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Predicative Constructions with the Gerund
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| A Gerundial Construction is a syntactical unit consisting of a nominal element (a noun or a pronoun) and a verbal element (a gerund). The Gerund is in predicate relation to the noun or pronoun. The Gerundial Construction is used when the doer of the action of the Gerund does not coincide with the subject of the sentence. | ||||||
| The Nominal Element | + | The Verbal Element | ||||
| · The man’s | ||||||
| · The man | ||||||
| · His | ||||||
| · Him | talking to me | surprised me. | ||||
| · This | ||||||
| · Everybody | ||||||
| · Some | ||||||
| The nominal element of the Construction can be expressed by: | ||||||
| 1. | A noun in the Genitive case or a pronoun in the Possessive case denoting a living being. | |||||
| · She hadn’t known how much she had missed Jake’s supporting her these two last years. · Did he object to his father’s leaving so early? · I insist on your meeting with our business partners in Spain. | ||||||
| 2. | A noun in the Common case or a pronoun in the Objective case (me, you, her, him us, them). | |||||
| · It’s like people trying to get to the moon. · We don’t mind Caroline working on papers alone. · It won’t do any good us getting all worked up(взвинчивать себя). | ||||||
| 3. | A noun in the Common case or a possessive pronoun if the nominal element of the Construction denotes a lifeless thing. | |||||
| · He didn’t mind the car blocking the door. · He didn’t mind either the caror evenits blocking the way. | ||||||
| 4. | A pronoun which has no category of case (such as, for instance, demonstrative, universal and indefinite pronouns: all, this, that, both, each, something, etc.) | |||||
| · I looked at my friends and was surprised at both (each, all) of them being puzzled. · Your generosity takes some getting used to. · You and I have some talking to do. · She was responsible for this being done properly. | ||||||
* A Gerundial Construction is nearly always rendered in Ukrainian by a subordinate clause.
The Gerund and the Infinitive
| Verbs Followed by the Gerund | ||
| Verb + verb + -ing structure is used to focus on: | ||
| a. | ○ an action or state before the action of the first verb: | |
| · He misses seeing his wife and children. · She admitted taking a bribe. | ||
| b. | ○ the activity itself. The second verb functions like a noun: | |
| · I dislike travelling. · The have postponed using the new model. | ||
| Verbs Followed by the Gerund and the Infinitive | ||
| Certain verbs: remember and forget, regret, try, stop, mean, go on, need are followed by either an infinitive or a gerund but the choice leads to a change in the meaning. | ||
| · She remembered to turn off her headlights. (= she didn’t forget) · She remembers turning off her headlights. (= she has a clear memory of this) | ||
| · I will neverforget meetingPrincess Diana. (= I will always remember) · I sometimes forget to wear my badge. (= fail to remember) | ||
| · I mean to see her later this week. (= I intend to) · I could get a better job but it would mean moving. (= involve) | ||
| · He was an alcoholic but stopped drinking. (= ceased) · He stopped to have a drink on the way back home. (= in order to) | ||
| · Why don’t you try giving the staff greater autonomy? (= experiment and see what happens) · He tried to learn car maintenance but gave up. (= attempted / made an effort) | ||
| · I regret spending all that money. (= feel sorry for something that happened in the past). · I regret to inform you that you are fired. (= feel sorry for something you are doing) | ||
| · The teacher told everyone to be quiet, but they just went on talking. ( = continued doing it) · The teacher introduced herself and went on to explain about the course. (= do something else, do the next thing) | ||
| · My shoes need cleaning. (= need to be cleaned) · I need to clean my shoes. (= I have to clean them) |