The 把 Construction

Exercises

Please note: it is important that one should learn and practise resultative and directional complements before starting on the 把 construction.

Other terminology: 把 (verb predicate) sentences/ the use of the preposition (or co-verb) 把/ the use of the pre-transitive 把 / 把字句

1. When can I use 把 sentences?

• 把 can be used when you want to deal with or to dispose of a particular object.

A verb in the 把 construction changes the form, situation or direction of the object. Verbs in 把 constructions are in complex forms. They are usually verbs of method of action plus other elements.

• 把 can be used when you want to specify that the result of an action affects a particular object, but not the action itself. This is because some resultative complements have ambiguous references and can refer either to the main verb of the sentence or to the object. For instance:

The resultative complement 完 (to complete) can refer either to the object 酒 or

to the verb 喝, so the meaning of that sentence can be either "He has drunk up all the wine," (and there is no wine left) or "He has finished drinking (the wine)," (but there is still plenty of wine left). If you use the 把 construction, the meaning is clearer:

 He has drunk up all the wine.

The above example shows that the element 完 (attached to the main verb 喝) refers to the direct object of the sentence, but not to the main verb.

• When a sentence has both a direct and an indirect object connected by a verb plus a complement, the 把 construction is used. Let’s compare the following patterns:

As you can see， the resultative complements 成 (to become) INTO; 到 (to arrive)

TO [a place]; 给 (to give) TO [a person], 在 (to be) AT, IN, ON, UNDER and the

combined directional complements 回去 /来 (back) BACK TO can all be used in the above 把 sentences. 

2. How can I form a sentence with 把?

As you can see from the above examples, the objects which you want to dispose of are placed after 把, and are followed by the clauses which indicate how you want to dispose of them.

3. What are the commonly used attached verb elements in the 把 construction?

The elements which can be attached to the main verbs in 把sentences are: （Place the mouse on the following words to view the examples and click on the words to read the explanations.)

1. Resultative complements (apart from 见)
2. Directional complements
3. 得 (complement of degree) constructions
4. 一下 (or 一 verb)
5. Time/action measures
6. The particle 着

4. Apart from a subject of a sentence, what other elements can be placed before 把?

The following should be placed before 把:

1. Modal verbs or auxiliary verbs such as 想, 要, 能, 会, 可以 and 应该
2. Adverbs such as 常常, 总是, 都, 也and 已经
3. Negatives. The negative form for 把 sentences is 没有 or 别. 不 can only be used in  hypothetical conditional sentences. For example

If you don't learn today's Chinese characters, I won't give you a meal.

5. Where should the negation 不 be placed if the 得 (complement of degree) construction is used a 把 sentence?

The negative 不 is normally placed before adverbs in 得 (complement of degree) sentences. For example:

He didn't tidy the room well yesterday.

If 把 is involved in 得 (complement of degree) sentences, 没 should be placed before 把, instead of putting the negative 不 before the adverb 好:

This sentence places more emphasis than previous one on the object 房间.

The following words can be placed either before 把 or before main verbs.

1. Adverbs which are used to describe actions such as 认真地...
2. Co-verbs (or prepositions) such as 为, 从, 跟...一起...

There are two patterns for the 把 construction, as demonstrated in the following sections.

Pattern one with only one object

He didn't finish eating the meal (that you had cooked).

She has carefully moved the TV set out (of the room).

She should tidy the room (so that it is) clean.

He has wiped the table for me.

She has read that book three times.       

He has left the door open again.

Pattern two with a direct and an indirect object

She has taken the clothes into the house.

Xiao Wang pushed Xiao Li out of the room.

He has posted the letter to England.

Don't put the notebook under the chair.

6. Sometimes a 把 sentence contains only a simple main verb and the particle 了. Does that mean that any simple verb + 了 can be used in 把 sentences?

No, it doesn't always work in this way. 了has two functions here:

• Its meaning is similar to the resultative complements 完 (to complete) 好 (to be satisfactory) 走 (to be away) and 掉 (to get rid of)
• It still plays the role of the particle for completed action. You will often see this usage in colloquial language,

He has finished up the wine.

The full form of the above sentence will be   

他把酒喝完了 or 他把酒喝掉了。

7. Is it right that the 把 construction can only be used for real objects, and not for abstract objects?

No, it can be used for both real as well as abstract objects,

Physical object:           

She has finished reading that book.

Abstract object:           

Could you deal with that matter?

8. What shouldn't be used in 把 sentences?

• 把 can't be used when you use sensory complements such as 见 or 到: 看见/看到 (to see), 听见/听到 (to hear) and 碰见/碰到 (to bump into). One can't say:

                                                            Ｘ 昨天我把小王看见了 Ｘ

Instead one should say:

I saw XiaoWang yesterday.

• 把 can't be used when you use the complement 到 to imply reaching a level or time (the direct object of the sentence). One can't say:

                                                             Ｘ 我们把第三课学到了 Ｘ

Instead one should say:

We have reached lesson 3.

Please note: 把 can be used if the complement 到 implies "to get hold of..." as in 找到 (to find), 借到 (lit. to get hold of something by borrowing), and 买到 (lit. to get hold of sth. by buying),

I've bought that book.

The complement 到 can also be used in a 把 construction if the sentence has a direct and indirect object and the indirect object is a place. 来 or 去 should be preceded by the place,

I shall deliver the letter to Xiao Wang's place.

• In sentences where the main verb indicates knowing and hoping e.g., 知道,愿意, and 希望), the 把 construction can't be used. One can't say:

                   Ｘ小王把那件事知道了一年 Ｘ 

Instead one should say:

Xiao Wang has known about that matter for a year.

• When you have a potential verb complement such as 吃不完 in a sentence, the 把 construction can't be used. One can't say:

                                                Ｘ 她把饭吃不完 Ｘ

Instead one should say:

She can't finish the rice.

• The verbs which appear on the lists of resultative and directional complements (see tables of Resultative and Directional Complements) can’t be used as the MAIN verbs of sentences in the 把 construction.  They refer to either the result or the direction of actions, but not the method of actions. One can't say:

                                                Ｘ你把这个课文懂了没有?Ｘ

Instead one should say:

Do you understand this lesson?

One can't say:

                                                            Ｘ她把书回去了Ｘ

Instead one should say:

She has taken back that book.

• A verb which has no other element attached to it can't be used in the 把 construction. (See Pattern One for the list of elements.) One can't say:

                                                            Ｘ 你能把作业作吗? Ｘ

Instead one should say:

Could you do the homework for a little while?

• The particle 过 (for experience in the past) is not used in 把 sentences. One wouldn't normally say:

                                                            Ｘ 我把那本书看过一遍 Ｘ

Instead one would say:

I've read through that book once.

9. When can I avoid using 把?

• When a sentence has only one object you can avoid the 把 construction by placing the object in front of the subject, but it may sound very stilted. Let’s look at the following examples.

Please tidy up the room.

Exercises

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Which of the following sentences can be turned into 把 sentences?

1. 你听见他说的话没有?
2. 他作完今天的练习了。
3. 我看懂了那句很难的句子。
4. 昨天他整理房间整理得真漂亮。
5. 我一个人吃不了那么多东西。
6. 你给他生日礼物了没有?
7. 小王买到了那本书没有?
8. 我们学到第几课啊?

Translate the following sentences into Chinese.

1. He told Xiao Wang about that (matter).
2. Could you bring that letter over here? Let me have a look.
3. Where did you put my trousers? I can't find them anywhere.
4. My students often write 买 instead of 卖. They are really careless.
5. She carefully divided the dish into two halves and left one half for the next day.
6. Mr. Wang didn't explain the 把 sentences clearly.
7. My friend has taken away the TV set which was in my room.
8. Your Chinese doctor friend has sent the letter that you wrote the day before yesterday to China.
9. You didn't write these sentences correctly.

Write Chinese sentences with the following information.

1. Mr. Wang, the table, out of the window, throw (扔 rēng).
2. He, room, pink, to paint (漆 qī).
3. His girlfriend, light, to switch on.
4. He, telephone, his boyfriend’s place, to phone.
5. Xiao Ding, trousers, his house, to forget.
6. You, book, page 11, to turn.