GERUND
Gerund has exactly the same form as the present participle (V1+ -ING).
It can be used (= the position of noun in a sentence) :
- as subject
- as object of certain verbs
- as object of preposition
- as complement
- in noun compound
1. AS SUBJECT
e.g. – Understanding someone else needs a mature personality.
– Creating a good picture through a computer is really amazing.
2. AS OBJECT of certain verbs
The certain verbs are :
admit, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, be worth, can’t help, can’t stand, consider, delay, deny, dislike, dread, enjoy, escape, excuse, fancy (= imagine), finish, forget, give up, imagine, involve, keep (= continue), look forward to, mind (= object to), miss, pardon, postpone, practice, prevent, propose (= suggest), recollect, remember, risk, stop, suggest, understand
e.g. – Do you enjoy learning English?
– Women always dread getting old.
NOTE FOR CERTAIN VERBS :
APPRECIATE : requires a possessive adjective before gerund:
e.g. – I appreciate your giving me so much of your time.
– Everyone will appreciate his telling them about the broken bridge.
EXCUSE, FORGIVE, PARDON : take either possessive adjective + gerund or object + for + gerund :
e.g. – Forgive my interrupting you!
– Forgive me for interrupting you!
– He excused our coming late yesterday.
– He excused us for coming late yesterday.
PREVENT : takes either possessive adjective + gerund or object + (from) + gerund :
e.g. – The government prevents his leaving this country.
– The government prevents him from leaving this country.
These verbs can be followed directly by gerund or by possessive adjective/object + gerund. If they are directly followed by gerund, the gerund refers to the subject :
approve / disapprove of, dislike, fancy, insist on, involve, like, mean, mind, object to, propose, remember, save, stop, suggest, understand, it is no good / use, there’s no point in, what’s the point of
e.g. – Andi insisted on seeing the document .(= Andi saw it)
but the gerund refers to the person denoted by the possessive adjective or object if we put him before gerund :
e.g. – Andi insisted me on seeing the document (= I saw / had to see the document because he forced me to)
STOP (= PREVENT) : the pronoun is more usual than the possessive adjective :
e.g. – I can’t stop him taking a picture of the victim.
MIND : used chiefly in the interrogative (in request) and negative :
e.g. – Would you mind helping me ? (= I ask for a help)
– Would you mind my helping you ? (= I offer a help)
– I don’t mind staying in this room. (= I stay in this room and I don’t object to)
– I don’t mind his staying in this room (= He stays in this room and I don’t object to)
SUGGEST, PROPOSE : can be followed by :
a. gerund :
e.g. – He suggested taking a computer course ( = someone who is given the suggestion is general )
possessive adjective / object + gerund :
e.g. – She suggested him / his applying the new method ( = he is advised (by her) to apply it. * There is a certain person to be advised )
b. that + subject + should
e.g. – She suggested that he should apply the new method.
3. as OBJECT of preposition
e.g. – Aren’t you interested in working on agriculture research?
– She left after getting what she needed.
4. as COMPLEMENT
e.g. – Their target is building a laboratory for chemistry research. ( = Their target is to build …)
– What I always dream on is having my own library with many kinds of books in it.
The perfect gerund can also be used :
e.g. – She is accused of having copied the data about the research.
– Having read this lesson twice makes me understand it well.
5. in COMPOUND NOUN (= as noun modifier)
e.g. – washing machine = machine which is used for washing
– swimming suit = a suit / garment that is for swimming
– pruning knife = a knife for pruning
INFINITIVE AND GERUND
WITH CERTAIN VERBS :
1.BEGIN, START, CONTINUE, CEASE :
may use to- infinitive or gerund without any difference in meaning:
e.g. – I began working. OR I began to work.
– We continue discussing it. OR We continue to discuss it.
- ATTEMPT, INTEND :
to infinitive is more common for them
e.g. – You should attempt to reach your future yourself.
– He intends to promote some of his employees.
- ADVISE, RECOMMEND, ENCOURAGE, ALLOW, PERMIT :
If the person concerned is mentioned, we use to infinitive :
e.g. – My teacher advised me to be more active.
but gerund is used when there isn’t any person concerned :
e.g. – My teacher advised being more active.
the gerund after allow and permit can’t have an object :
e.g. – The chief allowed leaving early.
– The headmaster doesn’t permit staying in class during the break.
- SUBJECT (THINGS) + NEED / REQUIRE / WANT :
can be followed by either gerund (more usual) or passive infinitive:
e.g. – This tree wants pruning. = This tree wants to be pruned.
– Your house requires repairing. = Your house requires to be repaired.
If we put a person as the subject of those words, to infinitive construction is used.
e.g. – I need to prune this tree in order that I can get the best yield.
– We want to repair this house because there is some cracked wall here and there.
- REGRET, REMEMBER, FORGET :
are used with gerund when the action expressed by the gerund is earlier than the one expressed by those verbs :
e.g. – I regret spending so much money on this useless thing. (= be sorry for what has happened or happened, so “spending …” is the first action )
– They will never forget having a short dialogue with the Pope. (= never forget what they experienced)
but when those verbs express the earlier action, to infinitive form follows them :
e.g. – I regret to inform that you are fired (= be sorry for what I am going to say. (* regret is the first action)
– I remember to tell them about the schedule (= remember what has to do)
- LIKE + gerund = ENJOY
e.g. – I like staring at my flowers. They are beautiful.
– Child likes playing with water and sand. He will be angry if we ask him to stop it.
LIKE + to infinitive = choose to; be in the habit of ; think it right to.
e.g. – I like to get up early so that I can have plenty of time to prepare for the day work.
– I don’t like to disturb you this time. I’ll fix it up by myself.
would like (= want / wish) is always followed by to infinitive.
e.g. – We would like to get the better result.
– Would you like to have a look?
- PREFER
We most often use GERUND after prefer, to talk about general preferences.
e.g. A : Do you like having fun with your friends?
B : Sometimes, but I prefer reading a book.
When we say that we prefer one activity to another, GERUND can be used in both halves of the sentence.
e.g.- I prefer reading books to watching films. (= I like reading better than watching films = I would rather read than watch films)
would prefer + to infinitive
e.g. – I would prefer to spend the holiday here.
– They would prefer to have some days off better than do / doing nothing here.
- AGREE / AGREE TO, BE AFRAID OF, BE ABOUT / ON THE POINT OF, BE SORRY, MEAN, GO ON, PROPOSE, STOP, TRY, USED (TO).
They have different meanings according to whether they are used with gerund or infinitive :
AGREE TO + GERUND and AGREE TO + INFINITIVE
e.g. – He agreed to stay for a moment. (= I or someone else asked him to stay and he said that he would.)
– He agreed to staying for a moment. (= there’s an idea of staying for a moment and he didn’t object to it.)
– He agreed to my staying for a moment. (= I suggested that I could stay for a moment and he didn’t mind it.)
BE AFRAID (= FEAR) OF + GERUND and BE AFRAID TO + INFINITIVE
e.g. – As he is afraid of losing his job, he never criticizes his boss. (There’s no intention to lose the job )
– He is afraid to tell the truth, so he just keeps quiet. (There’s an intention to tell it but he doesn’t have the courage)
BE ABOUT + TO INFINITIVE = BE ON THE POINT OF + GERUND
e.g. – I was about to step my foot / I was on the point of stepping my foot when there was a snake passing through my way.
– The lady was about to leave the room in a hotel / The lady was on the point of leaving the room in a hotel when the police caught her.
(BE) SORRY FOR + GERUND (= apologize for what we have done or did)
e.g. – I am sorry for embarrassing you last night. (= I’m sorry that I embarrassed you last night)
(BE) SORRY TO + INFINITIVE (= apologize for what we are doing or about to do)
e.g. – Sorry to interrupt, I need to talk to you for a minute.
– We are sorry to let you all wait for us for some minutes because we have some more important things to handle.
MEAN
e.g. – They still don’t understand your explanation. So, it means repeating once again. (= involve)
– Though he has failed twice, he means to try it again. (= intend)
GO ON
in general it is followed by gerund (= continue what one has been doing):
e.g. – Don’t worry, we will go on finishing it soon!
– They went on observing the disease.
it can be used with to infinitive. (= change or move on to something new, usually with the verbs : tell, talk, explain )
e.g. – He began with the classifying of some plants, then he went on to explain the use of each plant.
Compare these sentences:
- He went on telling about the method of planting cuttings. (= he had told it for some minutes but there’s someone interrupting him )
- He went on to tell about the method of planting cuttings. (= he had told about how to plant in general then he continued the next topic)
PROPOSE
e.g. – I propose starting tomorrow. (= suggest)
– I propose to start tomorrow. (= intend)
STOP + GERUND = cease
e.g. – You should stop him leaving without my permission.
STOP + TO INFINITIVE = halt (means in purpose)
e.g.- Some tourists stopped here to ask about the way.
TRY + GERUND = make an experiment; do something to see what will happen.
e.g. – He tried applying the new fertilizer (means: he had spread out the fertilizer and saw what would happen then)
TRY + TO INFINITIVE = make an effort; attempt to do something difficult
e.g. – He tried to apply the new fertilizer (means: he counted the amount of the chemical elements which are needed for his plants)
SUBJECT + USED TO + VERB1 ( * this expresses the past habit )
e.g. – My family used to have a meal together when all of the children were still in the elementary and secondary school.
SUBJECT + BE / BECOME / GET + USED TO (= ACCUSTOMED TO) + GERUND / NOUN.
e.g. – I have been used to hot climate.
– I have been used to living in hot climate.
– The students get used to the school’s regulation.
– They will become used to working efficiently.
Hi, I do think this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it ;
) I may revisit once again since i have book marked it.
Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may
you be rich and continue to help other people.
Hi there! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us
so I came to give it a look. I’m definitely enjoying
the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
Fantastic blog and excellent design and style.
Hey! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay.
I’m undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
adreamoftrains hosting services
Hi, after reading this amazing article i am too cheerful to share
my familiarity here with friends.
Highly energetic blog, I liked that bit. Will there be a part 2?|
Thanks for another informative blog. Where else could I get that
type of info written in such a perfect way? I have a project that I
am just now running on, and I have been on the look out for such information.
There’s certainly a lot to learn about this subject. I love all of the points you have made.
You can certainly see your skills within the article you write.
The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe.
All the time follow your heart.
While typical drugs has made nice advancement in offering
cure to several diseases, they carry along several harsh unwanted side effects that have
an effect on a person’s well-being negatively. We can’t take a lot of time in providing the companies.
Enrolling for yoga teacher training in a renowned Yoga TTC in India makes the trainees conscious
of the basics of self-care apart from providing complete data
about the physical body. Trainees are made to learn the historic yog sutra India, which helps them be taught in regards to the
methods to enhance their psychological capability by means of focus, self-discipline, observe and meditation. The trainees get to find out about ideas equivalent to physique alignment and advantages
of right postures. Sitting on a daily chair with poor again help
will solely defeat the rationale why you subscribed to body alignment health applications.
In case you are residing in New York and looking for practitioners
providing holistic medicine in Rochester NY,
you will come across several reputed practitioners who can bring optimistic variations in your life.
The most important part of spring effectively mattresses is
the material that stays near you at all
times. This survey examines a nationally representative pattern of the U.S.
Spring Well Mattresses have high quality and long lasting coils inside our traditional innerspring mattresses create greatest-in-class back support.
It’s in point of fact a nice and helpful piece of info.
I’m glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this.
Thanks for sharing.
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful post.
Many thanks for providing this info.
Hurrah! Finally I got a website from where I be able to really get helpful information regarding my
study and knowledge.
I enjoyed this particular blog post. Really extensive and easy to
understand.
I go through your blog frequently as I really like your writing
method.
I shared this on my Twitter and my followers was fascinated with it too.
Keep up the awesome work!
Best view i have ever seen !
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for antibiotics http://antiibioticsland.com/Erythromycin.htm
It’s actually a great and useful piece of information.
I am satisfied that you simply shared this useful info with us.
Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing. https://buszcentrum.com/zithromax.htm
Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog! http://herreramedical.org/albuterol
I absolutely love your blog and find a lot of your post’s to
be exactly what I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content for you?
I wouldn’t mind writing a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you
write concerning here. Again, awesome site! http://www.deinformedvoters.org/hydroxychloroquine
Hola! I’ve been following your web site for a while now
and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Dallas Tx!
Just wanted to say keep up the good work! http://www.deinformedvoters.org/cialis-usa
I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here.
The sketch is attractive, your authored material stylish.
nonetheless, you command get got an edginess over that you wish be delivering the following.
unwell unquestionably come more formerly again as exactly the same
nearly very often inside case you shield this increase. http://herreramedical.org/acyclovir
Good article. I will be experiencing a few of these
issues as well.. https://tadalafili.com/
Excellent article. I am dealing with a few of these issues as
well.. http://ciaalis2u.com/
Howdy I am so happy I found your web site, I really found
you by accident, while I was looking on Yahoo for something else, Regardless I am here
now and would just like to say many thanks for a incredible post and a all round interesting blog (I
also love the theme/design), I dont have time to go through it all at the
minute but I have bookmarked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep
up the great b. http://harmonyhomesltd.com/Ivermectinum-pharmacology.html
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each
time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove me from that service?
Many thanks! http://antiibioticsland.com/Flagyl_ER.htm
Very good post! We will be linking to this great content
on our website. Keep up the good writing. http://herreramedical.org/viagra
Hi! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick
shout out and say I really enjoy reading through your blog
posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects?
Thanks a ton! http://harmonyhomesltd.com/Ivermectinum-precautions.html
Good day! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could get a captcha
plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and
I’m having trouble finding one? Thanks a lot! http://antiibioticsland.com/Amoxil.htm
Hey there are using WordPress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying
to get started and set up my own. Do you need any coding knowledge to make your own blog?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! http://herreramedical.org/cialis
Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am impressed! Extremely helpful information particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I was looking for this certain info for a very long time. Thank you and good luck.
When someone writes an piece of writing he/she maintains the plan of a
user in his/her brain that how a user can be aware of it.
So that’s why this post is outstdanding. Thanks! http://herreramedical.org/aurogra
I like this blog site. Thank you.
Very good!
It is a very great thing, wish seeing it again.
It is a very great thing, wish seeing it again.
It is a very great thing, hope seeing it again.
It is a very good way.
I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a
blog that’s both equally educative and interesting,
and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head.
The problem is something too few people are speaking intelligently about.
I am very happy I stumbled across this in my hunt for something regtarding this.
site
It is a nice thing.
Having read this I believed it was rather informative. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this informative article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
this is a nice thing.
I read this piece of writing fully regarding thhe resemblance of latest and earlier
technologies, it’s awesome article.
คาสิโนฟรี web site เกมการพนันฟรี