Please help to explain this issue on verb tense usage
Dear all,
recently I ran into a problem on how to explain the "did+was+watch" in the sentence provided below.
"When I woke up this morning the first thing I did was watch TV."
I tried to separate it into noun phrase: [ the first thing I did ] ,verb: [was], and verb phrase:[ watch TV ]
but somehow my grammatical knowledge told me that the [ watch ] here needed to be changed into its gerund form. However, the paradoxical thing is, when I google it, it seems that for [ watch ] here remaining its original form is also acceptable.
Please help to explain it, regarding its grammar, semantic and/or pragmatic implications. Much Appreciated.
Sincerely,
Evan Tsao.
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 8
1
Amphion:
This is how I would parse (analyze) your sentence.
1. Native speakers often leave out words, but it is necessary to use all the words for parsing.
2. I believe that the whole sentence is:
When I woke up this morning, the first thing (that) I did was (to) watch TV.
3. :When I woke up this morning" is an adverbial clause. We can forget it. We want to concentrate on the main sentence "The first thing (that) I did was (to) watch TV."
4. In my opinion:
a. "That I did" is an adjective clause. It modifies "thing." Again, we can forget it.
b. The basic sentence, then, is: The first thing was (to) watch TV.
i. "The first thing" = subject.
ii. was = the linking verb.
iii. (to) watch TV = the subject complement.
Question: What was the first thing?
Answer: To watch TV.
"To watch TV" is an infinitive phrase. In your sentence, you can omit "to" if you wish to.
1
It is in fact noun + was + noun
watch TV = noun
But it is the command form of the noun, so you see it very rarely. The expression has an imperative mood to it. It is an imperative to yourself, but still and imperative.
1
The keyword is "did", therefore you use the basic verb form and not the gerund.
0
好复杂~
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!
Start Learning Today
