Gerund Functions

8/12/2019 Gerund Functions

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!ow( many centuries ago( :nglish had lots of grammatical endings( and these endings usuallymarked parts of speech uite clearly. $ut then these endings gradually disappeared. s a result( itis now impossible to tell whether an :nglish word is a noun or a verb 3ust by looking at it.


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/e can easily reconstruct the original present-tense forms of 9*edun+. 5ere they are#

1 Sg *

2 Sg M *

2 Sg F *, or possibly *

3 Sg *

1 l *

2 l * !today a singular" 3 l * !#ost $arieties", but * !%izkaian"

5ere 9*da-+ is the old present-tense marker( 9*-du-+ is the root of the verb 9*edun+( and thesuffies mark agreement for person and number. )ome 6not all7 of these suffies are related tothe corresponding pronouns( of course. The third-singular agreement suffi was ,ero( as is usualin $asue. In the third plural( we find 9*-te+ in most dialects but 9*-e+ in $i,kaianF there isreason to suppose that the $i,kaian form is older( but we lack the evidence to draw firmconclusions.

These forms developed as follows in all dialects#

1 Sg *

2 Sg M *

2 Sg F *

3 Sg

1 l *

2 l *

3 l *, but % *

These forms are the ancestors of all the modern ones.

In $i,kaian( *dau+ has remained unchanged( and 9*daue+ has simply been strengthened to

*dabe+. In all the other forms( the diphthong LauL was leveled to LoL in $i,kaian( producing themodern forms *dot+( *dok+( *don+( *dogu+( *do,u+.

In all the remaining dialects( the diphthong LauL apparently changed to LeuL( producing thefollowing forms#

1 Sg *

2 Sg M *

2 Sg F *

3 Sg *

1 l *

2 l *

3 l *

The net dialect to separate was %ipu,koan( in which this LeuL developed as follows# it wasreduced to LuL in the two third-person forms( but to LeL in all other forms. This gave the modern%ipu,koan forms# *det+( *dek+( *den+( *du+( *degu+( *de,u+( *dute+.

In all the remaining dialects( the diphthong LeuL changed uniformly to LuL. The result was theforms we find in most other dialects today# *dut+( *duk+( *dun+( *du+( *dugu+( *du,u+(*dute+.

uberoan( of course( has undergone one further change# the regular uberoan change of LuL to LML

6that's u-umlaut7( yielding uberoan *dMt+( *dMk+( and so on.


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The original forms still show up to some etent when a suffi is added. 4or eample( when weadd the relative suffi *-n+( the form *dut+ becomes *dudan+( *duk+ becomes *duan+ 6fromearlier 9*dugan+( and *dun+ becomes *dunan+.

further point. The verb 9*edun+ has given rise to several derivatives.

The old suffi *-ki+ 68ld $i,kaian *-gi+7( as I mentioned earlier( added a dative ob3ect to averb. This is the source of *eduki+( which used to take a dative ob3ect but no longer does. Theearlier sense of this verb was 'hold( hold on to( grasp'( and this is still the sense the verb has in thenorth today. In the south( however( the sense of this verb has been generali,ed to 'have'( and*eduki+ has displaced 9*edun+ as the ordinary verb for 'have'.

It is in fact a very common development in languages generally for a verb meaning somethinglike 'hold( grasp( sei,e' to develop into 'have'. good eample is :nglish 'have'( which hasdeveloped from a I: verb that anciently meant 'sei,e' -- also the source of &atin *capere+'sei,e'. nother eample is A

larrytNcogs.sus.ac.uk

Gerund Phrase Review

Instructions#

Read the sentences below.

Select an appropriate word from the verb list.

Convert it to a gerund.


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Place it in the space provided.

No gerund is used twice.

Click Review Answer to see how you went.

)er *ist" analyse' enrol' indicate' ma+e' read' re$lace' sac+' stay' study' wal+' wor+

1. any people en3oyed along the new footpaths.

". The students discussed together to complete the assignment.

C. The 3udge delayed a decision because new evidence had been presented

that an ad3ournment was in the best interests of 3ustice.

H. The new manager advocated twenty per cent of the staff as a matter of principle.

O. $ecause %eraldine en3oyed history she decided in a h; was a goodthing to do.

D. !ot all students en3oy literature( some 3ust prefer for pleasure.

B. )he hated up so late.

E. The mechanic discussed the filters when the car would be due for its net service.

GerundGlossary

From Gerald Erichsen,Your Guide toSpanish Language.FREE GIFTwith Newsletter!Act Now!

Definition: Traditionally, gerund is the term used to reer to a certain Latin "er# orm that could unction as a noun.

Nowadays, the term generally is used to reer to the present participle in English and the "er#al present participle oSpanish. These are the "er# orms that end in $%ing in English and -andoor -endoin Spanish. &n #oth languages, thegerund is used to orm the progressi"e or continuous tenses. Note that while the English gerund can #e andre'uently is used a noun, the Spanish gerund does not unction as a noun.(

Some grammarians also use the term gerund more loosely to reer to any "er# orm when it is unctioning as anoun. Generally, you should not assume this deinition is meant unless the conte)t ma*es clear this is what is

intended.

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Cha$ter II( Synta,

PARTICIP*% AN-

G%R.N-
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ITis advisable to make a few remarks on the participle and gerund together before taking themseparately. s the wordgerundis variously used( we first define it. gerund is the verbal nounidentical in form with any participle( simple or compound( that contains the termination $ingThus the verb writehas the active participles writing, ha"ing written, !eing a!out to write, a!outto write,and the passive participles written, ha"ing !een written, !eing written, a!out to !ewritten, !eing a!out to !e writtenny of these ecept written, a!out to write, a!out to !e

written,may be a gerund alsoF but while the participle is an ad3ective( the gerund is a noun(differing from other nouns in retaining its power 6if the active gerund of a transitive verb7 ofdirectly governing another noun.

$oth these are of great importance for our purpose. The participle itself( even when confusionwith the other cannot occur( is much abusedF and the slovenly uses of it that were good enough in$urke's time are now recogni,ed solecisms. gain( the identity between the two forms leads toloose and unaccountable gerund constructions that will probably be swept away( as so manyother laities have been( with the advance of grammatical consciousness. /e shall have to dealwith both these points at some length.

It is indeed no wonder that the forms in $ingshould reuire close attention. :actly how manyold :nglish terminations $ingis heir to is a uestion debated by historical grammarians( whichwe are not competent to answer. $ut we may point out that writingmay now be 617 participlePIwas writingF I saw him writingF writing piously( he acts profanelyP( 6"7 gerund or full verbalnounPI ob3ect to your writing thatP( 6C7 hybrid between gerund and participlePI do not mindyou writing itP( 6H7 detached verbal nounP/riting is an acuired artP( 6O7 concrete nounPThis writing is illegible. oreover( the verbal noun writinghas the synonym to write,obligatoryinstead of it in some conneions( better in some( worse in some( and impossible in othersFcompare( for instance# I do not like the trouble of writingF I shall not take the trouble to writeF thetrouble of writing is too much for himF it is a trouble to writeF writing is a trouble. Thegrammatical difficulties( that is( are complicated by considerations of idiom.

In these preliminary remarks( however( it is only with the distinction or want of distinctionbetween participle and gerund that we are concerned. The participle is an ad3ective( and shouldbe in agreement with a noun or pronounF the gerund is a noun( of which it should be possible tosay clearly whether( and why( it is in the sub3ective( ob3ective( or possessive case( as we can ofother nouns. That the distinction is often obscured( partly in conseuence of the history of thelanguage( will be clear from one or two facts and eamples.

1. The #an is !uildingcontains what we should all now call( whether it is so or nothistorically( a participle or verbal ad3ective# the house is !uilding6older but still living

and correct :nglish for the house is !eing !uilt.contains( as its remarkable difference ofmeaning prepares us to believe( a gerund or verbal noun( once governed by a now lostpreposition.

". In6e stopped, laughingwe have a participleF in6e stopped laughing,a verbal noungoverned directly by the verbF in6e !urst out laughing,a verbal noun governed by avanished preposition.

C. resent usage does not bear out the definite modern ideas of the distinction betweenparticiple and gerund as respectively ad3ective and noun. )o long as that usage continues(there are various degrees of ambiguity( illustrated by the three following eamples. Itwould be impossible to say( whatever the contet( whether the writer of the first intended

a gerund or a participle. In the second( a previous sentence would probably have decidedthe uestion. In the third( though grammar 6again as modified by present usage7 leavesthe uestion open( the meaning of the sentence is practically decisive by itself.


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oughlyspeaking,all #enare liars.

Lookingat it in a shortened perspective of time( thoseyearsof transition have the ualityof a single consecutive occurrence.P5. %. /ells.

TheBill... will bring about( assu#ingthat it meets with good fortune in the remainingstages of its passage through arliament( a very useful reform.PTi#es

egarded as participles( these are incorrect. It is notyouthat consider( but IF not hethatsees( but weF not #enthat roughly speak( but the moralistF notyearsthat look( but

philosophic historiansF not the Billthat assumes( but the newspaper prophet. Thedevelopment into prepositions( c.( is a natural one( howeverF the only uestion aboutany particular word of the kind is whether the vo populi has yet declared for itF when ithas( there is no more to be saidF but when it has not( the process should be resisted as

long as possible( writers acting as a suspensive 5ouse of &ordsF an instance will be foundin H.

Three uotations from $urke will show that he( like others of his time( felt himself moreat liberty than most good writers would now feel themselves.

;oundingthe appeal on this basis( it was


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ou!lingthe point( and runningalong the southern shore of the little peninsula( the scenechanges.P4. .


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midway on the plain.Prescott.

lvarado( roused by the noise of the attack on this uarter( hastened to the support of hisofficer( when'l#agro,sei,ing the occasion( pushed across the bridge( dispersed thesmall body left to defend it( and(fallingon lvarado's rear( that generalsaw himselfhemmed in on all sides.Prescott.

Murtagh,without a word of reply( went to the door( and shoutinginto the passagesomething in Irish( the roo#was instantly filled with bogtrotters.P$orrow.

$ut( as before('nneonce more made me smart( and ha"ing equippedherself in a gownand bonnet of minePnot of the newestPoff weset.P


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The rince was( by the special command of his a3esty the :mperor( made the guardianof 5.I.5. the


15/41

?. The asolute constructionis not much to be recommended( having generally an alienair in :nglishF but it is sometimes useful. It must be observed( first( that the case usedshould now invariably be the sub3ective( though it was otherwise in old :nglish.)econdly( it is very seldom advisable to make an absolute construction and insert a

pronoun for the purpose when the participle might simply be attached in ordinaryagreement to a noun already to hand. Thirdly( it is very bad to use the construction( but

omit to give the participle a noun or pronoun to itself. These three transgressions will beillustrated( in the same order( by the net three eamples. $ut many of the wrongsentences in O. above may be regarded as absolute constructions with the sub3ect omitted.

I( with whom that Impulse was the most intractable( the most capricious( the mostmaddening of masters 6hi#before me always ecepted7...P


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parallel is close 6though the use is practically confined to the passive in &atin7( andfamiliar to all who know any &atin at all. $ut it shows not so much what the :nglishconstruction is as how educated people have been able to reconcile themselves to anambiguous and not very reasonable idiomPnot very reasonable( that is( after languagehas thrown off its early limitations( and got over the first difficulty of accomplishingabstract epression of any kind. The sort of fusion assumed is further illustrated for the

&atinist( though not so closely( by the &atin accusative and infinitive. This theory thentakes "iolatingfor a participle fused into one notion withfriendThere are twodifficulties.

I. The construction in :nglish is( though in the nature of things not as common( yetas easy in the passive as in the active. !ow the passive of "iolatingis either"iolatedor !eing "iolatedIt is uite natural to say( rivacy violated once is nolonger inviolable. /hy then should it be most unnatural to say( The worst of

privacy violated once is that it is no longer inviolableQ !o one( not purposely

seeking the unusual for some reason or other( would omit !eingbefore "iolatedinthe second. Ket as participles "iolatedand !eing "iolatedare eually goodPnotindeed always( but in this contet( as the simpler rivacy sentence shows. Theonly difference between the two participles 6ecept that in brevity( which tellsagainst !eing "iolated.is that the longer form can also be the gerund( and theshorter cannot. The almost invariable choice of it is due to the instinctive feelingthat what we are using is or ought to be the gerund. more convincing instancethan this mere adaptation of our original eample may be added#

any years ago I became impressed with the necessity for our infantry !eingtaught and practisedin the skilful use of their rifle.P&ord oberts.

The necessity for our infantry taught and practisedis absolutely impossible. $utwhy( if !eing taughtis participle( and not gerundQ

II. ssuming that the fused-participle theory is satisfactory and recogni,ed( whencecomes the general( though not universal impression among those who( without

being well versed in grammar( are habitually careful how they speak and write(that constructions like the following are ignorant vulgarismsQPIt is no use he

6his7 doing itF it is no use him 6his7 doing itF that need not prevent us 6our7believingF ecuse me 6my7 interrupting youF a thing 6thing's7 eisting does notprove that it ought to eistF I was annoyed by Tom 6Tom's7 hesitatingF the Tsar6Tsar's7 leaving ussia is significantF it failed through the Aing 6Aing's7 refusinghis signatureF without us 6our7 hearing the man( the facts cannot be got atF withoutthe man 6man's7 telling us himself( we can never know. /ith a single eceptionfor one 6not both7 of the first two( none of these ought to cause a moment'suneasiness to any one who was consciously or unconsciously in the fused-

participle frame of mindF and if they do cause uneasiness it shows that that frameof mind is not effectively present.

The 4used-articiple Theory( having no sufficient answer to these ob3ections( butseeing that the gerund's case is also weak( naturally tries a counter-attack#PIf onthe other hand the gerund theory is satisfactory and recogni,ed( how is it


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conceivable that people should leave out the possessive :sin the reckless way theydoQ To which( however( the %erund makes reply#PI regret that they do leave itout( but at least we can see how they come toF it is the combined result of amistake and an inconvenience. The mistake is caused by certain types of sentencein which a real( not a fused participle is so used that the noun and its 6unfused7

participle give a sense hardly distinguishable from a possessive noun and a

gerund. :amples are#

This plan has now been abandoned owing to circu#stances requiringtheconvocation of representatives of the people at the earliest possible moment.PTi#es

...by imposing as great difficulty as possible onparents and pu!licans usingchildmessengers.PTi#es

8f course no obstacles should be put in the way of charita!le people pro"idingfree or other meals if they think fit.PTi#es

The notion of the )@ar !eing addressedin such terms by the nobility of his capitalwould have been regarded as an absolute impossibility.Ppectator

There is of course a difference. 4or instance( in the eample about the


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abstract epression( and as such to be deprecated. mong the resources ofcivili,ation is the power of choosing between different ways of saying the samethingF and literary skill is very much a matter of eercising that powerF a writershould recogni,e that if he cannot get round an ugly fused participle there is stillmuch for him to learn. 6H7 8pportunities for ambiguity are so abundant in :nglish(owing to the number of words whose parsing depends on contet( that all aids to

precision are valuableF and it is not too much to epect a writer to know and let usknow whether he means a participle or a gerund.

a. That the possessive of all pronouns that have the form should be usedinstead of the ob3ective or sub3ective is hardly disputed.


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8rders were sometimes issued to prohibit 1soldiersbuying and eatingcucumbers.PTi#es

enewed efforts at a settlement in 1E?1 failed through the wedish 3o"ern#entleading off with a flippant and offensive suggestion.P!ansen.

5urried reading results in the learnerforgetting half of what he reads( or in hisforming vague conceptions.P)weet.

c. ll the last set involved what were either actual or virtual names ofpersonsF there is more difficulty with abstract nouns( compound sub3ects( andwords of which the possessive is ugly. Those that may perhaps bear the

possessive mark will be put first( and alterations suggested for the others.

/e look forward to #uch attentionbeing given.PTi#es

5e affirmed that such increases were the rule in that city on the changebeingmade.PTi#es

I live in hopes of this discussionresulting in some modification in our form ofbelief.Paily Telegraph6that this discussion may result7

The real ob3ection to the possessive here is merely the addition to the crowd ofsibilants.

In the event of the passagebeing found( he will esteem it a favour... 6if thepassage is found7


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construction to which it ought to be applicableF the third and fourth( two to whichit can be appliedF and the last( one to which it cannot.

protestation( read at :dinburgh( was followed( on'rchi!ald >ohnston of1arriston:ssuggestion( by...PU. . %reen.

The retirement of Uudge )tonor was made the sub3ect of special referenceyesterday on the occasion of ir 1 L elfe, his successor,taking his seat inarylebone


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That( which is one of the worst literary sins( is the freuent result of long fusedparticiples. It is uite practically possible here for readers to have supposed thatthey were going to be told why the fleets met( and not why the meeting ended asit did. In the remaining sentences( we shall say when there is false scent( but leavethe reader to eamine it.

The success of the negotiations depends on the &ussian Minister at Tokiobeingallowed to convince Uapan that...PTi#es

The compound possessivePTokio'sPis tempting( but perhaps overbold. Insertwhetherafter depends on,and write isfor !eing

)o far from thisbeing the case( the policy ... was actually decided upon before ...the uestion ... was raised.PTi#es

8mit !eing the case

/e are not without tokens of an openness for this higher truth also, of a keenthough unculti"ated sense for it,having eisted in $urns.P


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". When must the su1ect of the !erund 2or infiniti#e3 e e,$ressed' and whenomitted?

This is not a controversial matter like the lastF the principles are uite simple( and will beacceptedF but it is necessary to state and illustrate them because they are often forgotten.s the same mistakes are sometimes made with the infinitive( that is to be considered as

included.

oughly( the sub3ect of the gerund 6or infinitive7 should be epressed if it is differentfrom( and omitted if it is the same as( the sub3ect of the sentence. To omit it whendifferent is positively wrong( and may produce actual ambiguity or worse( thoughsometimes there is only a slipshod effectF to insert it when the same is generally clumsy.

!o one would say 'I succeeded to his property upon dying'( because(%being the sub3ectof the sentence( #yis naturally suggested instead of the necessary hisas sub3ect of thegerundF the hismust be inserted before dying,even though the nature of the case obviatesambiguity. To take an instance that will show both sides( the following is correct#

I shut the door and stood with my back to it. Then( instead of his philanderingwith $ess(I(


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The good( the illuminated( sit apart from the rest( censuring their dullness and vices( as ifthey thought that( !y sittingvery grand in their chairs( the very brokers( attorneys( andcongressmen would see the error of their ways( and flock to them.P:merson.

5ere !y sittingbreaks the rule( though the sub3ect ofsittingis the same as that of themain verbsit,because the sub3ect of the clause in whichsittingcomes is not the good,but!rokers, cThe right way to mend this is not to insert theirbeforesitting=which afterall is clumsy( though correctPbut to make the goodthe sub3ect of the clause also( bywriting as if they thought that !y sitting they would #ake the !rokers see the error

nd sometimessu!


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/rite% "alue her friendship too highly not to

8ne cannot do good to a man whose mouth has been gagged in order not to hearwhat hedesires for his welfare.PTi#es

%rammar suggests that his mouthPor( if indulgent( that hePis not to hearF but theperson meant is one/rite one has gaggedfor has !een gagged

%ermany has( alasV victories enough not to addone of the kind which would have beenimplied in the retirement of . ;elcassX.PTi#es

It is 4rance( not %ermany( that should not add. /rite without ;rance:s adding

%n order to o!tainpeace( ordinary battles followed by ordinary victories and ordinaryresults will only lead to a useless prolongation of the struggle.PTi#es

This is a triumph of inconseuence. /rite%f peace is the o!


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a. /hen the infinitive or gerund is attached to a noun( defining or answeringthe uestion what6hope( c.7 about it( it is almost always better to use the gerundwith of/not uite always( howeverF for instance( an intention to return,usually(and a tendency to thinkalways.

The vain hope to !e understoodby everybody possessed of a ballot makes us in

the >nited )tates perhaps guiltier than public men in %reat $ritain in the use ofthat monstrous muddled dichotomy 'capital and labour'.PTi#es

/hat hopeQPThat of being understood. /rite it so( and treat all the followingsimilarly#

The habitual necessity to a#assRof amassingS matter for the weekly sermon( sethim noting...Peredith.

/e wish to be among the first to felicitate r. /hitelaw eid upon hisopportunity to exerciseRof eercisingS again the distinguished talents which...PTi#es

en lie twenty times in as many hours in the hope to propitiateRof propitiatingSyou.P


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Their 3ourneymen are far too declamatory( and too much addicted to su!stituteRsubstitutingS vague and puerile dissertations for solid instruction.Porley.

In the common phrase addicted to drink,drink is a noun( not a verb.

5is blackguard countrymen( always a"erse,as their descendants are( to gi"eRgivingS credit to anybody( for any valuable uality.P$orrow.

Is he to !e !la#ed,if he thinks a person would make a wife worth having( toendea"ourRfor endeavouringS to obtain herQPichardson.

d. If a deferred sub3ect( anticipated by it,is to be verbal( it must of course beeither the infinitive or a gerund without preposition.

4ortune( who has generally been ready to gratify my inclinations( provided itcosther very little !y so doing...P$orrow.

NoteThe reason why many who as a rule use the possessive are willing to do without it afterverbs likepre"entis perhaps this# in% pre"ented hi# goingthey consciously orunconsciously regard both hi#andgoingas nouns( one the indirect( one the direct ob3ect(as in% refused hi# lea"eRbackS

A -od!y /istory and Glossary

of the American *an!ua!eIt is difficult for many mericans to appreciate that they might now be speaking %erman had the%reat eferendum gone the other way. In post-revolutionary times :nglish and %erman were

both widely spoken and a single official language was thought to be needed. :nglish won theeferendum( but only 3ust. These days mericans generally consider their language to be racyand to-the-point. $ut the fact is that it tends towards pomposity. !ot for nothing has it been saidthat the merican language never uses a single word where two will sufficeV :ver since they

were liberated from under the heel of the :nglish empire( the mericans have been distancingthemselves from :nglish and have - in no small measure thanks to a certain r /ebster who hada penchant for writing anti-:nglish dictionaries - grown this language of their own.

American %n!lish

At this moment in time Now

Immediately Immediately' ri!ht now' at once

Pri#acy 2pron. prye-vasee) Pri#acy 2pron. prih-vasee)

Automoile Car

Guys' fellers Peo$le

4or (e.g. color) 4our

One time Once
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Two times Twice

4in5 2at the end of a gerund) 4in!

Anti4 2pron. ant-eye) Anti4 2pron. ant-ee)

6atri, 2pron. may-trix) 6atri, 2pron. mah-trix)

/oo+er Pro' $rostitutePatriotic 2pron. pay-triotic) Patriotic 2pron. pah-triotic)

Wal+ 2pron. waak) Wal+ 2pron. wawk)

Route 2pron. row-t) Route 2pron. root)

Closet Cu$oard

To out (i.e. to expose or reveal) To oust

Oh' my !aawwwwd7 2usually used by affected

women)

Gosh7

Sidewal+ Pa#ement

%le#ator *ift

6o#ies Pictures' films' flic+s

%scalator 6o#in! staircase

A$artment Flat

%t is intended to include additional exa#ples o"er course of ti#e

Gerund GymnasticsAs discussed in pre"ious #logs on participles, a gerund is a "er# orm that ends in ing. 0hat dierentiates

a gerund rom a present participle is that the "er# orm acts as a noun when it1s a gerund. So you mightsay2

#e sin!s$They sate$The %ui& 'rown fo( 'ared at intruders$

There were no gerunds there, 3ust simple "er#s. You can use this unny "er#4noun thing that1s a gerund tochange the ocus o the sentence, li*e this2

#e is sin!in!$They !o satin!$The %ui& 'rown fo( was 'arin!$

5id you *now that a group o o)es is called a s*ul*6 Add that to your list o group names, those o youwho were playing along last autumn with the thesaurus game. 7ut & digress.(

The dierence #etween this #atch and the irst #atch o sentences is passi"e "oice. &n the irst #atch, the"er# acts on the noun2 he sings, they s*ate, the o) #ar*ed. &n the second #atch, the "er# still acts on thenoun #ut the "er# has changed 5he is, they go, the o) was(, and now there1s a noun in the predicate2singing, s*ating, #ar*ing, Some ol*s consider this "er# orm to #e a 8complement9 to the "er# 8to #e.9That 3ust means that the gerund pro"ides that action instead o the "er#.

Gerunds can act li*e nouns in se"eral ways. They can #e the su#3ect o the sentence and the su#3ect othe "er#.

Sin!in! is fun$Satin! &an "ae you lau!h$

)arin! is how the fo( warns off predators$

Gerunds can also #e the o#3ect o a preposition. &n act, a "er# ollowing a preposition must #e a gerund.
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#is Tuesday evenin!s were spent 'y sin!in! with friends$They were 'uoyed 'y their love of satin!$The fo( warns off predators 'y 'arin!$

You1ll ind this usage popular ater e)pressions li*e 8there1s no point in,9 8in spite o,9 8loo* orward to,9and so orth.

You can modiy a gerund, 3ust li*e you can modiy any other noun, with an ad"er# or an ad3ecti"e.#e en*oyed sin!in! loudly$#is loud sin!in! woe the nei!h'or$They were satin! enthusiasti&ally$Their enthusiasti& satin! involved lots of fallin! down$The fo( was an!rily 'arin! at intruders$The fo(+s an!ry 'arin! fri!htened intruders$

You1ll also ind gerunds as part o compound nouns, li*e these2#is sin!in! voi&e was interestin!$The satin! people ra&ed to the &enter of the rin$The 'arin! fo( warned off predators$

&n those cases, you could lea"e the gerund out and still ha"e a "ia#le sentence. The gerund in theseinstances unctions as an ad3ecti"al modiier to the noun.

:ere1s a re"iew2

A gerund is an 8ing9 orm o a "er# that is the predicate o

the sentence and acts as a noun. A gerund can #e a noun that orms the su#3ect o the

sentence.

A gerund must #e used ollowing a preposition 5as

opposed to another "er# orm(. A gerund may #e modiied #y an ad3ecti"e or an ad"er#,

and it may #e used as part o a compound noun.

You can ind these #logs, a little inormation a#out my editorial ser"ices and me, and a collection o pagesa#out my 8real9 lie on my 0e# site, www.;elanieSpiller.com .posted on Saturday !anuary "" "##$ %&'% A(

4ive types of phrases

/hen formulating sentences( students should use the five different phrases. $y using thesephrases( students can make their papers appear interesting( informative( and professional.

$re$ositional $hraseconsists of a preposition and its ob3ect( and any other modifying

words. It can shows relationships and generally acts as an ad3ective or adverb. :amples#o 's reporters of infor#ation to the general pu!lic( 3ournalists must accurately

represent the people and events of which they write.o uring the awards cere#ony( licia Aeys performed her latest hit single.

o ;or a paycheck e"ery #onth( she works five days a week.

n infiniti#e $hrasemay act as a noun( ad3ective( or adverb. It consists of the infinitive

6=to= plus the regular form of the verb7 and any other necessary modifiers. :amples#o To win a gold #edal( athletes must practice often.

o To perfor# at the cere#ony(singers auditioned in the fall.

o To attend classes at the school(participants must pay Y1(000.

n a$$ositi#e $hraserenames the noun or pronoun that precedes it. :amples#

o 5er article discussed )pears' new album(Britney( and her first feature film.o Tom


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$artici$al $hraseis a group of words that act as an ad3ective to describe a noun.

>nlike !erunds( these phrases are set off by commas. They generally end with -ing( -t(-d( -ed( or -n. :amples#

o *u!lished in &olling tone(Uenny :liscu's article coincided with the release of

$ritney )pears' single( =I'm )lave H >.=o ;or#ed in the late -50s(>" has become the most commercially successful Irish

band in the history of popular music.o 6a"ing played soccer in college(rofessor Uones teaches history and coaches our

soccer team. !erund$hraseends in -ing and acts as a noun. 4ollowed by a verb( the use of a

gerund does not reuire a comma. :amples#o )oaching hockeytakes up most of Uohn )mith's time.

o 1inning a gold #edalis the biggest achievement for many athletes.

o *erfor#ing in co#petitionsmade her a champion dancer

writing.


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noun child and the gerund losing. nd only 1B percent find this sentence acceptable in informalcontets( so that DD percent re3ect it roundly. H

$e aware that sometimes nouns ending in -s can be confused with a singular noun in thepossessive. Thus I don^t approve of your friend^s going there indicates one friend is going( and Idon^t approve of your friends going there indicates that more than one friend is going. O

ore at participles. D

1. %rammar# Traditional ules( /ord 8rder( greement( and


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often hard to tell when a participle is an ad3ective( especially with past participles. &inguists havea number of tests for confirming an ad3ective. 5ere are four of them#


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tretchingcan loosen up

muscles. !os#oking. 6I.e.( no

smoking is allowed L youmay not smoke here.7

s an ob3ect#

/e all love to go !owling

on the weekend. 5e loves eatingchips.

n ob3ect of preposition#

They complained of hearing

strange sounds from the netcabin.

They sang about !eingeatenby bears to allay their fears.

nd as a complement to a sub3ect#

8ne of the most dangerous

things to do on the lake isice$skating.

Partici$lesare forms of verbs which are used as ad3ectives.

In present participles( you usually add 'ing' to the end. Therefore#

Talkbecomes talking

>u#pbecomesu#pbecomes


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9at( eaten

lide(slid

s with most irregular words( there is no good 'general rule' which applies( but often 'ed' isreplaced by 'en'.

articiple is a word derived from a verb( participating the properties of a verb( and of anad3ective or a nounF and is generally formed by adding ing( d( or ed( to the verb# thus( from theverb rule( are formed three participles( two simple and one compoundF as( 1. ruling( ". ruled( C.having ruled.

:nglish verbs( not defective( have severally three participlesF which have been very variouslydenominated( perhaps the most accurately thus# the Imperfect( the erfect( and the reperfect.8r( as their order is undisputed( they may he conveniently called the 4irst( the )econd( and theThird.

The Imperfect participle is that which ends commonly in ing( and implies a continuance of the

being( action( or passion# as( being( acting( ruling( loving( defending( terminating.

The erfect participle is that which ends commonly in ed or en( and implies a completion of thebeing( action( or passion# as( been( acted( ruled( loved( defended( terminated.

The reperfect participle is that which takes the sign having( and implies a previous completionof the being( action( or passion# as( having loved( having seen( having writtenF having beenloved( having been writing( having been written.

The 4irst or Imperfect articiple( when simple( is always formed by adding ing to the radicalverbF as( look( looking# when compound( it is formed by prefiing being to some other simple

participleF as( being reading( being read( being completed.

The )econd or erfect articiple is always simple( and is regularly formed by adding d or ed tothe radical verb# those verbs from which it is formed otherwise( are either irregular or redundant.

The Third or reperfect articiple is always compound( and is formed by prefiing having to theperfect( when the compound is double( and having been to the perfect or the imperfect( when thecompound is triple# as( having spoken( having been spoken( having been speaking.

ReditS

%,am$les

5e is tal+in!to her.

They are1um$in!into the

pool. /e had eatenthe pie.

:ach of these cases has a verb acting as an ad3ective( describing the sub3ect.

In case you were wondering( 'had' plus a past participle is called a $ast $erfect.
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part of the tet in this article( was taken from the public domain :nglish grammar =The%rammar of :nglish %rammars=6http(EEwwwguten!ergnetEetextEF7 by %oold $rown( 1EO1.

etrieved from =http#LLen.wikibooks.orgLwikiL:nglish#articiple =

Interacti#e Phrase :ui0 ;

Documents

Gerund Functions