Практическая грамматика

Why should you and I talk about it? (Dickens)
К чему нам с вами говорить об этом?
Why should I do it?
С какой стати я буду делать это?
2. In constructions of the following kind:
The door opened and who should come in but Tom.
Дверь открылась, и кто бы вы думали вошел? Не кто иной
как Том.
That it should come to this! To think that it should come to this!
И до чего дошло дело! Подумать только, до чего дошло дело!
In sentences of this kind the Indicative Mood is also possible.
Oh! It is strange he never mentioned to me that he had a ward.
It is only wonderful we have seen no living creature there before.


Chapter XIV


THE NON-FINITE FORMS OF THE VERB (THE VERBALS)


§ 1. The verbals are three in number: the Infinitive, the Gerund and the Participle. The verbals combine the characteristics of the verb with those of some other parts of speech.
The distinction between the finite forms of the verb and the verbals is as follows: the finite forms of the verb have always a subject, with which they agree in number and person:
I am a doctor; he is a doctor; they are doctors
The verbals are not restricted in number and person by any grammatical subject. Accordingly, they cannot express predication by themselves; they can only be part of the predicate and they must always be in connection with the finite form of the verb.
She suddenly began to speak. (London)
He went on talking. (Maxwell)
I must ask you to excuse me. (Maugham)
§ 2. The characteristic traits of the verbals are as follows:
1. They have a double nature, nominal and verbal. The Participle combines the characteristics of a verb with those of an adjective; the Gerund and the Infinitive combine the characteristics of a verb with those of a noun.
2. The tense distinctions of the verbals are not absolute (like those of the finite verb), but relative; the form of a verbal does not show whether the action it denotes refers to the present, past or future; it shows only whether the action expressed by the verbal is simultaneous with the action expressed by the finite verb or prior to it.
3. All the verbals can form predicative constructions, i. e. constructions consisting of two elements, a nominal (noun or pronoun) and a verbal (participle, gerund or infinitive); the verbal element stands in predicate relation to the nominal element, i. e. in a relation similar to that between the subject and the predicate of the sentence.
They sat down to supper, Manston still talking cheerfully. (Hardy)
Они сели ужинать; Мэнстон продолжал весело разговаривать.
Manston still talking cheerfully is a predicative construction with a participle: the participle talking stands in predicate relation to the noun Manston, which denotes the doer of the action expressed by the participle.
In the sentence a verbal may occur:
a) singly, i. e. without accompanying words.
He went on talking.