CATENATIVE VERBS AS VERB-TO-VERB LINKING DEVICES IN ENGLISH: A STRUCTURAL-SEMANTIC ANALYSIS
Keywords:
Keywords: catenative verb, verb chaining, non-finite complementation, to-infinitive, gerund-participle, grammaticalization, English syntax.Abstract
Abstract. Catenative verbs constitute one of the most productive verb-to-verb linking mechanisms in English, allowing a matrix verb to be followed directly, within the same clause, by a subordinated non-finite verb in the to-infinitive, bare infinitive, or gerund-participle form (want to leave, help pack, admit taking, keep working). Because the resulting sequence has no overt conjunction and can itself serve as the site for further catenation (I want to try to start learning to swim), catenative constructions form open-ended chains that are structurally distinct both from ordinary subordinate clauses and from auxiliary-plus-main-verb sequences. This paper examines the formal criteria that identify catenative verbs, the semantic classes into which they fall, the factors governing complement selection, and the constraints on chain length and structure.
