Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: I come home to have a huge deer jump out in front of my car

"It's bad enough I have to avoid getting into accidents in Boston all
day, I come home to have a huge deer jump out in front of my car"
Why "jump out"?
It sounds correct but I can't understand the reason. What's the tense?

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Correction: What's the verb mood?

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I think "mood" is wrong too. "Form" maybe?

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It's not "jump out", it's "to have jump out".
The form is "to have (infinitive).
Does that make more sense, or should we have some nerd drag out his 
grammar book and look up the rule invented to describe this modo di dire?
I could have said, "should we ask some nerd to drag out his grammar book."

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The implication is that the deer jumped out of the bushes or the forest or 
out of some concealing flora and caught the driver by surprise.
-- 
Joe/Joey da New York
English as she is spoken (and sometimes written) in the US

 surprise.
Why "jump" and not "jumping"? 

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Tony already explained that.
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 Tony already explained that.
I've heard people use a variation of that, for example: "I come home to 
find a huge deer jumping out in front of my car." That doesn't sound 
very good to me, and I wouldn't say it, but I've heard such things said.
If anyone knows that grammar rules that describe these usages, don't let 
my "nerd" comment dissuade you from posting, I was half joking. I have a 
healthy regard for grammar rules, I just believe that over time usage 
trumps them, and they have to play catch up.

> If anyone knows that grammar rules that describe 
typo

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Certo non voglio aprire una discussione sulla grammatica prescrittiva e 
quella descrittiva. In ogni caso qualche regola pu� servire a mettere un po' 
di ordine, soprattutto quando, come in questo caso, la frase sembra andare 
contro ci� che uno studente straniero normalmente direbbe... 

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And I agree 100%. Rules is rules [sic] but rules are made to be broken, and 
broken they are, over and over again. Eventually the breaks become the norm, 
and the rule that forbade the break fades into oblivion. Language lives and 
mutates, sometimes improving, sometimes not.
It becomes a matter of personal, subjective preference whether one accepts a 
rule's violation or not, but most often the breaking of the rule is made in 
favor of efficiency.
I don't really see any reason not to use the gerundive form "...a deer 
jumping out..." except that it's not as efficient as "... a deer jump 
out...." The meaning is essentially the same, but as you said, I just 
wouldn't bother to say it because it's not necessary in order to make my 
point.
The abhorrent "I'm like..." is an example. It's everywhere, but it's so much 
more efficient than saying "And so my reaction [to the statement] was..." or 
"And as a result I was forced to reply...." and other similar inferences, 
that I fear everyone will be "liking" the usage in the near future.
Neologisms will always be born, "like" it or not.
Sorry if I'm babbling... I've decided that cocktail hour should start at 4 
today...
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"Out" definitely clarifies the meaning, and is necessary
If a man ran out into the road from behind a car, you would be surprised and
have to take evasive action..
If you say a man ran in front of your car on the road, it could mean he was
running down the road in front of you, and you had to slow down until he got
out of the way so you could pass him.
Joe from Massachusetts
.

 today...
Wasn't it 3 when you posted your message? My computer says it was 4, but 
I don't live in your same time zome, do I? I'm central standard time.
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.

 I don't live in your same time zome, do I? I'm central standard time.
The newsgroup reader clients that I know, identify the time of posts, no 
matter where they originate, as per the time zone specified in your 
configuration.

 I don't live in your same time zome, do I? I'm central standard time.
According to the header on the post I sent it was 5:02 PM Eastern Daylight 
Time. By then I had been "enjoying" cocktail hour for an hour and 2 minutes. 
(It was the 2 minutes that got to me.)
Clocks go back an hour tomorrow morning at 2 AM but I'll be DA*NED if I wait 
another hour to start cocktails tomorrow. :-D
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 book."
The thing is, grammar could be a powerful ally.
"My ally is the Grammar, and a powerful ally it is." cite, sort of.
Sorry, you called for a nerdy joke. :-)