Use of the preposition "of" after "modelling"

Question

Consider two sentences:

1. Modelling of the dynamo proved to be resource-consuming.
2. See an account of the latest developments in modelling of the dynamo elsewhere.

Do I use "of" after "modelling" correctly? Can it be removed in both cases? My gut feeling is it can be removed in 1., not sure about 2.

Is there a general rule on the use of "of" after words ending by -ing? (As in "Proofreading of the paper took an hour" vs "Proofreading the paper took an hour")

Answer 1

Ing-forms which are apparently related to both noun and verb have been studied in great depth. According to Aarts, there have been three major attempts to explain different behaviours:

(a) lumping (most such ing-forms are placed in a general class, 'gerund-participles' as Huddleston and Pullum label them in CGEL, though they have tests to split 'noun' from 'verb')

(b) splitting (all such ing-forms are put in either the noun or verb word class, depending on prototypical examples they are considered to most resemble)

(c) a gradience model, where a given example is placed somewhere along a noun-verb continuum, and is not placed in a traditional word class. Quirk et al in ACGEL suggest this model.

Without classifying as definite noun or verb (which depends on the test chosen),

• Modelling of the dynamo proved to be resource-consuming.

is more 'nouny', corresponding to a POSS-ing structure (compare

• [The] / [Filco's] manufacture of the dynamo proved to be cost effective.)

while

• Modelling the dynamo proved to be resource-consuming.

is more verby (compare

• The company was modelling the dynamo.

with obvious past participle plus direct object. The comparison ('test' if you like) is of course far from perfect.)

Either works in your first example (note that the verby variant speaks more of the active process being carried out), but in the second, as you suspect, as in some other cases, the more nouny variant is preferable after 'developments in'.

Answer 2

The modelling of the dynamo proved to be resource-consuming.

Modelling of the dynamo proved to be resource-consuming.

Modelling the dynamo proved to be resource-consuming.

All are grammatical and idiomatic. The definite article is not necessary but neither is it ungrammatical. You can use it, indeed, would want to use it, if you are distinguishing the modelling from something else pertaining to the dynamo, the rendering, say, which might not have been as resource-intensive.

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22The+modeling+of%22&oq=%22The+modeling+of%22&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTcwNTVqMGoxNagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

The proofreading of essays typed by terrible typists is tiresome.

Proofreading of essays typed by terrible typists is tiresome.

Proofreading essays typed by terrible typists is tiresome.

All are grammatical.

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22The+proofreading+of%22&newwindow=1&sca_esv=600789614&biw=1394&bih=799&tbs=cdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1900%2Ccd_max%3A1999&tbm=bks&sxsrf=ACQVn0-C888DAzmFfeVTLSgM5ciEVsXUBg%3A1706035108293&ei=pAewZYjLEdD-ptQPuNW5-As&ved=0ahUKEwiIreqElPSDAxVQv4kEHbhqDr8Q4dUDCAk&uact=5&oq=%22The+proofreading+of%22&gs_lp=Eg1nd3Mtd2l6LWJvb2tzIhUiVGhlIHByb29mcmVhZGluZyBvZiJIihxQ5AlY8hlwAHgAkAEAmAGQAaABrAuqAQM4Lje4AQPIAQD4AQHCAgUQIRirAsICBRAAGIAEwgIHEAAYgAQYDcICBhAhGAoYCogGAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-books

Answer 3

Your examples have errors.

There are two constructions:

1. The modelling of the dynamo proved to be resource-consuming.

2. Modelling the dynamo proved to be resource-consuming.

In 1. "modelling" is a verbal noun; in 2, "modelling" is a gerund.

Gerunds do not usually take the definite article and require no "of",

Verbal nouns have a determiner and are modified by adjectives; gerunds are modified by adverbs.