The gerund combines features of the verb and those of the noun

THE GERUND


The gerund combines features of the verb and those of the noun.

Nominal characteristics:	Verbal characteristics:
can be preceded by a preposition: Do you object to my going there? I never suspected you of lying to me.	the gerund of a transitive verb can take a direct object: What you do best is writing essays.
can be modified by a noun in the genitive case or by a possessive pronoun: Do you object to my going there?	can be modified by an adverb: She burst out laughing bitterly.
its functions in the sentence (subject, object, predicative)	categories of perfect and voice (for transitive verbs only!)

The gerundial phrase is a gerund with elements dependent on it.


THE FORMS OF THE GERUND

	Active	Passive	Example
Non-perfect	writing going	being written	She went on without turning her head.
Perfect	having written having gone	having been written (rare form)	She denies having spoken to him. She denies having been given the letter.

1. 
   The non-perfect forms denote actions simultaneous to the action expressed by the finite verb.
   
2. 
   The perfect forms denote actions prior to the action expressed by the finite verb.
   

TO REQUIRE, TO DESERVE, TO NEED, TO WANT (нуждаться), TO BE WORTH + ACTIVE GERUND:

The room needs/wants cleaning.
The book deserves mentioning/publishing.
The film is worth watching.

After prepositions ON, UPON, AFTER, WITHOUT and verbs of recollection, gratitude, blame, reproach, punishment, reward (to remember, to excuse, to forgive, to thank, to regret etc) priority can be expressed by a non-perfect gerund:

He didn’t remember being in that room before.
(Though “He didn’t remember having been in that room before.” is possible, to stress priority:
“He didn’t remember having been in that room ten years before.”)


THE FUNCTIONS OF THE GERUND

1. 
   subject
   

1. 
   subject precedes the predicate
   

Her coming won’t make any difference.

2. 
   subject follows the predicate, the sentence opens with an introductory IT/THERE
   

It’s no use… (US English: There’s no use in…)
It’s no good…
It’ll make no difference…
There is no…

It’s no use doing it.

It’ll make no difference your keeping quiet.
There’s no avoiding it.


BUT: What’s the use of…? What’s the use of trying? (The gerund in the function of an attribute)
I don’t see the use of…
There’s no point in… I don’t see the point of… What’s the point of…?
He was on the point of… He made a point of… (считал весьма важным, настаивал)
(The gerund in the function of an attribute)

2. 
   predicative
   

The only thing left is going home.

3. 
   part of a compound verbal phasal predicate (with verbs denoting the beginning, the duration, the end of an action): begin, start, take up, take to, burst out, go on, keep (on), continue, stop, give up, finish, cease [si:s] etc.
   

I started reading his letter.
He stopped walking.
It went on raining.
He gave up smoking.
He took to drinking.

Note: The gerund is not used in this function:

• 
  when the finite verb is in the continuous form:
  

He was beginning to get angry.

• 
  when the subject is a thing:
  

The water began to boil.

• 
  with “understand” and “see”:
  

I began to understand.

4. 
   object
   

1. 
   direct (after like, love, hate, enjoy, prefer, appreciate, mind, admit, risk, resist, recollect, need, want, remember, fancy, can’t bear, can’t afford, can’t help, can’t stand, be busy, be worth etc; see Guzeeva, pp. 93-104):
   

She enjoyed singing.
Fancy finding you there!
The book is worth reading.
The car needs fixing.

2. 
   indirect prepositional (see Kaushanskaya, pp. 177-178 or Guzeeva, pp. 120-131):
   

He succeeded in setting the matters right.
Do you feel like going for a walk?
Do you feel up to going anywhere?
He is accustomed to being treated like that.
I didn’t warn them against going there.
(BUT: to warn about a danger)
I wouldn’t dream of talking to him like that.
I’m sorry for being such a nuisance.
I’m sorry about missing that film.

5. 
   attribute (most often after a preposition; see Guzeeva, pp. 146-153, 155-156):
   

He was born with a gift of winning hearts.
What’s the use of trying?
What’s the point of trying?
There’s no point in talking to him.
It’s an instrument for measuring pressure. (For is used after concrete nouns.)

Surprise at, experience in, skill in, point in, objection to, apology/excuse for etc.
Note: The gerund-attribute can be a premodifying attribute. Then the noun denotes the object of the action expressed by the gerund: a walking stick.

6. 
   adverbial modifier of:
   

1. 
   time (ON, IN, AT, BEFORE, SINCE, AFTER, UPON), on, upon and after can be followed by a non-perfect gerund to express priority:
   

On coming home he saw my note on the table.
In reading the text he found some new words.

2. 
   manner (BY, IN, WITHOUT)
   

She surprised me by telling the truth.
Her day was spent in packing.
He spoke without pausing.

3. 
   attendant circumstances (WITHOUT, INSTEAD OF)
   

He left the room without saying a word.

4. 
   condition (WITHOUT, IN CASE OF, BUT FOR), without can be followed by a non-perfect gerund to express priority:
   

He came without being invited.
But for meeting John, I wouldn’t have forgotten to call you.

5. 
   purpose (FOR), an active gerund is used in this function.
   

They asked him to come for questioning.
The hall is used for dancing.

6. 
   cause/reason (FOR, FOR FEAR OF, DUE TO, OWING TO, BECAUSE OF, ON ACCOUNT OF)
   

I feel better for having taken my medicine.

7. 
   concession (IN SPITE OF, DESPITE):
   

I didn’t ask any questions in spite of there being a lot of questions to ask.


THE GERUNDIAL CONSTRUCTION

I don’t like your talking that way.

The nominal element can be expressed by:

1. 
   the possessive pronoun
   

Do you mind my/his/her smoking in here?

2. 
   a noun in the genitive case (mostly proper names)
   

Do you mind Dan’s smoking in here?

3. 
   a personal pronoun in the objective case
   

Forgive me/him/them disturbing you.

4. 
   a noun in the common case
   

Forgive Dan disturbing you.

5. 
   pronouns such as ALL, THIS, THAT, BOTH, EACH, SOME, ANY, NO, SOMEBODY, SOMETHING, SOMEONE, ANYBODY, ANYTHING, ANYONE, NOTHING, NOBODY, NO ONE, THERE, IT
   

I insist on both of them coming.
I insist on there being a school there.
This new schedule will take some getting used to.
I don’t mind it being so cold.

• 
  Note 1: In a and b the action is emphasized, while in c and d the doer of the action is emphasized. (There is a growing tendency towards using c and d in modern English.)
  
• 
  Note 2: A noun in the common case is used if the nominal element of the construction denotes a lifeless thing:
  

He didn’t mind the car blocking the driveway.

• 
  Note 3: Sometimes only d is possible (not b)
  

• 
  when there are two nouns:
  

I object to Mary and John going there.

• 
  when there is an attribute in post-position:
  

Have you ever heard of a man of sense rejecting such an offer?

In the sentence, the gerundial construction has the same functions as the gerund (except a part of a compound verbal predicate):

1. 
   subject
   
2. 
   predicative
   
3. 
   complex object
   
4. 
   attribute
   
5. 
   adverbial modifier
   

Some verbs can take either the gerund or infinitive.

1 Remember and forget	a Do you remember seeing this man before? I'll never forget arriving in Venice by ship the first time.	These verbs take a gerund when they refer to an action which occurred beforehand.
	b Remember to put out all the lights before you leave. I'm afraid you forgot to sign the cheque.	They take an infinitive when they refer to an action which comes afterwards.
2 Regret and dread	Do you regret not having gone to university? I'm dreading going to the dentist's.	These verbs take the gerund when they refer to the past or likely future.
	I dread to think what might have happened if you'd tried to drive the car. I regret to tell you that your application has not been successful.	In addition, dread takes the infinitive 'to think' and regret the infinitives 'to say', 'to tell' and 'to inform'.
3 Like, love, hate and prefer	a I simply love getting unexpected invitations. I don't like cooking all that much. Do you prefer typing your letters to writing them by hand?	These verbs may take either a gerund or an infinitive when they mean 'to enjoy' or 'take pleasure in'. (Negative sentences, however, usually take a gerund.) When prefer is used in a comparison, the gerund is always used.
	b Would you like to have a look round? I don't like to bother you when you're busy, but… He likes to arrive in plenty of time for his appointments.	When they mean 'want' or 'wish', they take the infinitive.
4 Try	(You've locked yourself out…) a Try ringing the doorbell. Someone may be in.	When this verb takes the gerund, the meaning is 'experiment’. (You will have no difficulty in ringing the bell but the action may or may not be successful in enabling you to enter.)
	(You've locked yourself out…) b Try to climb in through the window.	When the infinitive is used, the meaning is 'attempt’. (You may or may not be successful in climbing through the window.)
5 Mean	a Are you sure the job won't mean moving to another area?	With the gerund, the verb means 'involve'.
	b He means to get at the truth, however long it takes.	With the infinitive, the verb means 'intend'.
6 Need and want	a The hedge needs trimming. The piano wants tuning.	With the gerund, these verbs mean 'be in need of’.
	b We'll need to borrow a substantial sum of money to repair the roof. You want to ask John. He's the financial expert. Do you want to discuss the matter?	With the infinitive, need means 'have a need' while want can mean 'should/ought to' (informally) or 'wish'.
7 Go on	a They went on talking about the contract all evening.	With a gerund, this verb means 'continue an action'.
	b After describing the arrangements for our accommodation, he went on to give us some useful tips for living abroad.	With an infinitive, the verb means 'introduce a new action'.
8 Stop	a If you would stop crying for a moment, I might find out what's wrong.	With a gerund, the verb means 'cease'.
	b He stopped to look at the map and then walked on.	With an infinitive, it means to interrupt one action in order to perform another.