kittydesade | (no subject)

Verbal nouns are used in other structures besides the progressive forms introduced in the last chapter. One of the most common structures follows a variety of verbal (and copula predicate) forms such as the following:

Is maith le Seán caint le turasóirí. Seán likes to talk to tourists.
Tá mé in ann snámh. I can swim.

If the verbal noun has a direct object, the word order changes. The object comes before the verbal noun, with the particle a, which causes lenition, between them:

Is maith le Seán amhráin a chanadh. Seán likes singing Irish songs.
Tá mé in ann Gaeilge a labhairt. I can speak Irish.
An bhfuil tú ag iarraidh litir a scríobh? Do you want to write a letter?

Usually the subject of the verbal noun is not expressed but is assumed to be the same as some noun associated with the main predicate (Sean, me, tu in the examples above). Occasionally, a subject may precede the verbal noun:

Ba mhaith liom iad a bheith anseo.

I feel like I've been living in half a stupor for the past week. Not even sure why. No, I'm kind of sure why, and I need to check myself better.

That said, it's not like things aren't getting done, albeit slowly. I'm a few days behind as opposed to weeks, which is good. And the chimney people are now coming in a week as they're running behind, which makes me feel marginally better about not being able to get my shit together (well, half my shit together, I am consistently reminded that I have more shit to hold together than most people usually inflict on themselves) and makes me relieved that I have another weekend to clean the fucking house before I have people over. Even if they're tradespeople who are probably used to many many different kinds of dirty houses.

An important thing to remember: tradespeople like chimney sweeps and maintenance folk and house cleaners go to many people's houses. My house is probably not at all the worst or dirtiest they have ever seen. Calm the hell down, self.

I really also need to get started gardening. This week there might be putting seeds into pots for vegetables, since I have some herbs coming up. And maybe putting some seeds into pots for a second round of herbs. Rather than stick them all on the kitchen windowsill, too, I think I'll haul down the card table since I'm not using it upstairs and set that up, and then I can have one large table full of peat pots in the sun porch growing things. Extra bonus points for hopefully it won't get so cold at night anymore as to potentially kill off all the plants. Because that way lies immense frustration.

For future note, though, I'm on the top of page 76 when I next pick up Twilight Watch, and I can just go through to the end.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

76! You're almost a hundred pages in!

I would be very disappointed if any chimney sweeps did not do synchronised dances.

Also unless you're a compulsive hoarder or have decomposing bodies in your home, you're probably not raising any eyebrows.

...if you have decomposing bodies in your home, however, you might want to get on that.