Predicative constructions (complexes) with the Gerund

In predicative constructions the Gerund is in predicate relation to а nounor а pronoun.

If the nominal element denotes а living being it can be expressed in the following ways:

а) а noun in the common or genitive case:

I’m grateful for my friend’s (my friend) helping me out.

b) а possessive pronoun:

I can’t remember his having even one close friend.

c) а personal pronoun in the objective case:

He liked me working late hours.

d) an indefinite, defining or negative pronoun:

I don’t remember anybody (anybody’s) saying it.

He boasted of everybody praising his report.

We were surprised at all coming to meet us.

We apologize for nobody meeting you at the airport.

e) а reflexive pronoun.

She couldn’t stop herself crying.

Note: In an informal style the common case of a noun instead of the genitive case and the objective case of the personal pronoun instead of the possessive pronoun are usually used after a verb or a preposition: I don’t mind him joining us. We objected to John leaving.

If the nominal element denotes а lifeless thing it can be expressed in the following ways:

a) а noun in the common case:

She was glad enough of the arm gliding along under her elbow.

He insisted on the essay being published in all the morning newspapers.

b) а possessive pronoun:

I really love spring and always look forward to its coming.

c) an indefinite, defining or negative pronoun:

He was aware of something being wrong.

He complains about everything being so different from what it used to be.

He insisted on nothing being done without consulting him.

d) demonstrative pronouns:

I object to this being published at all.

Predicative constructions are usually rendered in Russian by а subordinate clause.

She remembered her sister’s leaving the house that cold dark night. –

Она помнила, как ее сестра ушла из дома в ту холодную темную ночь.

In a sentence they can be used as subject, object, attribute, predicative and adverbial modifier in the same way as gerunds are used.

Subject – Her coming at any time she likes can drive me mad.

Object – I have never heard of Mrs. Grand being here.

Attribute – I didn’t like the idea of her meeting the train alone.

Predicative – The only problem is the police getting involved in the matter.

Adverbial Modifier – After these facts becoming open to the public we’ll discuss our next step.

SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS OF THE GERUND

In а sentence the Gerund is often used as a part of a gerundial phrase or a gerundial construction. They can perform the following syntactic functions:

Subject

Reading books will do you а lot of good.

Your trying to help pleased him a lot.

It can be introduced by it or there:

It ’s no use trying to persuade him.

There is no smoking here.

There is no use arguing now.

Predicative

This was sharing а dream, and yet it wasn’t as silly as dreaming.

His only duty was keeping the yard clean.

A part of а compound verbal predicate

а) as а part of а compound verbal modal predicate with the verbs or expressions having modal meaning:

She felt like telling everybody the truth about the accident.

b) as а part of а compound verbal aspect predicate with the verbs denoting the beginning, duration or cessation of the action:

She had stopped shivering too, in the last few minutes.

Note: Gerundial constructions are seldom used after these verbs. When they are used they perform the function of the direct object: She would stop his dating this girl if she could.

Object

а) Gerunds and / or gerundial constructions can be used as а direct object after the following verbs:

Avoid, afford (after this verb only а gerundial construction is used), appreciate, bear, consider, contemplate, defer, delay, deny, deserve, detest, discuss, dislike, encourage, endure, enjoy, escape, excuse, face, fancy, forbid, forget, forgive, hate, (cannot) help, imagine, involve, justify, like, loathe, love, mention, mind (in interrogative and negative sentences), miss, need, postpone, practice, prefer, prevent, prohibit, recommend, regret, remember, resent, resist, risk, save (sb), (cannot) stand, suggest, tolerate, understand, want, and the adjectives busy and worth.

I couldn’t avoid speaking to him.

Imagine standing there, mouth open.

They don’t mind paying for driving lessons.

The skirt needs pressing.

The book is worth reading.

We cannot afford your ruining our lives.

b) Gerunds can be used as а prepositional object after the following verbs:

admit to, accuse (sb) of, burst out, carry on, discourage from, excuse (sb) for, forbid sb from, forgive smb for, get round to, give up, hear of, keep from, leave off, prevent smb from, prohibit sb from, stop (sb) from, stop short of, succeed in, suspect (sb) of, take to, talk into / out of, thank (sb) for, warn (sb) against;

Don’t give up trying.

He stopped short of saying what he thought.

Some of the verbs take a direct object besides the object expressed by a gerund:

Don’t blame him for being late.

They suspected him of hiding the facts.

Cora joins me in sending greetings.

She suspects David of having read her diary.

I thanked him again for lending me а car.

Both gerunds and/or gerundial constructions can be used after the following verbs and phrases:

Verbs: agree to, apologize for, approve of, count on, blame (sb) for, boast about / of, care for, complain about / of, decide against, depend on, insist on, join in, look forward to, object to, persist in, put off, rely on, result in, save from, speak of, think of;

Phrases like be aware of, be annoyed at, be astonished at, be afraid of, be ashamed of, be capable of, be certain of, be clever at, be delighted at, be disappointed at, be excited about / at, be engaged in, be fond of, be grateful for, be guilty of, be ignorant of, be indignant at, be interested in, be involved in, be pleased (displeased) at, be proud of, be responsible for, be sorry for / about, be sure of, be surprised at, be tired of, be used to, get used to, get round to etc.

She boasted of having won.

She was aware of а chill striking upwards.

She was aware of being manipulated.

You should apologize for (his) coming late.

Imagine doing it all over again!

Can you imagine her doing it?

She is always annoyed at his banging the doors.

There are also verbs after which gerundial constructions can be used as direct objects, while gerunds are used as prepositional ones:

We cannot prevent his finding out the facts.

We cannot prevent him from finding out the facts.

I suspect something strange happening there.

I suspect them of doing these strange things.

The pronoun it can be used as a preparatory object for the gerund:

I think it no use waiting for them.

Note: After the verbs afford and agree to only gerundial complexes can be used: We cannot afford your spending so much money. He will agree to our participating in the project.

Attribute

In this syntactic function gerunds are used in post-position to the noun they modify and are preceded with the prepositions of, for, in, to, about and others:

She had no intention of allowing the knowledge to mar her joy.

There’s no harm in asking her about it.

I didn’t have а good excuse for being late.

This is your clue to solving the problem.

In some noun phrases gerunds are used in pre-position and these noun phrases are often regarded as compound nouns. In these cases gerunds denote the functional use of the object denoted by the noun: a hunting knife, cooking utensils, a frying pan, etc.

Adverbial modifier

а) of time

In this syntactic function gerunds are preceded by the prepositions after, before, on (upon), in, at, since (the perfect forms of the gerund are not, as a rule, used in this syntactic function as the prepositions show the time correlation of the action denoted by the gerund and that denoted by the finite form of the verb):

After waiting all that dark November morning in the overcrowded surgery, Milly had in the end seen the exhausted young doctor.

On entering the dark alley she stopped puzzled.

At seeing the roses Judy felt herself absolutely happy.

She has been sad since receiving this letter.

The preposition after shows that the action or state denoted by the Gerund precedes those of the finite verb; the preposition before shows that the action or state denoted by the finite verb precedes those of the Gerund; the prepositions on and upon are used to show a succession of actions; the preposition at shows that the actions or states denoted by the Gerund are almost simultaneous with those expressed by the finite verb; the preposition in shows that action or state denoted by the finite verb took place while the action denoted by the Gerund was carried out. The preposition since shows the starting point of the action denoted by the finite verb.

b) of manner

In this syntactic function gerunds are preceded by the prepositions by, in:

By creeping into the furthermost corner, Milly found а little protection from the spray.

She spent the whole day in cleaning and scrubbing.

с) of attendant circumstances

In this syntactic function gerunds are preceded by the preposition without, besides, in addition to, instead of:

And without waiting for an answer she darted off into the damp, windowless cavern.

Besides trying to become a writer she also worked with a small law firm.

You’d better think it over instead of arguing.

d) of purpose

The gerund is used to speak about the purpose in general. In this syntactic function gerunds are preceded by the preposition for:

Half-glasses hung around her neck, for reading the menu.

е) of condition

In this syntactic function gerunds are preceded by the preposition without or the phrase in case of:

I can’t defend this case without telling the truth.

In case of changing your plans, please, inform us immediately.

f) of cause

In this syntactic function gerunds are preceded by the prepositions for, for fear of, owing to, because of, through:

For fear of making the same mistake again she avoided their company.

He was desperate because of the weather, of losing his way, of night coming so fast.

But I came to it at last through pursuing the rule I have just mentioned.

(A. Christie)

g) of concession

In this syntactic function gerunds denote some obstacles in spite of which the action of the finite form is carried out and are preceded by the preposition in spite of, despite:

In spite of being exhausted and hungry she went on walking along the crowded street.

Despite sending his applications regularly, he couldn’t get a job.

Parentheses

In this syntactic function the gerund is preceded by the conjunction as and the preposition for (as for):

As for giving you an answer, I’ll take my time.