A noun formed from a verb by the addition of -ing.
21
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3answers
5k views
What's the difference between a gerund and a participle?
What is the difference between a gerund and a participle?
19
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2answers
2k views
When is “L” doubled?
Some verbs can have double Ls in the gerund form; for example:
modeling; modelling
traveling; travelling
Which form should we use, or which form is used more in the literature?
18
votes
3answers
996 views
The times they are a-changin'
I have always been intrigued by the word usage in the title of this Bob Dylan song. Wikipedia mentions that the song was influenced by Irish and Scottish ballads:
Dylan recalled writing the song ...
17
votes
5answers
935 views
When can the -ing form of a verb be placed before a noun?
My native-speaker's grammatical intuition tells me that:
There is a sleeping man under the tree.
is fine but
There is a fishing man by the river bank.
is wrong. Why?
I've thought about ...
16
votes
3answers
2k views
Does a gerund always end with -ing? If so, why?
After asking what the difference is between a gerund and a participle, I began to wonder if all gerunds end with -ing, since I couldn't think of any that didn't. If they do, why?
15
votes
3answers
3k views
When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive pronoun?
I assume that the following sentences are grammatically correct:
He resents your being more popular than he is.
Most of the members paid their dues without my asking them.
They objected ...
13
votes
1answer
2k views
When should a verb be followed by a gerund instead of an infinitive?
Some verbs are followed by ing, e.g. I enjoy swimming. We can't say I enjoy to swim. Likewise, some verbs are followed by to, e.g. I decided to make a plan.
Which particular verbs are followed by ...
13
votes
5answers
620 views
'The X-ing of Y' vs just 'X-ing Y' : why are both 'the' and 'of' necessary together?
Take the example of
There is very little that a conforming POSIX.1 application can do by catching, ignoring or masking SIGSYS
(From the SIGSYS article)
This can be rewritten as
There is ...
11
votes
1answer
762 views
How does one know when to use a gerund or a infinitive?
As a native speaker of English, the gerund version of this sentence sounds better:
infinitive:
When used together in chains,
extension methods are an unprecedented
tool to produce extremely ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
Past tense and “rather than”
I found myself with a sentence like this, using "accept" in the infinitive form after "rather than":
They left the club, rather than accept the terms.
But I'm unsure of its grammatical ...
10
votes
1answer
209 views
“Road liable to flooding” — is this roadsign grammatically correct?
I passed the roadsign below while driving home late last night, and realised that despite how many times I had seen it, I was still surprised by the choice of words used and unsure if it was actually ...
9
votes
3answers
9k views
“I like to do (be) something” vs “I like doing (being) something”
This is what I read in an answer to a previous question:
Verbs Followed by Either Gerund or Infinitive
Sometimes the meaning changes according to the verb used.
<…>
(dis)like
...
8
votes
2answers
13k views
How to use “to + V-ing”?
I saw some scenarios that used the structure "to + V-ing", such as the following:
Looking forward to hearing.
Disposed to using few words.
I would like to apply what I learned in school to helping ...
7
votes
3answers
466 views
Is there the gerund of the verb “can”?
I would like translate a Portuguese phrase into English:
Esta técnica é bem poderosa, podendo ser extendida para várias outras questões.
In English I got:
This technique is very powerful and ...
7
votes
5answers
503 views
When was the word 'being' first used to refer to a human being or sentient being?
I am confused by the use of the word being to refer to a static thing. How can this word that appears to clearly be a verb gerund get turned around to be used as a thing?
7
votes
3answers
144 views
“Comparing” vs “A comparison of ”
A professor criticized the language in a presentation. In particular he said that English preferred a noun phrase such as a comparison of to a gerund such as comparing.
For reference the entire ...
7
votes
3answers
494 views
Help identifying an error type “tried to help me learning”
I have a friend from Russia who is trying to learn English and recently used the sentence "He tried to help me learning..." (implied: the English language)
It is obviously wrong and I corrected it ...
6
votes
2answers
220 views
What is the correct form of a gerund? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive pronoun?
“Me being” versus “my being”
Usage of the gerund preceded by the possessive pronoun
I don't really ...
6
votes
2answers
288 views
Referring to a gerund with a pronoun
Is it considered grammatical to refer to a gerund in the subject position with the pronoun "it"?
Example:
Visiting a dentist regularly is recommended as it can contribute to overall health.
6
votes
1answer
2k views
“I love to [verb]” vs “I love [gerund]” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
Catenatives followed by infinitives and gerunds
“I like to do (be) something” vs “I like doing (being) something”
What is the difference between "I love to sing" and ...
6
votes
2answers
286 views
“It is fun to write letters” vs. “It is fun writing letters”
Grammatically, "It is fun to write English letters." is correct. But is the following also grammatically correct?
It is fun writing English letters.
5
votes
3answers
3k views
-ing vs -in' ending
I wonder if the "g" in the -ing forms is pronounced. When I hear it it seems as if it's not pronounced sometimes or just slightly, though sometimes I've been told that I should pronounce "g" for ...
5
votes
1answer
204 views
Why was _to_ verb_+ing_ used in this case? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to use “to + V-ing”?
“To hear” or “to hearing”?
Samson had been a strong man prior to having his hair cut.
From a grammatical point of view, when ...
5
votes
4answers
479 views
Catenatives followed by infinitives and gerunds
I was wondering if anyone could please help me with this.
What is the difference in meaning when the catenative verb “like” is followed by an infinitive, or by a gerund? For example: Do you like ski ...
5
votes
1answer
646 views
Why do we not include a possessive in “thank you for coming”, and include one in “thank you for *your* kindness”?
Why is it more correct to say "thank you for coming" than "thank you for your coming," but it's okay to say "thank you for your kindness," rather than "thank you for kindness"?
5
votes
5answers
167 views
Is it widely accepted to use ‘gridiron’ as a verb and gerund?
Time magazine (September 30) carries the article titled “Christie to Watch Football” followed by the lead copy:
“Garden Stater in no rush to decide, will mull while gridironing this weekend. AP ...
5
votes
3answers
525 views
Usage of the gerund preceded by the possessive pronoun
I read this thread on the usage of the gerund preceded by the possessive pronoun with much interest.
I have another question about the usage of the gerund preceded by the possessive pronoun.
In a ...
5
votes
3answers
206 views
Ambiguity of “to be” + gerund
I would like to ask about a basic sentence that really confuses me.
My favorite sport is swimming.
I think it is strange. "Swimming" can be interpreted as a gerund ("I like to swim; it is my ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
How do I know when a verb should be followed by a gerund or an infinitive?
A few weeks ago I posted a question about the usage of a verbal in a particular sentence. But now, I have another question on the same topic, gerund.
Sometimes I don't know for sure if I need to use ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
“Stop working” vs “stopped to work”
I want to know, is there any difference between "stop + v.(ing)" and "stopped to + v.". These are example sentences.
I stop working for a month vs I stopped to work for a month
I stop watching movies ...
4
votes
4answers
291 views
Cooking apples and cleaning ladies
Consider the following sentences:
Cooking is my favourite activity.
Cooking apples are essential for this recipe.
Cooking functions in the first sentence as a gerund. How does it function in the ...
4
votes
1answer
148 views
Are all of these sentences grammatical?
He was charged with killing 13 people.
He was charged with having killed 13 people.
He was charged with the crime he killed 13 people.
I suppose the phrase no. 1 is correct but the ...
4
votes
2answers
169 views
Is “a disclaiming” a gerund?
EDIT see end of question for updates:
The question came up if this is proper English:
Sorry, I felt the need for a disclaiming for some reason.
And I think it is but some others say it isn't. ...
4
votes
1answer
101 views
“Work” vs. “working” (noun)
What are the differences between work and working when used as nouns?
For example:
Advocates claim that work/working brings a lot of benefits for young people.
Which one is correct? I have ...
4
votes
3answers
111 views
“Spell check” vs. “spelling check”
I can't remember the exact place I saw this (but I believe it was on another StackExchange site), but when someone was commenting on a software's "spell check" function, they said something to the ...
4
votes
1answer
397 views
The choice between the gerund and the infinitive in a certain construction
I am pretty much sure that for native speakers the issue I am going to bring up might look as an uncalled question as they can easily figure out which form of a verbal part of speech should be used, ...
4
votes
3answers
133 views
“Watched them get married” vs “watched them getting married”
I read the following:
The next day as I watched them get married...
How does it differ from the following? Is one more eloquent and accurate than other?
The next day as I watched them ...
3
votes
5answers
301 views
Infinitive vs. present participle (time relations)
I was told that one of the following refers to the past and the other to the future. I cannot decide which is which and would appreciate it if someone could explain the difference between these ...
3
votes
3answers
145 views
Is “to practice volleyball requires stamina” grammatical?
Is the sentence "to practice volleyball requires stamina" grammatically correct? As opposed to the sentence "practicing volleyball requires stamina"?
Another example:
To ensure safety ...
3
votes
3answers
700 views
Which of these sentences is correctly written?
Someone edited my message on StackOverflow, but it really bugs me out.
I'm not sure what's wrong with it:
As you see, the bigger the circle becomes, the more vertices I need for hiding the straight ...
3
votes
2answers
218 views
“To handle certificates is…” vs. “handling certificates is…”
I have two equivalent sentences, intended for a brochure for a computer program. Which one is better?
To handle certificates manually is time consuming and expensive.
Handling certificates ...
3
votes
3answers
640 views
one's way of V-ing / one's way to V / a/the way of V-ing / a/the way to V
There are some options when you use the word way and some verb together:
(1) a. There are some way of writing.
b. There are some way to write.
Is there any ...
3
votes
1answer
92 views
Gerund preceded by a genitive?
Is this sentence actually grammatical?
You know your having a rough day when kittens don't even make you smile.
The writer of this sentence may intend to mean you're instead of your but I'm just ...
3
votes
2answers
416 views
Hyphen in the noun 'switching-off'? Or gerunds of compound verbs, more generally?
I'm currently proof-reading my girlfriend's Ph.D. thesis (neither of us are native speakers) and I came across the following sentence snippet: "the switching-off induces eddy currents", and the word ...
3
votes
3answers
244 views
Using the gerund “Starting”
Does the gerund clause Starting in imply the future tense? For example, is this correct?
Starting in January, 2012, we will use public transportation.
Or is it proper to use the following:
...
2
votes
2answers
829 views
Using the gerund two times in a row
When you have this construct:
. . . is a key factor in the making and controlling of the water.
Should you leave only the last verb in the gerund:
. . . is a key factor in the make and ...
2
votes
3answers
496 views
Progressive form required for “as”, “while”, etc.?
Are both forms grammatically correct?
As I was entering the shop, I saw her.
As I entered the shop, I saw her.
2
votes
1answer
320 views
in order to [gerund] or [infinitive]?
There are few questions and answer on the choice of gerund versus infinitive.
From what I understand, when conveying a purpose the infinitive should be used:
I use my key in order to open the ...
2
votes
3answers
367 views
Which one should I use (“suggesting” or “to suggest”) in the example provided?
I can’t find anything suggesting that one cannot take out principle from Roth IRA account for education or housing purchases. Nor it’s indicated that money are doled out in a form of a loan.
Part ...
2
votes
2answers
101 views
“Weeks of rain/raining”? “Weeks of fight/fighting”? Is there a rule to use the gerund in those examples?
It’s common and correct to use both after two weeks of rain and after two weeks of fighting. But since fight is also a noun, couldn’t it be used instead of fighting?
Also, why rain and not raining? ...
