NEXUS CONSTRUCTIONS

Combinations of words which are organised around a non-finite form of the verb are called
nexus. The non-finite form of the verb can be:
1. The infinitive
To make a good living takes hard work.
2.The present pariciple:
He sat in silence, eating his sandwich.
3. The past participle:
They found the house burnt to the ground.
4. The gerund:
The town was a centre for the making of Engish history.
The syntactic relations in a nexus construction are not morphologically shaped. This means
that in a nexus there are no distinctions of PERSON, NUMBER, MODAL AUXILIARIES.
Often there is no SUBJECT in a nexus.
The four types of nexus constructions, the infinitival, the gerundial, and the present and past
particple nexus constructions have the following syntactic fuctions:
1. The infinitival nexus:
a/
b/
c/
d/
e/
f/

Subject: To live in New York was his ambition.

Predicative: She appeared to like it.
Direct object: They failed to do it.
Complex object: John persuaded the doctor to examine Mary.
Attribute: He was always the first to enter the dining room.
Adverbial modifier: She strained her ears to catch the words.

2. The gerundial nexus:

a/
b/
c/
d/
e/
f/

Sunject: Crossing the river was a hard task.

Predicative: Her aim is mastering English as soon as possible.
Direct object: Dont put off preparing your lessons.
Prepositional object: They talked of going somewhere else afterwards.
Attribute: I dont like the idea of going out at night.
Adverbial modifier: He made a fortune by selling cars.

3. The present participle nexus:

a/ Predicative: The children came running fast.
b/ Complex object: Thye watched the train disappearing in the distance.
c/ Attribute: The wind rustling in the trees flung the dry leaves.
d/ Extrapositional attribute: Saying no word, he left the room.
e/ Extrapositional predicative: He left the room, saying no word.
f/ Adverbial modifier: No one listening, the meeting finished.

4. The past pariciple nexus:

a/ Complex object: I have seen the play performed by different actors.
b/ Attribute: The girl continued in a voice slightly lowered.
Some Specific Nexus Constructions
The Objective Infinitive Construction / The Accusative with the Infinitive Construction
(Accusativus cum Infinitivo)
This construction serves syntactically as the object of a clause (complex object). In it the
object of the main predicate verb is at the same time subject of a following infinitive.
I saw him rum.
The construction is used with the following semantic groups of verbs:
1. Verbs of sense perception: see, perceive, observe, watch, notice, behold, mark, hear, feel.
With these verbs the infinitive is used without the particle to. However, there are three
exceptions to this rule:
a/ when the progressive infinitive is used:
I saw him to be running with all his might.
b/ when the verb of sense perception is used figuratively, i.e. when it does not denote the
actual bodily perception:
I observed the pain to increase with each attack.
c/ with verbs of mental perception: understaand, believe, know, make out, suspect, realize,
discover, consider, etc.:
I believed him to have discovered the truth.
2. Verbs denoting command, desire, permission: command, order, bid, direct, advise, teach,
tell; ask, beg, pray, entreat; wish, desire, want, intend, forbid, etc.
He ordered the servants to stay in the cellar.
The infinitive is used with the particle to. Exceptions:
a/ with the verb let : Let us go.
b/ with the verb leave, only with the phrase Leave him be (but not otherwise: She left
him to clear up the mess.)
3. Verbs of causation: cause, get, make, have, lead, motion, force, compel, oblige, constrain,
induce, help.
I complelled him to resign.
The infinitive is used with to. Exceptions:
a/ with make and have: I had him write it over again.
b/ with help: I helped him carry the suitcases upstairs. (colloquial)
but also: I helped him to carry the suitcases upstaies.
4. Verbs of affirmation: affirm, assert, maintain, report, conclude, trust, proclaim, announce,
acknowledge.
The infinitive is used with the particle to.
They announced him to be dead.

5. Verbs of emotion: like, dislike, love, hate, loathe, etc.

The infinitive is used with to: Id like him to see this picture.
The Nominative with the Infinitive Construction
(Nominativus cum Infinitivo)
If we turn into the passive a sentence containing the objective infinitive construction, we will
derive the nominative with the infinitive construction:
I saw him run. == He was seen to run.
The accusative word becomes subject of both the clause and the infinitive. The infinitive
acquires the function of predicative. The particle to reappears. Exceptions: the verb let,
which does not normally appear in the passive, except in the example:
Some word was let fall.
The predicates of sentences containing the construction are ususally expressed by a passive
verb. But the Nominative infinitive construction may also appear with some intransitive verbs
in the active: seem, appear, prove, happen, chance:
I chanced to meet him at the railroad station.
This construction is used also after the phrases: be sure, be certain,, be likely:
It is likely to rain. He is likely to come.
The forto Infinitive Construction
This construction is used to provide the infinitive with a clearly expressed subject. The
infinitive is attached to the object of the preposition for:
We arranged to go on a trip.= We arranged for them to go on a trip.
The forto construction may have the following syntactic functions:
1. Subject: For a boy to take exercise is good. = extraposition => It is good for a boy to
take exercise.
2. Predicative: The best thing was for him to leave the place.
3. Attribute: I gave permission for him to go.
4. Complex object: He proposes for you to go.
5. Adverbial modifier of purpose: She held out the book for me to look at.
The Participles in Nexus Constructions
(Loose/extrapositional Secondary Parts of the Sentence
)
I. The Extrapositional attribute
Examples: Shouting loudly, he left the room.
Attracted by the noise, he opened the window.
The extrapositional attribute can be organised around the present and the past participle. It
refers to the subject of the sentence. It also refers in part to the predicate of the sentence and
that is why it often has additional adverbial shades of meaning. These adverbial shades of
meaning can be of various kinds. If the extrapositional attribute is organised around the
present participle, the adverbial meanings depend on the type of verb from which the
participle was derived:
1. Dynamic verbs have a temporal meaning:

Reaching the river, we made camp for the night. (= when we reached)
2. Stative verbs have a causal meaning:
Living in the country, we led a quiet life. (= because we lived)
The adverbial meaning becomes stronger when the extrapositional attribute is introduced by a
preposition or subordinating conjunction:
While fighting in France, he was taken prisoner.
The extrapositional attribute is a construction which has an understood subject (implied
subject). There is a rule which says that the understood subject of the extrapositional attribute
is the same as the subject of the sentence. This rule is called the attachement rule. If the
understood subject of the extrapositioanl attribute is not the same as the subject of the
sentence, the result is a fault of style, called Unattached participle or Dangling modifier.
This construction must be avoide because it is ambiguous and the meaning is sometimes
difficult to grasp.
Example:
Looking up the hill, a cottage was seen.
Reading the evening paper, a dog started barking.
2. The Extrapositional Predicative
It differs from the extrapositional attribute only in terms of position. It follows the verb and
thus it comes at the end of the sentence.
Example:
Shouting loudly, he left the room. extrapositional attribute
He left the room, shouting loudly. extrapositional predicative
The Absolute Construction
This is a construction in which the present or the past participle has a subject of its own,
which is explicitly mentioned. It is not understood or implied but is present before the
participle:
No discussions arising, the meeting was brought to an end.
The capital once taken, the rest of the country was submitted.
The Absolute construction is sometimes introduced by the prepositions with or without.
With his hands hanging loosely, he stepped on deck.
Sometimes we have the so called verbless Absolute construction which contains no
participle, but the subject is verblessly and intensely linked to a subject complement or an
adverbial modifier.
With his hands in his pockets, he stepped on deck.
She looked beautiful, her eyes wet, her hair golden.
The Accusative with the Participle Construction
Here the object of the main predicate verb is at the same time subject of the following
participle.
I saw him running.
I heard the question discussed only the other day.