Grammatical Summary

Using Concept Sentences to Distinguish Source and Experiencer

One way to distinguish in a sentence whether a participle is describing the EXPERIENCER of the emotion or describing the SOURCE of it is to express the relationships in a simple "concept sentence." We can create a concept sentence for any -ed or -ing participle.

A concept sentence is a simple, one-clause sentence, written in active voice, in simple present tense. The verb in a concept sentence shows the action or emotion. Using subject-verb-object (SVO) order, the concept sentence illustrates the relationship that exists between SOURCE and EXPERIENCER (Bordman, Byrd, & Schlein, 1977).

For example, given the phrase "the frightened dog," we could generate a concept sentence:

	S                 V                O
	Something frightens the dog.
	SOURCE                     EXPERIENCER

 

	Something is frightening to the dog.
		(SOURCE/-ing)
	The dog is frightened.
		(EXPERIENCER/-ed)

 

Given	Concept Sentence	Alternative Expression
depressing news	The news (SOURCE) depresses people (EXPERIENCER).	People are depressed about the news.
a confusing report	The report (SOURCE) confuses the readers (EXPERIENCER).	The readers are confused.
a frustrated citizen	The new law (SOURCE) frustrates the citizen (EXPERIENCER).	The new law is frustrating.
an overwhelmed employee	The workload (SOURCE) overwhelms the employee (EXPERIENCER).	The workload is overwhelming.