Help with a verb sentence riddle/challenge my 8th grader was given by his teacher

[lisareneeo]

My son's lanuage arts teacher gave a challenge to his class

Think of 1 sentence with 1 verb (ending in "ing") which contains NO helping verbs.

He is allowed to ask for help, use the computer, etc..... this is tough and we are going crazy trying to come up with an example.

Anyone????????

 

[AristocatFan]

But I thought a word ending in -ing could only be a verb if it was preceded by a helping verb. ??? Maybe I'm remembering wrong.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I ring the bell.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I ring the bell.

Ohhh...that's sneaky I like it.

 

[Slippy]

I must be missing something. Here is the first that came to mind, but there are others:

Swing.

Sling works, as does wring, and perhaps many others.

This is a command, where the subject (the pronoun "you") is implied. Though only one word long, it is still a grammatically correct sentence, meeting your specifications as I understood them.

 

[luvmy3]

Ohhh...that's sneaky I like it.

If its a riddle, its probably what the teacher was looking for.

 

[kirbsam]

i sing the song. is along the same lines...

 

[lisareneeo]

I gave my son the example of "Bring me that comb". He said that was not acceptable. It would have to be bringing.

It is super hard and there is probably 1 exception to the rule that we just can not figure out.

Thanks for trying!

 

[luvmy3]

This is what I found online

IMPORTANT NOTE: To be a predicate, a verb that ends in –ing must ALWAYS have a helping verb with it. An –ing verb WITHOUT a helping verb cannot be a predicate in a sentence.

Does that help?

 

[SandiH]

How about what you just said:

Thanks for trying.

For isn't a linking verb is it? It's a preposition.

 

[Slippy]

At this point, I believe that you probably have a number of acceptable answers, depending on what is being asked for.

I like "Swing!". Only one vowel in there, and not a single one that isn't in the "ing."

I'm sure we'll agree to be your child's private army again once there is a little disambiguation.

 

[Sorsha]

Yesterday, while mowing the lawn, I hurt my toe.

"While mowing the lawn" is a descriptive clause (I think) that describes how you hurt your toe. "Hurt my toe" is the predicate.

 

[SueInBoston]

Here is DD's attempt...

Grinning happily, she picked many flowers from the meadow.

 

[tasha99]

Yesterday, while mowing the lawn, I hurt my toe.

"While mowing the lawn" is a descriptive clause (I think) that describes how you hurt your toe. "Hurt my toe" is the predicate.

It's an adverbial clause of time, but then the sentence is complex and has more than one verb. The OP said the sentence could only have one verb in it, which is going to wipe out clauses, gerunds, and participles etc. I think the answer is "I ring the bell" and other examples of that nature.

 

[disneylovin24]

I agree that it's gonig to be a sentence with ring or swing in it.

 

[SandiH]

I agree that it's gonig to be a sentence with ring or swing in it.

OP said that if it was a word like ring, swing, bring it needed to be ringing, swinging, bringing.

I think it's "Thanks for trying". What a great riddle it would be. Give up??? Thanks for trying.

 

[Sorsha]

It's an adverbial clause of time, but then the sentence is complex and has more than one verb. The OP said the sentence could only have one verb in it, which is going to wipe out clauses, gerunds, and participles etc. I think the answer is "I ring the bell" and other examples of that nature.

Ah, I see. I read that wrong then. I thought the criteria was a sentence with one verb that ended with ing and had no helping verb. Not that there couldn't be more than one verb, but that the one verb in the sentence that was an -ing verb had to have no helper.

In that case I cast my vote for "Thanks for trying."

 

[Gigi22]

Oh, I like that one! Here's my try: "The unanswered telephone, ringing in the livingroom, worried the hostess."

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Maybe the teacher is trying to teach the children about gerunds?

 

[Sorsha]

In that case I cast my vote for "Thanks for trying."

OK, now I am thoroughly grammatically confused.

Yes, I have quoted myself... LOL

But what would be the subject and the predicate in that sentence? Isn't there an implied subject? Wouldn't it be "I thank you for trying"? In that case, I is the subject, and thank(s) is the verb, and "for trying" is what you are being thanked for? in which case, is "trying" even a verb in this usage?

Its been waaaaay too many years since I have had to diagram sentences...