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>
> But, I have one other point of clarification that I wanted to email
> in. That is... in the example that was given:
>
> You can configure an alarm to trigger.
>
> The verb isn't trigger, rather it is configure. "To trigger" (I think)
> would be a prepositional phrase. Yes? So is that particular construction
> gramatically incorrect? And if so, is it for a different reason?
>
Christi,
You were right. The main verb of the sentence is "configure." However, "to
trigger" here is not a prepositional phrase; rather, it's an infinitive,
used as object complement. As you pointed out, "trigger" is a transitive
verb. It should be followed by an object. So your revised version "You can
configure the software to trigger the alarm" solves that problem.
Best!
Baotong Gu
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Assistant Professor of English 509-359-6036
Co-Director of Technical Communication bgu -at- mail -dot- ewu -dot- edu
Eastern Washington University gubaoton -at- purdue -dot- edu
Cheney, WA 99004
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