Predicative Constructions with Participles
The English participle forms four predicative constructions:
1) the objective participial construction,
2) the subjective participial construction,
3) the nominative absolute participial construction,
4) the prepositional absolute participial construction.
In the objective participial construction, the Participle is in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or a persona! pronoun in the objective case. The objective participial construction performs the function of a complex object in the sentence. Cf.:
/ heard someone laughing (A.S. Hornby, A.P. Cowie, A.C. Gimson).
The governor wants it done quickly (A. Bennett). In the subjective participial construction, the participle (mostly Participle I) is in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or a personal pronoun in the nominative case which is the subject of the sentence. The subjective participial construction performs the function of a complex subject in the sentence, e.g.: They were heard talking together (W. Collins).
In the nominative absolute participial construction, the Participle is in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or a personal pronoun in the nominative case; the noun or pronoun is not the subject of the sentence. The nominative absolute participial construction expresses various adverbial relations. Cf:
// being now pretty late, we took our candles and went upstairs (Ch. Dickens).
This duty completed, he had three months' leave (Th. Hardy).
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In the prepositional absolute participial construction, the participle is in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or, very rarely, to a personal pronoun in the objective case. The construction is usually introduced into the sentence by the preposition with and in most cases performs the function of an adverbial of attendant circumstances. Cf.:
They were walking on again, with Hugh calmly drawing at his pipe (J.Lindsay).
The daughter sat quite silent and still, with her eyes fixed on the ground (Ch. Dickens).
English and Russian Non-Finite Forms of the Verb Compared
The system of Russian non-finite forms of the verb is different from the system of English verbals. First, in Russian there is no gerund. Second, Russian participles can be declined. Third, there is a specific non-finite form of the verb in Russian - the so-called deenpwacmue.
As opposed to Russian non-finite forms of the verb, English verbals can have a subjectival member of their own, different from the subject of the sentence, e.g.:
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The sun having set, we decided to return home (The New Webster's Grammar Guide).
In Russian it is only the infinitive that can have a subjectival member of its own, different from the subject of the sentence, e.g.:
Ona eenejia etuy ebiMbimb Maiuuny.
THE PRONOUN
Semantic Characteristics
The meaning of the pronoun as a separate part of speech is difficult to define. In fact, some pronouns share essential semantic peculiarities of nouns, e.g.: she, while others have much in common with adjectives, e.g.: her. Like nouns and adjectives, pronouns denote things and properties of things, but they do not name them as nouns and adjectives do. The pronoun is a part of speech which points to things and properties without naming them. Pronouns,
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according to V.V. Vinogradov and A.I. Smirnitsky, have a very general relative meaning that varies in accordance with the changing situation. For instance, the pronoun / may indicate a woman, a man, a child, and even an animal or a thing in fairy tales. Taken in isolation, the pronoun is practically devoid of any meaning
whatsoever.
Nouns and adjectives are quite different in this respect. Thus, the indication of an object by means of the noun table does not depend on the speaker or situation. The estimation of properties is, certainly, more subjective, but still nobody will call a square table round or an ugly man - handsome.
O. Jespersen thinks that if we took the relative character of meaning as a basis for singling out pronouns into a separate part of speech, we would have to refer such words as yesterday, today, tomorrow, right, left, father, mother, John, etc. to pronouns, too, because they also change their meaning in accordance with the
situation.
There is a grain of truth in it since, for example, no concrete day exists which is always called yesterday. Nevertheless, according to A.I. Smirnitsky, we are not justified in including the words yesterday, today, tomorrow, and the like into the class of pronouns, for they indicate time in the way substantives do. Thus, using the word yesterday, we mean a definite period of time, namely a day, not a second, an hour, a week, or a year. Such generalization is to be found only in pronouns proper.
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