Gerundium in English

Verb forms are very important in learning a foreign language, and if you decide to learn the language perfectly, take this topic seriously and responsibly. In this article we will talk about the gerund and about what a gerund in English.

So, gerund is called a non-personal form of the verb in English, which is formed by attaching to the verb end ing. For example: the verb is to read , the gerund is reading . In the Russian language there is no such thing as a gerund. The word reading from the above example can be translated as read. So, in spite of the fact that the gerund in English is a verbal form, to a greater extent it has characteristic signs of the noun. If we talk about its function in the sentence, then it can be both a subject, and a complement (direct or prepositional), and a predicative. Pronouns and prepositions may precede the gerund.

If there is a noun with the same meaning as the gerund you use, it is better to use a noun (example: his arrival is not his arriving , but his arrival ).

Gerundium in English can be used in different forms. It can be in the form of present time ( I dislike shooting - I do not like to shoot); In a perfect form (we were charged with having committed him to commit a crime ); In the form of a passive voice (they both do not like being told about them); And also in a negative form ( Not knowing what to say, he left the house - not knowing what to say, he left the house).

Consider examples of the use of gerunds as a subject, predicate and complement:

Flying makes him sick.

During the flight, he vomits. (Subject)

She does not allow smoking here.

She does not allow smoking here. (Direct addition)

He does not believe in buying beer as an investment.

He does not think that buying beer is an advantageous investment of money. (Proposal Supplement)

My favorite activity is walking.

What is your favorite activity? Прогулка. (Predicative)

Since the gerund in English is a verbal form, it necessarily has a number of signs of the verb. Like this part of the speech, gerunds take after themselves additions: I like reading books - I like reading books ( books - an addition to gerund).

But notice that when a gerund is used with an article, it does not take a direct addition, and reading books turns into the reading of books.

Very often gerunds use possessive pronouns and a series of defining words (such as this, each, some , etc.) that indicate the action being performed. For example: Does my smoking bother you? - Do not you get in the way that I smoke ?; There is no hope that he will recover.

If we are talking about such a concept as spoken English , the gerund is used less often in this case, and instead of possessive pronouns or qualifying words, nouns or a series of personal pronouns appear in the sentence. For example: She insisted on my reading the letter.

Also, personal pronouns and nouns are a little more appropriate when the noun expresses an inanimate object or when the gerund is in the form of a passive voice. For example: He was shocked at Mr Black being arrested - He was shocked when Mr. Black was arrested; There was no hope that the rain would stop in the next hour.

Very often cases of using gerunds with verbs of perception with nouns and personal pronouns. For example: She saw me run out of class.

So, gerund in English is very common, especially among native speakers. That is why students and just people who study English, and want to perfectly master it, you need to know the basic rules of using this verb form. First of all, one should pay attention to the difference in the use of gerund and infinitive (in the sentence the infinitive and gerunds sometimes perform the same function, therefore it is often very difficult to decide where and what form of the verb to use more conveniently and more comprehensively), to understand the gerund forms, and also Understand where it is appropriate, and where not. This article just acquainted you with the basic information, which has a lot of intricate intricacies and nuances. Good luck in learning English!