The Adverbial Modifier of Purpose

E.g. He stood aside for us to pass in.

I left the notice on the table for everybody to see.

The Adverbial Modifier of Result

E.g. The rain can last long enough for us to miss the train.

The day was much too cold and rainy for anyone to have a good time.

The water is warm enough for the children to bathe.

The Gerund

The Gerund is a non-finite form of the verb that has both noun and verb characteristics. Its noun characteristics are the following:

1. The Gerund can be the subject of the sentence, an object, a predicative (e.g. Reading is his favourite pastime. (subject) I’ve finished reading. (object) My worst habit is smoking. (predicative)
2. It can be preceded by a preposition (e.g. He insisted on coming in time).
3. It can be modified by a noun in the possessive case or a possessive pronoun (e.g. Excuse my interrupting you. I hate John’s coming late every day).

Its verb characteristics are the following:

1. It can be followed by a direct or an indirect object (e.g. Closing the factory means putting people out of work. He hates speaking to strangers.)
2. It can be modified by an adverb (e.g. A teacher of English must avoid speaking too quickly.)
3. The Gerund has voice and tense distinctions:

Objective verbs have four forms of the Gerund:

Subjective verbs have only two forms of the Gerund:

The Gerund can be easily confused with the verbal noun. In some cases it is impossible to tell whether you are dealing with a gerund or with a verbal noun and consequently impossible to translate the sentence with any degree of exactness. In most cases we can distinguish between the gerund and the verbal noun in the following way:

The gerund:

1. Has tense and voice forms; so the forms being done, having done etc. can not be nouns;
2. Can take a direct object; so “-ing” form followed by a direct object (reading a letter) can not be a noun;
3. Can be modified by an adverb; so “-ing” form modified b an adverb(reading fast) can not be a noun;
4. Can be part of a verbal aspect predicate; so “-ing” form following the verbs to begin, to stop, to go on, to keep, etc. are mostly gerunds.

The verbal noun:

1. Can be used in the plural (bright sayings of her children);
2. Can have an article (the banging of the lift);
3. Can be followed by a prepositional phrase in an attributive function (a faint glimmering of light);
4. Can be modified by an adjective, a demonstrative pronoun or an indefinite pronoun (the bright sayings).

The Functions of the Gerund in the Sentence

The Gerund can be:

The Subject

e.g. It’s no use arguing.

It was no good objecting.

Talking mends no holes.

There is no hiding these facts.

There was no going back.

The Predicative

e.g. The main thing is getting there in time.

Her job was lookingafter the children.

I don’t feel like going to the theatre.

Are you for or against staying there?

Also:

a) part of a compound verbal modal predicate with verbs and verbal phrases expressing modality: intend, expect, want, like, feel like, detest, dislike, can’t help, can’t bear / stand, etc. (She intends going there in summer. He couldn’t help admiringthe picture.)

b) part of a compound verbal aspect predicate with verbs denoting the beginning, the duration, or the end of the action such as begin, start, go on, keep on, cease, finish, quit, commence, stop, give up, carry on, proceed, resume, continue, etc. (In the night it started raining. He resumed walking. He kept on looking behind.)

The Direct Object

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1593