Syntax of The Verbal Noun
A progressive aspect can be formed by connecting the verbal noun to the existential verb with the progressive particle ag.
| Tá | Mícheál | ag | labhairt | Gaeilge | le | Cáit | anois. |
| is | Mícheál | at | speaking | Irish | with | Cáit | now |
| "Mícheál is speaking Irish with Cáit now." | |||||||
The object of a verbal noun is in the genitive, if it is definite.
| Tá | Séamas | ag | léamh | an nuachtáin. |
| is | Séamas | at | reading | the newspaper (gen.) |
| "Séamas is reading the newspaper." | ||||
If a nonfinite clause forms the complement of the verb, the verbal noun stands alone (without a preposition) in the clause.
| D'éirigh | liom | breith | ar | an | liathróid. |
| was successful | with me | catching | on | the | ball |
| "I succeeded in catching the ball." | |||||
The direct object of a verbal noun complement precedes the verbal noun; the leniting particle a "to" is placed between them. Other complements follow.
| Tá brath agam | an scian | a | chur | go cúramach | ar an mbord. |
| I have intention | the knife | to | put | carefully | on the table |
| "I intend to place the knife carefully on the table." | |||||
Read more about this topic: Irish Syntax
Famous quotes containing the words verbal and/or noun:
“It is clear that all verbal structures with meaning are verbal imitations of that elusive psychological and physiological process known as thought, a process stumbling through emotional entanglements, sudden irrational convictions, involuntary gleams of insight, rationalized prejudices, and blocks of panic and inertia, finally to reach a completely incommunicable intuition.”
—Northrop Frye (b. 1912)
“It will be proved to thy face that thou hast men about thee that usually talk of a noun and a verb and such abominable words as no Christian ear can endure to hear.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)