed by a to-infinitive: "He agreed to work on Saturday"
- Some catenative verbs are followed by a gerund: "He admitted taking the money".
- Some catenative verbs are followed by either a to-infinitive or a gerund, either with or without a difference in meaning between the two structures:
- No difference in meaning:
- It began to rain.
- It began raining.
- Difference in meaning:
- I forgot to go to the shopping centre. (I wanted to go to the shopping centre but then didn't go.)
- I forgot going to the shopping centre. (I cannot remember the experience of going.)
- No difference in meaning:
- Some catenative verbs may be followed either by a bare infinitive or by a to-infinitive:
- I helped pack her bags.
- I helped to pack her bags.
- Go clean your room.
- Go to clean your room.
- Some catenative verbs can be followed by either a bare infinitive or a gerund:
- I saw her do that.
- I saw her doing that.
- Some catenative verbs require the use of the bare infinitive for the second verb:
- I let him have the car.
- I made him do it.
[edit] Related terms
In other fields, Catenation and Concatenation (disambiguation) refer to the joining of similar things in a series or chain.
[edit] References
Huddleston, Rodney and Geoffrey K. Pullum. A Student's Introduction to English Grammar. (Cambridge: CUP 2005)
