Helping verbs / direct objects

[Kendall]

Helping verbs/direct objects

I have not seen mention of helping verbs in Harvey’s and I’m trying to tie helping verbs in with what Harvey’s teaches about verbs being copulative, transitive, or intransitive. Any thoughts?

Direct objects

On page 48 in Elementary I am having trouble with the following. To me they seem to answer the question “what” which I thought made them direct objects. The answer key indicates that they are adverb elements (is the key wrong?)

He wants to go to the city. (to go seems to be a direct object) answer Key says adverb
My sister wishes to remain in the city. (to remain seems to be a direct object) answer key says adverb

This one seems to be the same but they do list it as an object

Ambitious boys like to work hard. (to work seems to be a direct object) answer key does say object on this one.

This is not the first trouble I’ve had identifying direct objects. Is asking the question “what” after the verb not a good test?

Thanks,
Kendall

[Tracy Gustilo]

Excellent question, Kendall. I don't know why the answer key has what it does for many of these. I would classify the infinitives as follows for that exercise:

#1 - subject
#2 - DO
#3 - subj
#4 - adverbial (answers why?)
#5 - DO
#6 - adverbial modifying "ready" which is a predicate adjective after the linking verb "are"; "are ready" is NOT a verb phrase
#7 - DO
#8 - subj

I would say that an infinitive is a DO if it answers "what" to a transitive verb. (When in doubt, check the dictionary to see if a verb can be transitive.) It is adverbial after the verb if it answers why. (It usually won't answer when, where or how, the other adverbial questions.) Infinitives can also modify like adjectives: a book to read. In this case, it answers what kind. #6 above shows the infinitive as an adverbial element modifying the adjective "ready".

Infinitives are one of the most difficult grammatical elements to parse because they can play virtually any role in the sentence. They can stand in for any noun (subject, object, complement), and they can act as adjective and adverbial elements.

Tracy

[Lene Mahler Jaqua]

Helping verbs:

Helping verbs are addressed on page 81 in Harvey's Elementary. (His term is auxiliary (verbs) which means helping) Helping verbs are those verbs needed to conjugate the verb: do, have, shall, will, may, can, must. In other words in that context the auxiliary verb has no meaning on its own it is only there to "help" create the necessary tense of the main verb. I have walked (have is the auxiliary, walked is the main verb)..

Copulas are used to link the subject and the predicate. Some verbs, like forms of to be: was, were, is, are function as linkingverbs when they stand alone ( John is tired) and as auxiliary verbs when they are combined with another verb (John *is eating* lunch). That can be confusing.

In other words, if we were doing Latin, those auxiliary verbs in most cases would be swallowed up in the verb ending and not stand as isolated verbs.


Direct objects

On page 48 in Elementary >>>>The answer key indicates that they are adverb elements (is the key wrong?)<<<<

He wants to go to the city. (to go seems to be a direct object) answer Key says adverb

I agree with you. "wants" is a transitive verb, it is begging for a direct object , the direct object is the infinitive phrase,"to go"


My sister wishes to remain in the city.

ditto for this one

Ambitious boys like to work hard. (to work seems to be a direct object) answer key does say object on this one.

GOOD!!


This is not the first trouble I’ve had identifying direct objects. Is asking the question “what” after the verb not a good test?

it is a good test. And the other test is leaving the verb without any object at all, seeing if it can stand alone.

She wishes... cannot stand alone... it begs the question of what she wishes.


Good questions. I also think the key is wrong. Then again, the key was not created by Harvey. It is a modern addition.

Lene

[Kendall]

Tracy and Lene,

Thank you so much! I'm encouraged and enlightened.

Kendall

[Jennifer in Noerthern Virginia]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was working on this set of questions a few days ago and hit the same set of road blocks. I decided that I needed a few days off and then moved on to see if time would help my confusion. I love Harvey's but am really struggling to teach myself. I need someone to help me ask the right questions so I can figure it out and not feel so frustrated.

Is there a support group online for Harvey's? I could use a sounding board for my confusion and a schedule to help me with accountability since life has a way of interrupting my studies ( read children playing barbershop with the long haired cat -- yipps!)

In your debt,
Jennifer

[Lene]

I am going to create a board just for Harvey questions. This way, when the key is being obscure or plain wrong, we can all compare notes.

Lene