Verb Complementation Patterns

Form, function & meaning

e.g. John hit the cat

• Form (realization pattern): NP

Other patterns: finite/nonfinite clause, etc
• Function: Od (Complement)
Other functions: Subject, Oi /Attribute (Complement), Adverbial
• Meaning: Patient
Other meanings: Agent, Recipient, etc

Verb Complementation Patterns

What is a verb complement?

Function
A Complement is the grammatical pattern that follows a verb and completes the
specification of a meaning relationship which that word implies.
e.g. ?I like
I like reading

What is a verb complementation pattern?

The pattern is the particular realization a verb complement takes.
How many possible realizations are there for the object of a verb?
Is it possible for a verb to have more than one C pattern?
Does this have any consequences for the meaning of the verb?

Compare:

I like cooking/I like to cook my own food

I remembered to lock the door/ I remember locking the door
I saw John kissing Mary/ I saw that John had kissed Mary

Are all patterns always possible with all verbs?. See the egs:

*I want that you come

*He suggested to come
*I enjoy to travel
*She doesn’t mind to be disturbed while she’s working
*I look forward to hear from you
*I don’t remember to have said that
*Please remember putting out the cat before you go to bed
*Don’t forget writing to aunt Mary
*You should stop to smoke
*The teacher doesn’t allow the students smoking in the classroom
The former examples are all WRONG !!

Monotransitive complementation
V + Direct Object
• Noun Phrase
e.g. I avoided an argument
• Finite clause
That-clause
e.g. Jack admitted that he had stolen the money
Extraposed subject that-clause
e.g. It appears that we have come on the wrong day
Wh-clause
e.g. I doubt whether the flight has been booked
• Nonfinite clause
Bare infinitive
e.g. He must come
To-infinitive
e.g. He has decided to come
-ing participle
e.g. He suggested coming to my lecture

Complementation by Non-finite clauses

Bare infinitive
The full infinitive consists of two words, to + verb. But after certain verbs & expressions
we use the form without to, i.e. the `bare infinitive´(BI).
The BI is used in several different cases:
1 Modal auxiliaries
2 Verbs of perception
3 Causative verbs

1 Modal auxiliaries:

will, shall, would, should, can, could, may, might, must

would rather, had better
e.g. I’d rather go alone
You’d better see what she wants
need, dare
e.g. Need I do the washing up?
How dare you say that about me?

Note: to-inf is also possible with dare and need in some cases:
e.g. I wouldn’t dare to ask him
She doesn’t need to leave
 But after daren’t/ needn’t only the BI is possible:
e.g. I daren’t tell him what happened
She needn’t leave

2 Verbs of perception
see, watch, hear, notice, feel
e.g. I didn’t see you come in
I heard her say that she was fed up
Did you feel the earth move?

Meaning: the whole of an action or event is perceived (cf. alternative patterns, change of
meaning)

3 Causative verbs
make, let, help, (have)
e.g. They made him pay the money back
She lets her children stay up very late
Have Mrs Hansen come in, please (mainly American)
Would you like to help peel the potatoes?
The BI is also possible when the verb has an object:
e. g. Help me get him to bed
This is more common in an informal style

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Typical mistakes:

*I must to go now
*She lets her children to stay up very late
*I heard her to say that she was fed up
Note When these verbs are used in the passive, they are followed by the to-inf:
He was made to pay him back the money
She was heard to say that she disagreed

To-infinitive clause
e.g. Gerry failed to arrive on time

agree, refuse, promise, threaten,

offer, attempt, manage, fail,
decide, plan, arrange, hope,
appear, seem, pretend, afford,
forget, learn (how), dare, tend
used (vs be used to + -ing)
have (= “must”)
Verb (+ O) + infinitive

want, ask, expect, help (BI),

mean (= “intend”), would like, would prefer

e.g. Charles wants you to stand for election

BE CAREFUL: *Charles wants that you stand...
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Notice that with some important verbs, the infinitive is NOT possible:
*Tom suggested to go to the cinema
*Are you thinking to buy a car?

Sometimes we can use a slightly different pattern:

Wh-infinitive clause (Question word + to-inf)
After ask, decide, know, remember, forget, explain, understand, discover
e.g. The Curies discovered how to isolate radioactive elements
Have you decided where to go for your holidays?
I don’t know whether to go to the party or not

Ing-participle clause

e.g. I enjoy cooking (*I enjoy to cook)

She doesn’t mind being disturbed while she is working (*She doesn’t mind to be
disturbed while she is working)

admit (that), appreciate, anticipate (that),

attempt (to), avoid, begin (to),
consider (that),contemplate, continue (to),
defer, delay, deny (that),
detest, dread (to), dislike,
don’t like, endure, enjoy,
escape, excuse, face,
fancy (= “imagine”) (that), feel like,
finish, forgive, give up,
hate (to), imagine (that), intent (to),
involve, leave off, like (to),
loathe, love (to), mean (that) (= “intent”) (to),
mention, mind, miss,
pardon, postpone, practise,
prefer (to), propose (= “suggest”) (that) (= “intend”)(to),
put off, recollect (that),remember(=“recollect”)(that),
report (that), resist, risk,
start (to), stop (=“cease”), suggest (that),
understand (that) burst out (crying/laughing),
keep (on) (doing something) go swimming/shopping
can’t stand, not bear (to) be worth
can’t help be used to

• After preposition:
e.g. He’s always talking about moving to the country
I prevented him from stealing the painting
I look forward to hearing from you
Notice that to is preposition here (vs to sign of the inf). More examples are:
Do you object to working on Sundays?
I’m not used to driving in London (also be accustomed to...-ing/inf)
I prefer riding to walking

If you are not sure whether to is a preposition or not, try putting a noun after it. If you can,
it is a preposition:

e.g. I’m not used to driving or drive? on the left

I’m not used to British traffic conditions
Therefore: I’m not used to driving on the left

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Practice
Exercises 42.1, 42.2, 42.3, 44.1, 44.2 & 44.3

Alternative patterns
Many verbs allow several complementation types:
• Many verbs admit a to-inf clause or an -ing clause, with or without change of meaning
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(Audio)

To-inf/ -ing participle

No change or little change of meaning:
1 love, hate, prefer
e.g. I love meeting people or I love to meet people

But, when we are referring to one particular occasion, it is more common to use the
infinitive:
e.g. I hate to mention it, but you owe me some money
After would to-inf. is used:
e.g. I’d love to come and see you some time
Can I give you a lift? No, thanks. I (would) prefer to walk

2 like
e.g. I like getting up early or I like to get up early
Some factors influencing the choice:
• “enjoy” + -ing
e.g. I like cooking
“choose to”, “be in the habit of”, “think it right to” + to-inf
e.g. I like to wash my hair twice a week

• would like (love/hate/prefer) (= “wish”/ “want”) + to-inf:

e.g. What would you like to do tomorrow?
(*What would you like doing tomorrow? is WRONG)

3 begin, start, continue, cease (aspectual verbs) (cf. stop, finish)

Sometimes, a number of factors might influence the choice:
• Contrast between potentiality and performance:
e.g. He started to speak, but stopped because she objected
He started speaking, and kept on for more than an hour

• Where multiple activities are involved, the association of the -ing participle with the
progressive aspect may influence a preference for the participle:
e.g. He began opening all the cupboards

• When we are talking about the beginning of a long or habitual activity, it is more
common to use an -ing form:
e.g. How old were you when you first started playing the piano?

• After a progressive form of begin or start, the -ing form is not used:
e.g. I was beginning to get angry
(?I was beginning getting angry)

• After begin and start, the verbs understand and realize are only used in the infinitive:
e.g. She began to understand what she really wanted
(*She began understanding...)
• After begin, start, continue, cease, the verb matter is more usual with the infinitive
e.g. It ceased to matter whether or not he sold his work

4 advise, allow, permit, recommend, encourage

To-inf when Oi:
e.g. He advised me to apply at once
She recommends housewives to buy the big tins
They don’t allow us to park here
If the person is not mentioned, the gerund is used:
e.g. He advised applying at once
She recommends buying the big tins
 They don’t allow parking here

Practice
Exercises 43.1, 43.2 & 44.4

Change of meaning

1 Difference connected with time:

remember, forget, regret
e.g. Please remember to lock the door
Locking the door is future in relation to remember
cf. I remember locking the door
Locking the door is past in relation to remember
Compare also:
e.g. She’s always forgetting to give me the letters
I shall never forget seeing the Queen

You remember/forget to do sth before you do it.

You remember/forget doing sth after you do it.

• Be careful with cases like:

e.g. I remembered to close the door

Though remembered is past, what we have to look at is the relation between close and
remembered, which is future (first I remember, and then I close it). Therefore, to-inf,. is
used.

*I don’t remember to have said that

*Please remember putting out the cat before you go to bed
*Don’t forget writing to Aunt Mary

The former sentences are all WRONG!!

Regret
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e.g. I regret telling her what I thought

regret + -ing= “be sorry for what has happened”

cf. I regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you employment
regret + to-inf= “be sorry for what one is going to say”

Be sorry
e.g. Sorry to disturb you - could I speak to you for a moment?
 I’m sorry for waking (having woken) you up yesterday

sorry + to-inf= “regret”, we apologize for something we are about to do (deliberate

action). Also: “sadness”, simultaneous, involuntary actions
e.g. I’m sorry to see/hear...
sorry + for -ing/ that-clause/ perfect inf: we apologize for something we have done (It can
also refer to an immediately following action, although the inf is more usual in that case)

be ashamed
e.g. You should be ashamed of lying to him
I’m ashamed to tell you what this carpet cost
be ashamed of + -ing: previous action
be ashamed + to-inf: subsequent action

2 Difference: time + purpose

stop
e.g. I stopped going to evening classes
I stopped to buy some coffee

stop doing= give up, cease

stop to do= stop in order to do sth after (purpose)

*You should stop to smoke - it’s bad for you (WRONG !)

go on
e.g. He went on talking about his accident
He went on to talk about his accident

go on + -ing= continue what one has been doing before

go on + to-inf= change, move on to do sth new (after) (usually the inf is explain, talk, tell:
the speaker continues talking about the same topic but introduces a new aspect of it)

3 try
e.g. I was very tired. I tried to keep my eyes open but I couldn’t
I’ve got a terrible headache. I tried taking an aspirin but it didn’t help (I took an
aspirin to see if it would stop my headache)

Try to do= attempt to do, make an effort

Try doing= do something as an experiment or test

4 Aspectual difference
watch, hear
e.g. I watched the boy eating
(I watched him while he was eating)
 I watched the boy eat the apple
(I watched him until he finished)

watch somebody doing something= watch him in the process of doing it (continuing action,
progressive)
watch somebody do something= watch the whole action (completed action)

5 +/-control, +/- animate subject

mean
e.g. I mean to get to the top by sunrise
He is determined to get a seat even if it means standing in a queue all night

mean + to-inf= “intend”

mean + -ing= “involve” (used only with an impersonal subject)

propose
e.g. I propose to start tomorrow
I propose waiting till the police get here

Propose + to-inf= “intend”

Propose + -ing= “suggest”

need, want, require:

e.g. Your hair needs cutting (also passive inf: to be cut)
I need to take more exercise
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I need to do something= “it is necessary for me to do it” (active meaning)

Need -ing= “something needs to be done” (especial use: modal = “has to be”, passive
meaning)

be afraid
e.g. I’m afraid to dive into the swimming pool
I’m afraid of falling into the swimming pool (*I’m afraid to fall into the swimming
pool)

To be afraid of + -ing : that we are afraid of is unexpected, not chosen or wanted by us.

Practice
Exercises 43.3, 43.4 & 43.5