In the process of learning English, many people face certain difficulties. This is due to the fact that in the Russian language there are often no grammatical phenomena inherent in a foreign language. In English, examples of this are: the indefinite article, auxiliary verbs, Complex Object, the rule of one negation in a sentence, 26 categories of tenses, passive voice, complex subject, etc.
Complicated addition. Education formula and use
This grammatical phenomenon is a construction consisting of a noun in the common case (or a pronoun in the object case) and an indefinite form of the verb. This language complex is translated into Russian by a subordinate clause, in which the noun is the subject, and the infinitive is the predicate:
My mother would like me to enter the Institute. - My mom would like me to go to college
This construction has no analogues in Russian. And yet, many Russian schoolchildren easily master this grammatical phenomenon. And the design is actually convenient and compact in terms of language form.
Complex Object. Verbs
A compound object in English is used with these groups of verbs.
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Verbs expressing desire and need - to want (to want), to wish (to wish, to dream), to desire (to wish, to dream), would like (I would like). For example:
- My wife wishes me to get a promotion. - My wife's dream is that I get a promotion.
- My mum desires us to go to the sea as quickly as possible. - My mother really wants us all to go to the sea together as soon as possible.
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Verbs expressing awareness, knowledge - to think (to think), to know (to know), to report (to report). For example:
- He thought me to have given back this thing. - He thought I returned the thing.
- Mike knows me to be a lazy bone. - Mike knows I'm lazy.
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Verbs expressing expectation - to believe, to expect, to suppose. For example:
- I expected her to have had the better results. – I expected better results from her.
- John always believed his wife to be the fairest woman in the world. – John has always believed that his wife is the most honest woman in the world.
- Do you suppose her to have solved the problems? - Do you think she solved all the problems?
- Verbs expressing order, coercion - to order. For example:- The doctor ordered me to take a pill twice a day. – The doctor ordered me to take a pill twice a day.
Examples of using the construction without the particle to
In the case of using The Complex Object withverbs of perception (to see - watch, to hear - hear, to notice - notice, to watch - observe, to observe - explore) the to particle is omitted:
In the last example, the verb is used in the gerund form, which gives the sentence a different meaning. If in the first case a person observed a one-time action (left the house), then in the second example a certain process is indicated, expressed using a verb with the ending -ing.
For better understanding, it is best to compare the following pairs of examples:
Thus, with the help of a complex addition, both a single action and a certain process can be expressed. Often, when translated into Russian, this connection is barely perceptible.
If the verbs to see, to hear are used in the meaning of "understand", then in this case there is no need to use Complex Object. The rule of using a complex addition does not apply in this case. The example must be translated using a subordinate clause.
I saw that she had a desire to go away. - I understand that she wants to leave
Using compound object with verbs to cause, tomake, to let
You also need to remember a number of verbs denoting a prohibition or permission (to let - allow, to make - force, to have - dispose, to cause - cause, force), with which the Complex Object is used without the particle to:
- In my childhood my mum never let me walk until I did my homework. - As a child, my mother never let me go for a walk until I did my homework.
- Don't make me do these terrible things! - Don't make me do those horrible things!
- You cause her think as you do! You're forcing your opinion on her! (You make her think like you do.)
Complex complement and temporal category
In the Complex Object construction, the infinitive can be used in various tense forms, for example:
- Active voice. When I was little, my mum never let me go alone. - When I was little, my mother wouldn't let me go alone.
- Passive voice. My father would like me to be taken in the region football team. - My dad wants me to be taken to the regional football team. I have never known my sister have been punished. – I have never seen my sister being punished.
- Perfect shapes. Only my friend knew me to have flunked. - Only my friend knew that I failed the exam.
- Continuous forms. Ann watched the old lady walking around the house. Ann watched the old lady walking around the house. I heard Alice speaking in a whisper. - I heard Alice talking to someone in a whisper.
Perfect Complement Forms: When to Use?
Perfect band times are one of the biggest challenges for Russian students. The confusing system of "present + past=completed" does not at all benefit those who study English: for some, it is so difficult and incomprehensible that it is easier for them to abandon their studies than to advance into the deaf jungle of grammar. And if we are talking about a complex of perfect tenses and a complex addition, you should not postpone the study of this phenomenon indefinitely. In fact, everything is very simple. In sentences of this type, the perfect expresses an action that took place before the event in the main clause, for example:
Alice expected me to have found a job. - Alice expected me to find a job
The translation of this sentence takes into account the perfect (an action that happened before the main one), expressed by the formula: to have + Ved / 3 (a verb with the ending -ed, if it belongs to the group of regular verbs, or in the 3rd form, if he is from the wrong category).
Special use cases for compound addition
This construction expresses an action performed at the request of another person.
- Bill wants to have his hair cut. Bill wants a haircut. (In other words, at his request, this procedure will be performed by a hairdresser.)
- Nick is going to have his car repaired. Nick is going to fix the car. (That is, he will have it repaired at a car service.)
- Nina has her grandmother taken care of while she works. - Nina's grandmother is looked after while she works.
- Wewant to have our furniture cleaned because it has become shabby.-
- I had my sweater knitted yesterday. - I knitted myself a sweater yesterday. (That is, it was made at the request of the girl herself.)
- Mary wanted to have her dress made of wool. - Mary wants her dress to be made of wool.
Complicated addition. Skill Training Exercises
To develop the skill of competent use of Complex Object, the exercises below are performed after studying the previous examples.
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Translate into Russian.
I have never heard him speak French.
She wants him to marry her.
Did you expect me to have gone? Marry had her baby looked after when she was ill.
I knew her to have graduated from the most prestigious University of our region.
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Open the brackets using the studied construction (Complex Object grammar rule).
Everybody considered (he, die).
Milly has never desired (her daughter, become) an actress.
She watched (he, water) the flowers.
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Translate into English.
Everyone heard her arguing with her husband.
Mike thought I was already at home.
Mom often makes me do my homework.
Did you really expect him to leave her?The doctor won't let me break my bed.
To form the skill of using Complex Object sentences and the above examples need to be carefully worked out.
Compound subject
In English, there is another construction similar to the complex object - Complex Subject. A syntactic phenomenon is a complex of a subject, expressed by a noun or pronoun, and an infinitive.
This old man was said to be seriously ill. – This old man is said to be seriously ill
As you can see from the example, the noun is connected to the infinitive with an additional link in the form of a verb in the passive voice. This part of the syntax can be expressed like this:
- to be supposed to - suggest that;
- to be heard to - hear that;
- to be believed to - believe that;
- to be known to - it is known that;
- to be announced to - announce that;
- to be expected - expect that.
Note: the linking verb to be changes according to the tense category of the sentence and the number of the noun.
Examples:
- He is known as a world-famous dancer. - He is known to be a world famous dancer.
- Ann was believed to pass English exams. - It was believed that Anna would pass the exam in English.
- The President is expected to make some political changes. - The president is expected to make some policy changes.
- The Apocalypses was supposed to have been in 2012 according to Maya Calendar. - The world was supposed to end in 2012 according to the Mayan calendar.
- Mary is heard to get married. - Heard that Mary is coming outmarried.
Complex Subject and Provisional Forms
Complex Subject can use any of the forms of the infinitive, including active or passive voice, perfect forms or continuous forms.
- The dog is said to be found in the forest. - They said that the dog was found in the forest.
- Boys were announced to have won the sport competition.
- She was supposed to have left the country. - She was supposed to have left the country.
- The book was known to have been published several times. - The book is known to have been reprinted several times.
Complex active subject
In addition to the above constructions used in Passive Voice, Complex Subject can be used with the verbs to seem, to appear, to turn out, to happen in the Active Voice form:
- This man seems to be a stealer. - This man seems to be a thief.
- Ann didn't seem to have realized anything. - Mary didn't seem to understand.
- Did he happen to meet you? - Did he happen to meet you before?
- This pompous woman appeared to be very conversable. - It turned out that this frilly woman is very sociable.
- John appeared to have left for Moscow the day before. - It turned out that John left for Moscow yesterday.
- The test turned out to be difficult for each person of my group. - It turned out that the test was difficult for everyone in my group.
For the fullto learn the rules for using the Complex Subject, you need to familiarize yourself with the constructions to be sure to and to be likely to.
- Dad is sure to repair the bike. – Dad will definitely fix the bike.
- Ann is likely to miss the train. - Anya will probably miss the train.
How to learn Complex Subject
Same as with Complex Object, the false subject exercises are designed in sequence from training to productive (i.e. translation).
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Translate from English into Russian:
Don't try to argue with him: he supposed to know everything.
The book is considered to have been lost. Fortunately, I found it.
Don't criticize my appearance! I'm believed to become a model!
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Arrange the sentence and translate into Russian (put the words in the sentence in the correct order and translate).
The girl, won, considered, is, in, competition, the.
Sure, Dad, to repair, is the bike.
You, did, he, to, happen, meet?
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Translate from Russian into English.
Mary seemed to be in love.
Bart was reported missing last night.
Mom is a must will help you with your homework.
The baby is expected to be born in the winter.
He is counting on me to give in. Your hair is messy. You need to cut your hair.
Complex Object - a feature of colloquial speech
Starting to learn a language in order to use it foreveryday communication, many believe that knowledge of grammatical foundations is completely useless. But the possession of lexical units is not yet the ability to speak. Rather, such a person performs the function of a "walking dictionary", finding the translation of the lexeme at the right time. Communication in English is the ability to connect your thoughts together and express them in a foreign language. And just grammar is the very link that allows you to correctly and logically express your ideas. This applies to both small footnote rules and entire grammatical systems. In this case, the need to study such phenomena as a complex object and subject suggests itself. These grammatical forms are used both in newspaper periodicals, literary publications, and in colloquial speech. In particular, this applies to the use of Complex Object in English. The conciseness and brevity of its form makes it possible to express the thought most accurately and understandably for the recipient (the one who listens to the speaker). Complex Object is actively used in the lyrics of foreign songs, films, programs, etc.
Are complex subject and passive voice the same phenomenon?
Those who are more or less familiar with the grammar of the English language, were able to catch the similarity of these two constructions. Indeed, for the formation of the form of a complex subject, an excellent knowledge of the passive formation algorithm is required. Passive Voice is a grammatical phenomenon that indicates the effect on the subject in a sentence, for example:
The house is fired. - The house is on fire
As you can see from this sentence,home is exposed to fire. This is the passive voice. In this grammatical phenomenon, animate nouns can also act as a subject, for example:
The girl is punished. - The girl was punished
The form of the passive voice coincides with the "framing" of the complex subject:
The girl is said to quit the country. - The girl is said to have left the country
Attention! The passive voice and the complex subject coincide only in external form! Translation of these structures will be different!
Then what is this comparison for? This is necessary for the Complex Subject to be actively assimilated into speech. Knowing the basics of forming a passive, you can easily create forms of a complex subject in oral speech without resorting to a pen and a piece of paper.
Thus, Complex Subject, Complex Object - these are linguistic phenomena that are not inherent in the Russian language. It seems that a lot of nuances and the foreignness of the design complicate the process of assimilation of the rule. In fact, there is nothing complicated in this. The main thing is to work out the primary skills by completing training exercises, and then proceed to the direct use of these complexes in speech.
