# Grammar Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 31, 2010, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question/552106 "2010-08-31T07:10:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question/552106/1 "2010-08-31T07:10:09Z")
Consider the following sentence: She is making an effort to help him. How would this sentence be broken down? She - subject is making - verb an effort - object? to help - ? him - ? Specifically, I’m looking to identify what “him” would be labelled as. For example: X is making an effort to help Y. X- subject Y- ?? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Xenocrates](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f14d63/32.png) [@Xenocrates](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xenocrates)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question/552106/2 "2010-08-31T07:53:35Z")
I might be wrong, but I think “to help him” is a prepositional phrase and “him” is a prepositional object. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question/552106/3 "2010-08-31T08:01:00Z")
Hm. I thought “to help him” was an infinitive phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question/552106/4 "2010-08-31T09:57:34Z")
She - subject is making - verb an effort to help him - subordinate clause with a function of direct object (she is making something; what is she making? an effort to help him) In turn, this subordinate clause contains an effort - nominal group (may be nominative group, me learn grammar in spanish) to help him - infinitive phrase, subordinate clause with an adjectival function (it’s a modifier of effort) and in “to help him”, “to help” is the verb and “him” is the direct object Subordinates of subordinates, how fun. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question/552106/5 "2010-08-31T23:53:57Z")
Here is how I would parse it. I learned these “coathanger diagrams” in HS, although this is considerably more elaborate than those and I omitted some detail. Explanation of symbols below ``` S / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ NP VP | /|\ | / | \ | / | \ Pron / | \ / Vt | \ / | | \ / | | \ / | | \ / | | \ she is making NP IP /| /|\ / | / | \ / | / | \ / | / | \ Art N to Vt NP | | / | | | / | | | / | an effort help Pron | | him ``` S = sentence, NP = noun phrase, VP = verb phrase, Pron = pronoun, Vt is a transitive verb (I have omitted the detail of generating the phrase “is making” from “is”+ present paticiple, and also the detail of actually requiring the infinive of “help”), Art = article (and I have omitted the more encompassing term “determiner” that includes articles, quantifiers, and possessive pronouns, and perhaps more), IP = infinitive phrase. The verb “make” is one of many examples of a verb that may take two complements, here a direct object and an infinitive phrase. There are also a small number of three complement verbs. There are other omitted details, such as that “she” is in the subject case and “him” in the object case, pronouns like this the only remnant of a case system in English. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question/552106/6 "2010-09-01T00:13:40Z")
She: Subject is making: verb an: article (diagrammed as an adjective) effort: direct object to help him: infinitive phrase used as an adjective modifying “effort” telling what kind. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question/552106/7 "2010-09-01T00:38:18Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Here is how I would parse it. I learned these “coathanger diagrams” in > HS, although this is considerably more elaborate than those and I > omitted some detail. Explanation of symbols below > > ```auto > > S > / \ > / \ > / \ > / \ > / \ > / \ > NP VP > | /|\ > | / | \ > | / | \ > Pron / | \ > / Vt | \ > / | | \ > / | | \ > / | | \ > / | | \ > she is making NP IP > /| /|\ > / | / | \ > / | / | \ > / | / | \ > Art N to Vt NP > | | / | > | | / | > | | / | > an effort help Pron > | > | > him > > ``` > > S = sentence, NP = noun phrase, VP = verb phrase, Pron = pronoun, Vt is > a transitive verb (I have omitted the detail of generating the phrase > “is making” from “is”+ present paticiple, and also the detail of > actually requiring the infinive of “help”), Art = article (and I have > omitted the more encompassing term “determiner” that includes articles, > quantifiers, and possessive pronouns, and perhaps more), IP = infinitive > phrase. The verb “make” is one of many examples of a verb that may take > two complements, here a direct object and an infinitive phrase. There > are also a small number of three complement verbs. There are other > omitted details, such as that “she” is in the subject case and “him” > in the object case, pronouns like this the only remnant of a case system > in English. I’ve fixed **Hari Seldon** ’s diagram using the ```auto tag and doing some manual re-spacing to account for the fact that it was originally composed in a non-monospaced font. ``` ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question/552106/8 "2010-09-01T00:46:29Z")
Thanks everyone. It was for a grammar lesson - I just marked “him” as the object of the infinitive phrase. Thanks again! 🙂