When to place a gerund. Gerund Gerund in English

Gerunds in English are formed by adding a suffix -ing to the base of the verb, i.e. it has the same form as the participle I: work - working, write - writing.

In Russian there is no corresponding form (i.e. gerund).

The properties of the verb in the gerund are as follows:

I like reading short stories.
I love reading short stories.

3. A gerund can be defined by an adverb.

He likes driving quickly.
He likes to drive fast.

The properties of a noun in a gerund are as follows:

Not began translating a new book.
He began translating a new book. (He began translating a new book.)

Don't like swimming. He loves to swim (swimming).

d) indirect object (or prepositional object):

Not fond of driving. He loves to drive a car.

Don't touch the bench. It is fresh painted.
Don't touch the bench. It has been recently painted.
Don't drink this water.
Don't drink this water. (Do not drink water.)
Do not smoke here.
Don't smoke here. (No smoking here.)

2. There are a number of verbs after which only a gerund is used to convey the corresponding meaning: to stop- stop, to finish - end, to avoid - avoid, to prevent - prevent, to recollect - recall. to fancy - imagine, to imagine - imagine, to delay - save, to forgive - forgive, to pardon - forgive, to excuse - excuse, to mind - mind, to require - demand, to suggest - suggest and etc.

Try to avoid working at night.
Try to avoid working (working) at night.

Forgive my coming late.
Sorry for my lateness.

He suggested studying in the evening.
He suggested studying in the evening.

They often recollect traveling about (in) the Crimea.
They often remember their trip to Crimea.

Stop laughing. Stop laughing.

I don't mind living here.
I have nothing against (don't mind) living here.

Please note: stop in the meaning of cease - stop, stop doing something requires a gerund after itself.

Stop whistling. Stop whistling.

In the meaning of stopping for some purpose (to do something), stop is used with an infinitive after it.

Not stopped to speak to Mary.
He stopped to talk to Mary.

3. There are verbs after which you can use both a gerund and an infinitive with the same meaning. These are the following verbs:

A) to begin, to start - start off, to continue - continue.

I began working. I start work.
I began to work. I start work.

b) to attempt - try, to intend - mean(these verbs are more often used with an infinitive than with a gerund).

Doesn't intend to leave (leaving) the Army.
He intends to leave the army.

V) to love - be in love, to like - like, to hate - hate, to prefer - prefer(after verbs in Present and Past a gerund is usually used, in other cases the infinitive is usually used).

I like walking. (=I like to walk.)
I like to walk.

He hated waiting.
He didn't like to wait.

G) to permit, to allow - allow, to advise - advise(if the person to whom the action relates is mentioned, then the infinitive is used; if not mentioned, the gerund is used).

I don't allow him to drive a car.
I don't let him drive the car. (The person to whom the action relates is indicated - him.)

I don't allow smoking here. I don't allow smoking here.

d) to remember - remember, to regret - regret(a gerund is used after these verbs if the action expressed by the gerund precedes the action expressed by the verbs to remember, to regret).

I regret going there.
I regret going there. (I went earlier, I regret it now.)

e) to need - need, to want - want, to require - demand(after these verbs a gerund or infinitive is used, but the gerund is more common).

The flowers want watering. (= The flowers want to be watered.)
Flowers need to be watered. (= flowers need to be watered.)

and) to try - try, try, to propose - propose, make an offer, to go on - continue, to be afraid of - afraid(verb to try meaning to attempt - try requires an infinitive after itself, and in the meaning of to make the experiment - experiment requires a gerund after itself).

They tried to put
They tried to put wire mesh around the garden.

It is not clear from this sentence whether the net was installed or not. Second sentence using a gerund:

They tried putting wire netting all round the garden.
They tried (did an experiment) to put a net around the garden.

The use of a gerund indicates that they performed the main action, i.e., put up a net, but whether this had a positive result is unknown, i.e., whether it saved the garden from hares, foxes, etc.

Verb to propose in the meaning of to intend - mean requires an infinitive after itself, and in the meaning of suggest - suggest requires a gerund after itself.

I propose to start tomorrow.
I intend to leave tomorrow.

I propose waiting till the doctor gets here.
I suggest you wait until the doctor comes.

Verb to go on(= to continue) - continue usually used with a gerund, but with verbs such as to tell, to talk, to explain, etc., when the speaker talks about the same topic, but introduces new aspects, the infinitive is used.

Didn't go on talking.
Did not begin by showing us where the island was and went on to tell us about its climate.
He continued talking. He started by showing us where the island was and then went on to talk about its climate.

4. After verbs to go, to come a verb indicating physical activity is used in the form of a gerund.

They are going playing football.
They go to play football.

5. used to + Infinitive expresses a past habit.

I used to smoke.
I used to smoke (but now I don’t).

The verb to use in the form to be used to in the meaning to be accustomed - get used to it used with a gerund.

I am used to standing in queues.
I'm used to standing in lines.

Structure to be afraid of + Gerund means the expression of fear, fear and is usually used with verbs expressing undesirable actions.

Wasn't afraid of falling. He was afraid of falling.
He was afraid of missing his train.
He was afraid of missing his train.

Structure to be afraid + Infinitive expresses that the person (as the subject) is afraid to perform the action expressed by the infinitive.

I wasn't afraid to jump so he stayed where he was.
He was afraid to jump and so he stayed where he was.

6. Gerunds are often included in compound nouns that indicate the purpose of an object: writing table - desk, booking office - ticket office, swimming pool - swimming pool.

7. Gerund is often used after verbs, adjectives and participles as a prepositional object and requiring certain prepositions after itself: to depend on - depend from, to insist on - insist on, to object to - object against, to agree to - agree to, to think of - to think about, to thank for - thank you for, to prevent from - hinder, hinder to succeed in - succeed in, to be proud of - be proud of (someone, something), to be fond of - to love (something), to be sure of - to be sure of (something), to be pleased at/with - to be pleased with (someone, something), to be surprised at - to be surprised (at something) to be interested in - be interested in (something), to be connected with - be related to.

She succeeded in playing the piano.
She achieved success in playing the piano.

He wasn't surprised at seeing her in our house.
He was surprised to see her (when he saw her) in our house.

He insisted on my moving to their house.
He insisted on me moving into their house.

She was proud of winning the first prize.
She was proud that she received (won) the first prize.

8. Perfect Gerund (having worked, having written) is used instead of Present Gerund (working, writing) when the action refers to the past tense.

We were surprised at him having arrived to the conference.
We were surprised that he came to the conference.

9. A gerund in the passive voice (Passive Gerund) is used when the action expressed by the gerund is performed on the person or thing to which it refers.

Present: being worked, being written.
Past: having been worked, having been written.

I remember being taken to the Zoo as a small child.
I remember being taken to the zoo when I was little.

He was punished by being sent to bed without any supper.
He was punished by being sent to bed without dinner.

Complex gerundial phrase

The combination of a possessive pronoun or a noun in the possessive or general case with a gerund is called a complex gerundial phrase.

In this combination, the gerund expresses an action performed by the person or thing designated by the pronoun or noun. The entire turn is translated by a subordinate clause.

He insisted on her returning home.
He insisted on her returning home.

They objected to their son’s changing his job.
They were against their son changing jobs.

There was no hope of our getting tickets.
We had no hope of getting tickets.

Negative sentences in English are a sentence containing indicators of negation. In Russian, a sentence can have several negatives. In English, there can only be one negative in one sentence.

In English there are three non-finite verb forms: the Infinitive, the Gerund, and the Participle. This article will focus on two of them - the infinitive and the gerund.

The peculiarity of non-finite forms of the verb in comparison with personal ones is that the infinitive and gerund do not change according to persons, numbers and tenses and do not have a mood category. Non-finite forms of the verb have grammatical forms of voice, aspect, and also express temporal reference to the action of the personal verb-predicate (simultaneity, antecedent).

In this article you will learn:

Forms and syntactic function of the infinitive and gerund

Infinitive forms (Table 1)

Gerund forms (Table 2).

There are significant similarities between the infinitive and the gerund, which is why their use is often difficult. Both verb forms perform a number of syntactic functions of a noun, i.e. they can be used as a subject, complement, determiner, or nominal part of a nominal compound predicate.

Syntactic functions of the infinitive and gerund (Table 3)

A gerund, like a noun, can be used with a possessive pronoun or a noun in the possessive case and with prepositions:

I insist on his coming to the meeting.

She is proud of her son's studying at university.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you shortly.

GERUND describes an action in noun form. The INFINITIVE most often indicates a purpose or reason. However, without knowing the rules, it is often very difficult to decide what should be used in a sentence - an infinitive or a gerund.

Cases of using the infinitive.

The infinitive can be used with or without the particle to. You can read more about this in .

So, let's list the cases in which it is necessary to use the infinitive.

The infinitive is used:

• After a whole series of verbs. The list of verbs is given below.

List of verbs after which the infinitive is used (Table 4)

List of verbs followed by a noun or pronoun + infinitive (Table 5)

Not agreed to help me. - He agreed to help me.

I am trying to improve myself. - I'm trying to make myself better.

• After the verbs advise (advise), allow (allow), convince (convince), encourage (inspire), persuade (convince) and others if present after them direct object expressed by a noun or pronoun:

They don't allow drivers to park here. — They don't allow drivers to park their cars here.

I advise you not to follow his example. “I advise you not to follow his example.”

• After phrases would like/would love/would prefer(I would like to)

I'd love to play tennis now. - I would like to play tennis now.

Wouldn't prefer to play tennis with Pete. — He would rather play tennis with Pete.

• After adjectives nice, sorry, glad, happy, afraid, ashamed, kind etc. in phrases of the following type:

He is glad to be back home again. - He's glad to be home again.

It was impossible to believe their story. “It’s impossible to believe their story.”

• After the construction It is/was/has been + adjective + of + noun/pronoun:

It is nice of him to visit me in the hospital. - It was nice of him to visit me in the hospital.

It was foolish of me to ski without any lessons. — It was stupid of me to ski without prior training.

• After too (too) and enough (enough):

It is never too late to study. - It's never too late to learn.

It's too late to go there. - It's too late to go there.

• In constructions so + adjective + as to INFINITIVE:

Would you be so kind as to help me with my English? —Would you be so kind as to help me with my English?

• After the words who (who), what (what), where (where), when (when), how (how), which (which). The exception is the word why:

I have no idea what to buy. — I have no idea what to buy.

I am not sure which company to hire. — I'm not sure which company to hire.

BUT: Why not go there?

In phrases

• to be honest (to be honest),
• to tell you the truth (in truth),
• to be frank (frankly speaking),
• to begin with (let's start with that), etc.

To be honest, I hate the cold weather. — Honestly, I hate cold weather.

Then tell you the truth, I miss the summer. - To tell the truth, I miss summer.

That be frank, snow has never excited me. — Frankly speaking, I never liked snow.

• The infinitive is used in a complex object with or without the particle to.

I want him to help. - I want him to help.

Without the particle to, the infinitive in a complex object is used after verbs expressing perception by the senses: see, watch, observe, notice, hear, feel, etc. Infinitive in in this case it is used without the particle to and denotes a completed action!

I saw them cross the street. — I saw them cross the street.

I heard him sing. — I heard him sing.

• After the expressions: the first, the second, the last, the only:

He is always the first to come. - He always comes first.

• After only.

She went there only to see him once more - She went there only to see him again.

The main uses of the gerund.

The gerund is used after a number of verbs presented in the following table.

Verbs that are always followed by a gerund (gerund) (Table 6).

• After the verbs love, like, enjoy, prefer, dislike, hate, detest when talking about a lifelong habit;

Do you like living in your city? — Do you like living in your city?

Doesn't prefer doing everything in time. — He prefers to do everything on time.

I have always enjoyed cooking Italian food. — I always liked cooking Italian dishes.

The twins hate being apart. - Geminis hate being apart.

I detest reading anything about myself. “I can’t stand reading about myself.”

• After the verb spend (spend), waste (spend), lose (lose) in the phrases spend/waste/lose time, money (spend money, time):

I spend much time trying to help him him. “I spend a lot of time trying to help him.

People don’t want to waste their time eating in the restaurants at lunch time. — People don’t want to waste time eating in restaurants during a break.

• After prepositions:

Don't ran all the way home without stopping. “I ran all the way home without stopping.”

Not apologized for being late. — He apologized for being late.

We suggest you remember the following verbs with prepositions, after which the gerund is used. Of course, the presence of a preposition itself will tell you to use a gerund, but knowing these verbs with postpositions is very useful.

List of verbs with prepositions followed by a gerund (Table 7).

List of adjectives/participles with prepositions followed by a gerund (Table 8)

List of nouns with prepositions followed by a gerund (Table 9)

NOTE that in the following expressions, to is a preposition, not a particle, so you need to use a gerund, not an infinitive:

• adjust to (adapt),
• be/get used to (get used to),
• look forward-to (look forward to),
• object to

Gerunds are used after phrases

• it’s no use/good (useless),
• it’s (not) worth (not/worth),
• be busy (to be busy),
• what"s the use of...? (what is the use...?),
• there"s no point in... (there is no point in...),
• can’t help (impossible to resist),
• be/get used to (get used to),
• feel like (to be inclined, to want),
• look forward to (look forward to)
• can't stand

This book is worth reading. - This book is worth reading.

I was busy repairing the car. — I was busy fixing the car.

What's the use of crying? - What is the use of crying?

There is no point in doing it now. - There is no point in doing this.

Not got used to living in a hot country. — He is used to living in a hot country.

The audience can't help laughing. — The audience couldn’t help but laugh.

I am looking forward to hearing from you. - I look forward to your answer.

INFINITIVE OR GERUND: special cases.

In this part we will talk about those verbs after which it is possible to use both an infinitive and a gerund.

BEGIN /START /CONTINUE

After these verbs, either a gerund or an infinitive can be used, without changing the meaning of the sentence:

They started to sing. = They started singing.

DISLIKE /HATE/PREFER

The situation is similar, you can use both gerund and infinitive.

People hate to be criticized. = People hate being criticized.

ADVISE /ALLOW/PERMIT /ENCOURAGE /RECOMMEND

If these verbs are followed by an object, then the infinitive is used. In the absence of an object, a gerund is used:

We were not advised to take a trip. = He advised taking a trip.

NEED/REQUIRE /WANT

The verbs need (need), require (demand), want (want) in a general sense require the use of an infinitive, however, if we are talking about proposals for repair / improvement, when we are dealing with a passive meaning, then we can use a gerund or infinitive passive.

The car needs repairing. = The car needs to be repaired.

After the following verbs, either a gerund or an infinitive can be used, but the meaning of the sentence is changes.

FORGET (forget):

Forget + to INF – forget to do something

Forget + Ving - forget that you did something

I forgot to take my camera to the park. — I forgot to take my camera to the park.

I forgot taking my camera to the park. — I forgot that I took the camera to the park.

REGRET (regret))

Regret + to INF – regret having to do something (often with)

Regret + Ving - to regret that something has already been done

I regret to tell you that I’m leaving. I'm sorry, but I have to say that I'm leaving.

I regret telling you that I’m leaving. “I regret what I said about leaving.”

REMEMBER (remember):

Remember + to INF – remember that you need to do something

Remember + Ving – remember what has already been done

Didn't remember to send the invitation. “He remembered and sent an invitation.

Didn't remember sending the invitation. — He remembered that he had sent an invitation.

STOP (stopsya):

Stop + to INF – stop to do something

Stop + Ving – stop / stop doing something

Not stopped to talk to Gerald. — He stopped to talk to the Herald.

She stopped talking to him five weeks ago. “She stopped talking to him five weeks ago.”

TRY (try)

Try + to-inf. - try as an experiment

Try + Ving - try

Try to throw the ball into the basket. - Try to throw the ball into the basket.

Try cooking this meat. – Try to cook this meat.

GO ON (continue)

go on + to-inf (stop doing something and start doing something else).

go on + Ving (keep doing one action)

Not cleaned the yard and then went on to water the flowers. - He cleaned the yard and then began to water the flowers,

We went on dancing until we got tired. — We continued dancing until we got tired.

mean + to-inf - intend to do something

mean + Ving - to mean, to assume

She means to study physics in London this year. – This year she is going (has the intention) to teach physics in London.

This new job means living abroad. – This new job involves living abroad.

like + to inf. - expresses a one-time desire, intention, preference

like + Ving - meaning like very much, synonym enjoy

I like to be punctual. – I prefer to be punctual.

I like swimming. - I like swimming.

Now you can do the exercises on.

Gerund is an impersonal verb form formed by adding the ending -ing to the verb. For example, the gerund of the verb read is reading. There is no analogue of the gerund in the Russian language.

Despite the fact that the gerund is a verb form, it has more of the characteristics of a noun. In particular, in a sentence it can be the subject, object and predicate; gerunds can be used after prepositions; it may be preceded by possessive pronouns.

Note that when there is a noun with the same meaning as a gerund, it is preferable to use the noun.

For example:
We are waiting for his arrival. (AND NOT We are waiting for his arriving.)
We are waiting for him arrival.

Forms and functions of gerunds in English

In the examples below, pay attention to the forms of the gerund (present - present tense form, perfect - perfect form, passive - passive voice form, negative - negative form):

I like shooting.
I like fire. (Gerund form: present. )

He doesn't like being told what to do.
He doesn't like it when he They say, what to do. ( Gerund form: passive. )

She loves being looked at.
She likes it when it's on her are watching. (Gerund form: passive. )

He was charged with having committed arson
He was accused of committing arson. ( Gerund form: perfect. )

He complained of having been tortured by the police.
He filed a complaint that was tortured from the police. ( Gerund form: perfect passive. )

The best thing you can do for your health now is not drinking alcohol.
The best thing you can do for your health right now is not to drink alcohol. ( Gerund form: negative. )

To better understand the difference between the listed gerund forms, you need to have a good understanding of tenses and voice in English.

As mentioned above, in a sentence a gerund can be a subject, an object, and a predicate:

Flying makes me sick.
I feel nauseous during the flight. ( )

Trespassing is prohibited.
Violation of property rights is prohibited. ( Gerund function: subject.)

We don't allow smoking in our house.
We do not allow smoking in our house. ( Gerund function: direct object.)

I don't believe in buying wine as an investment.
I don't think buying wine is a good investment. ( Function of the gerund: prepositional object.)

My favorite activity is reading.
My favorite activity is reading. ( )

Our mistake was trusting him.
Our mistake was that we believed him. ( Function of the gerund: predicative.)

Gerund complement in English

Being a verb form, the gerund also has the characteristics of a verb. Like a verb, a gerund can take an object after it.

Compare:
Smoking is injurious to health. – Smoking cigarettes is injurious to health.
Smoking unhealthy. – Smoking cigarettes unhealthy. ( Noun cigarettes smoking. )

I love reading. – I love reading novels.
I really love read. - I really love read novels. (Noun novels is the object of the gerund reading. )

However, note that when a gerund is used with an article, it cannot take a direct object. Instead, a prepositional structure is used of.

For example:
The smoking of cigarettes is injurious to health.
Smoking cigarettes is harmful to health.

The climbing of mountains is a good sport.
Rock climbing is a good sport.

Using pronouns with gerunds in English

Possessive pronouns and some modifiers are often used with gerunds (for example, this, those, each, either, some, few, all, both, etc.), thus indicating who performs the action expressed by the gerund.

For example:
They insisted on my resigning the post.
They insisted that I left from this post.

Does my smoking annoy you?
It doesn't bother you that I smoke?

I don't mind your coming late.
I don't mind You came late.

I hate everyone this useless arguing.
I can't stand everything this useless dispute.

There is no hope of his arriving on time.
There's no hope that he will come during.

She was angry at John's trying to lie to her.
She was angry that John tried lie to her.

In colloquial speech in such situations, nouns or personal pronouns or s are much more often used (for example: me, him, you, John) than possessive pronouns or modifiers.

For example:
They insisted on me resigning the post.
She was angry at John trying to lie to her.

Also, nouns and personal pronouns are preferred when the gerund is in the passive voice, or when the noun expresses an inanimate object.

For example:
We were shocked at President Kennedy being assassinated.
We were shocked when President Kennedy was assassinated.

There is no danger of the roof crashing.
There is no danger that the roof will collapse.

There is no hope of the fog lifting for another hour.
There is no hope that the fog will go away in the next hour.

Gerunds with verbs of perception are usually also used with nouns and personal pronouns.

For example:
I saw him running out of the room.
I saw him run out of the room.

The use of the gerund is discussed in great detail and described in the next section,

The gerund is one of the English parts of speech that is absent in the Russian language.

A gerund in English is a form of a verb called impersonal (non-finite), which expresses an action, but has the characteristics and properties of not only a verb, but also has the characteristics of a noun.

The gerund is also called the verbal part of speech. Answers the question: doing what?

What is a gerund used for in English?

We usually use this part of speech after verbs:

• Indicating the beginning, duration and end of an action:
  • to start, to continue, to stop, to finish
• Expressing an attitude towards an action: dislike, preference, etc. For example:
  • to like, to enjoy, to love, to hate, to prefer, etc.

Useful knowledge about the English gerund:

• Can have a direct object without any preposition:
  Reading stories, growing flowers
• A possessive pronoun (his, her, their) or a noun in the possessive case (friend's, mother's) can be used before it, but not an article.

Possible functions of a gerund in a sentence

Since the gerund is a cross between an English verb and a noun, it can take on different functions in sentences. It can be an addition, a circumstance, a subject, a definition, unless the position of a simple predicate is beyond its capabilities. Let's consider sequentially what functions a gerund can perform in sentences:

Functions subject:

• Running is very useful. — Running is very useful

These kinds of sentences can be easily rephrased without changing the meaning. The gerund is replaced by an infinitive; such displacement is especially common in colloquial speech:

• It's very useful to run. — It’s very useful to run

Functions prepositional object:

• He is fond of swimming. — He loves bathing

Functions direct object:

• I mind your smoking here. — I object to you smoking here

Functions circumstances of the time:

• On coming home he drank a cup of tea. — On returning home he drank a cup of tea

Functions circumstances of the course of action:

• Instead of going school she watched TV-shows. — Instead of going to school, she watched a TV show

Could be part compound nominal predicate:

• My mother's hobby is making cakes. — My mother’s hobby is making cakes

Definition:

• I like her manner of speaking. — I like her way of speaking

In view of so many functions performed in sentences, this variable part of speech undoubtedly deserves due attention.

Subtleties of gerund formation

The gerund is formed according to the formula:

verb + ing

The general rule for forming a simple gerund does not cause difficulties: we take the particle to from the verb in the infinitive, then add the ending to it -ing:

• To cook - cooking
• To listen - listening

However, there are several cases where there are some deviations from the above rule:

1. If the verb ends in -e, That -e is omitted and added - ing:
   To make - making
   To serve - serving
2. Verbs that end in a consonant and are preceded by a stressed short vowel require doubling the final consonant, and then -ing is added:
   To swim - swimming
   To begin - beginning
   To run - running
3. Verbs that have a stressed last syllable and end in -r, double it, however, the stressed syllable should not contain diphthongs, since their presence excludes the doubling of the final -r:
   To star - starring ( -r becomes pronounced after doubling)
   To wear - wearing (there is a diphthong, so doubling -r unacceptable)
4. According to British rules, the final -l always doubles, despite the fact that the last syllable is stressed or unstressed.
   To travel - travelling
5. If the infinitive has final - ie, they are replaced by -y:
   To lie - lying

Ending -ing, which helps form the verbal part of speech and is pronounced like a nasal , A -g We don’t pronounce it.

On the translation of gerunds into Russian

The gerund is translated into Russian as a noun or as a verb:

1. We translate them as Russian verbal nouns (conveying process), which, as a rule, end in - aniye, —tion:
   To smoke (smoking) - smoking (smoking)
   To swim (swim) - swimming (swimming)
2. Sometimes we translate them into Russian, like verbs

Forms that a gerund can take

Due to its relationship with the verb, the gerund can take the forms of active and passive voices, and can also be of two types: indefinite and perfect. We have 4 forms, of which one is only simple, the other three are complex, for clarity we will place them in the table.

1. The first simple form is used most often in English and denotes an action that occurs simultaneously with the main verb, which is the predicate:
   I like writing the articles. — I like to write articles
2. The second form of the gerund indicates the action that the subject or object experiences:
   I hate being deceived. - I hate being deceived
3. The third form of the gerund expresses an action that occurred earlier than something that is conveyed through the predicate:
   I regretted having this story published. — I regretted publishing this story. (Watch the sequence of events: he first published, then regretted it.)
4. The fourth form also indicates an action preceding the action that the predicate in the sentence expresses, while some subject or object experienced it:
   We remember having been shown the painting. — We remember that they showed us this picture

Gerund or infinitive

In English, there are cases when you need to choose a gerund or an infinitive.

The following table will help to deal with this problem; it clearly distinguishes the cases of use of these two forms in English.

So, today we figured out what a gerund is in English, found out its characteristics, forms, functions in sentences. Due to the absence of such a part of speech in the Russian language, it may seem meaningless to you, but this is not so. With a little effort, perseverance and training exercises, you will understand its meaning in English.

Gerund in English is a difficult topic for people from the post-Soviet space to understand. When learning English, most people fail to understand what a gerund is the first time.

A gerund in English is a non-finite form of a verb ending in –ing, combining the characteristics of both the noun and the verb. In most situations, gerunds have the meaning of some process, action or state. “The gerund” is formed by adding the ending -ing to the indefinite form of the verb (infinitive). For example,

Reading - reading
Running - running
Walking - walk

With all this, the formation of a gerund with negation is quite simple. In a sentence, it is preceded by the negative particle not. Sentences with gerunds in English and with translation:

He enjoys not working. —He enjoys being out of work.
We were disappointed at not finding them here. —We were upset not to find them here.

Regarding the Russian language, this is a difficult and incomprehensible phenomenon, because there are no analogues to it. As a rule, the most similar in function and meaning of the gerund form in Russian can be considered verbal nouns with various suffixes: -tiye, -ka, -stvo, -(e)nie or, not so often, the infinitive. Gerund is very similar to the indefinite form in many of its functions, however, according to the main criteria, the gerund is more like a noun than a verb.

Translation of the design into Russian

Due to the absence of gerund as a phenomenon in Russian, the translation and use of gerund can be completely different. Due to the semantic load Gerund carries, the translation may look like:

• noun;
• verbal noun;
• noun, with an accompanying preposition;
• infinitive;
• participle;
• adjective

Forms

There are four known forms of the gerund. It is used in Simple and Perfect, as well as in active voice and passive voice. The table shows examples of the use of its various forms.

She likes sending letters (Active) —She loves to send letters.
He hates being knocked down at ring. (Passive) —He hates being knocked down in the ring.

Perfect implies something that happens before the action of the predicate verb. For example:

She is proud of having told an idea to this famous person. (Active) - She is proud that she brought the idea to this famous person.
She is proud of having been spoken to. (Passive) - She is proud that they talked to her.

Functions in a sentence

Due to the fact that the gerund has collected the main criteria of several parts of speech, the forms and functions of the gerund in the texts are completely different. The only thing is that, due to its peculiarities, the gerund cannot act as a simple predicate.

The gerund as a subject is used quite often; for this it must be used without a preposition. Translated into Russian, it is either a noun or an infinitive.

Smoking is a bad habit. — Smoking is a bad habit.
Trying to improve yourself is necessary. — Trying to improve yourself is important.

Also, quite often the impersonal form can appear as a member of a compound predicate. Moreover, its use will only be possible with the linking verb to be (am, is, are, was, were). The subject in this case will act in the form of an object, not capable of independently performing one or another action expressed by the gerund. Otherwise, it is no longer a gerund, but a verb.

His hobby is listening to music.

To perform the function of a complement, the gerund must necessarily appear after certain verbs; in other situations, only the infinitive will be used. Verbs after which a gerund is used in English (list of verbs with gerund in english): advise, delay, enjoy, give up, recommend, etc. Examples:

He advises talking to her husband. — He advised to talk to her husband.
She delayed completing the work. — She delayed the completion of the work.
They enjoyed playing the tennis. — They were enjoying playing tennis.

In the function of definition, gerund appears less often and only after nouns with certain prepositions, such as: at, about, to, in, of.

I like the idea of ​​going abroad. — I like the idea of ​​going abroad.

In certain situations, gerunds are used before a qualifying noun, in such a situation they convey the function of a given object: a working place (workplace).

At the same time, in the phrase a falling tree, falling is a participle, because expresses an action performed by a noun.

The use of a gerund as an adverbial is possible; this requires the addition of prepositions such as in, on, before, after, without, etc.

Gerund is an absolutely indispensable form in the use of language. It is obvious that without understanding the structure and rules of use of this phenomenon, it is impossible to fully study English.