Representing thinking, perceiving, liking and desiring
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Using verb patterns to represent thoughts and beliefs | page 2 of 15 |
Participants associated with thinking verbs
Most verbs related to thinking are typically used transitively
, and so there are two participants
, one of whom is human or in some
way able to think; this participant can be referred to as the thinker. The other
participant is what is thought; this participant can be referred to as the thought:
A family ran it, but I have forgotten their name now. (Bank of English)
thinker thought
The thought is a general term, and can be broken down into further categories, eg their name can be considered a thing (as opposed to, say, an opinion or a quote):
A family ran it, but I have forgotten their name now.
thinker thing
The thought can also be an idea, an opinion, a fact, a quote or an action. (Note that these terms are being used as glosses in order to focus on the different types of thought.) Here are some examples of each type:
| 1. | thing | He did not expect a flood of refugees. (Bank of English) |
| 2. | idea/opinion/fact | Imagine there's no heaven; it's easy if you try. (John
Lennon) |
| 3. | quote | I thought, "I know that voice." (Bank of English) |
| Note that verbs related to thinking can also be followed by
an action: |
||
4. |
action |
He remembers causing problems at school. (Bank of English) |
| I'm afraid I forgot to bring my towel. (SCMP 4/6/94) | ||
For further information about thinking verbs which are followed by an action, see 
Using two verbs together to add information about actions: Kinds of
information expressed by double verb structures (p 5).
For further information about transitive and intransitive verbs (with the focus on
actions and events), see 
Using transitive and intransitive
verbs: Overview.
Participants associated with thinking verbs
