The Prepositional Object

to think

to suspect smb

to accuse of

to be afraid

to object to

to be used

to succeed in doing smth

to be engaged being done

having done smth

to insist on having been done

to depend

to apologize

to be grateful for

to be responsible

to thank smb

to blame smb

to be clever at

to prevent smb from

* He is responsible for keeping the place in order.

* She insisted on being treated as a grown woman.

The Attribute

intention apology harm astonishment

plan capacity skill disappointment

sense passion interest delight

purpose of reason for use in pleasure at

idea reputation point surprise

habit talent difficulty

way excuse experience fantasy about

opportunity gift

thought objection to

* He had the habit of being very strict.

* Have you got any reason for saying such a thing.

* There is little point in doing it.

The Adverbial Modifier

1. of Time after prepositions:

After, before, at, in, on (upon), since

* I hesitated before entering the room.

* After saying this he left the room.

* For the first time since entering the room I looked around.

2. of Cause (Reason) after prepositions:

For, through, owing to, because of

* Excuse me for being so late.

* He caught cold through getting his feet wet.

3. of Manner after prepositions:

By

* He improved his article by changing the end.

4. of Attendant circumstances after prepositions:

Besides, instead of, without

* Besides being clever, he is very industrious.

* Instead of writing the letter himself he asked his friend to do it.

* He left the room without waiting for a reply.

5. of Purpose

Note: The gerund in this function is mainly used in the official language.

after prepositions: for, for the purpose of, with a view to

* He gave these instructions with a view to speeding up the shipment of goods.

* The Commission has been established for the purpose of settling disputes between the organizations.

6. of Condition after prepositions:

Without, in case of, in the event of

* In case of being asked he should tell the truth.

* You will never speak good English without learning grammar.

* In the event of being ordered to two ports of loading the steamer will not

arrive at the port of discharge before September 15.

7. of Concession after prepositions:

In spite of

* In spite of being disturbed late at night, Rod fell asleep again.

Part of a Compound Verbal Predicate

to begin

start

go on doing smth

keep

continue

stop

* He kept looking at me.

* The trams have stopped working.

THE GERUNDIAL COMPLEX

The gerund can have a subject of its own different from that of the sentence. (Compare : I insist on doing it . - I insist on your doing it). In this case the gerund and its subject form a construction called the gerundial complex. The relations between the elements are predicative. The first element of the complex may be expressed in a number of ways: by a noun in the common case, a noun in the possessive case, a pronoun in the objective case, a possessive pronoun.

girl ` s

girl doing smth

my being done

me

The gerundial complex has practically the same syntactical functions as the gerund:

The Subject

1.

no use

it is useless smb `s doing smth

was no good

* It is useless your going there.

2.

does smth

Smb ` s doing smth did smth

will do smth

would do smth

* His saying this made all the difference.

The Predicative

1.

The main thing

Smb`s wish

job is / was smb ` s doing smth

duty

* The main thing is his getting there in time.

2.

to feel like ( up to )

to be for / against smb ` s doing smth

* I am against your going there alone.

The Direct Object

(can) avoid

(can) afford

(can) stand

(can) help

smb `s doing smth

to mind

to like

to love

to hate

* I can ` t help his making mistakes.

* Do you mind my waiting here?

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 1236