Editing Serial verb construction (section)

== Examples with intervening elements between verbs ==
In some languages that have verb serialization, the verbs must appear consecutively with nothing intervening. In other languages, however, it is possible for arguments, normally the [[object (grammar)|object]] of one of the verbs, to come in between the serialized verbs. The resulting construction is a sequence of [[verb phrase]]s rather than of plain verbs. The following example is from the Nigerian [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]]:<ref name="Tallerman" />

{{interlinear|indent=2| lang = yo
|ó mú ìwé wá
|he took book came
|"He brought the book."}}

The object of the first verb intervenes between the verbs, resulting in two consecutive verb phrases, the first meaning "took the book", the second "came". As before, the subject ("he" in this case) is understood to apply to both verbs. The combined action of taking the book and coming can be translated as "bringing" the book.

A serial verb construction may be used to introduce an [[actant]] ("money" in the following example, from [[Akan language|Akan]] of West Africa){{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}:

{{interlinear|indent=2| lang = ak
|Aémmaá de sikaá maá Kofä
|Amma take money give Kofi
|"Amma gives Kofi money."}}

In [[Japanese language|Japanese]] also, strings of verb phrases can be created, often denoting events that are related causally or in time. Such strings may be translated into English by using "and", "while", "(in order) to" or other connectives, but some may have a more compact translation, as in the following example (from [[Hayao Miyazaki]]'s ''[[Mononoke Hime]]'') in which the actions of "following" and "coming" are simultaneous{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}:

{{fs interlinear|indent = 2|lang = ja
|足跡 を たどって 来た
|ashi-ato o tadotte kita
|footprint OBJ following came
|"I followed him here."}}