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Ex.32. Choose one of the topics suggested below and write a story using parenthetical phrases and infinitive constructions.

1.Life is not all cakes and ale.

2.Every mother thinks her own gosling a swan.

3.Friendship works wonders.

4.Some people live to work, others work to live.

(use one of these statements to sum up your story)

II. Gerund

The gerund is formed by adding the suffix – ing to the stem of the verb. This non-finite possesses verbal and nominal features and its grammatical meaning is that of a process. Morphologically the verbal character of the gerund is manifested in the categories of voice and perfect and syntactically in its combinability (it combines with a noun/ pronoun as object, adjective/ noun as predicative and with an infinitive; it can be modified by adverbs and prepositional phrases). The nominal character of the gerund reveals itself syntactically, mainly in its syntactical functions (as subject, object, predicative, see Syntactic functions of the gerund below), partly in its combinability (like a noun, it may be preceded by a preposition and it combines with a possessive pronoun, a noun in the genitive case and the negative pronoun no in the idiomatic constructions of the type: There is no mistaking what he’s aiming at –

Нельзя не понять …). Study the tables below:

The grammatical categories of the gerund

Perfect	Active	Passive
Non-perfect	taking	being taken
Perfect	having taken	having been taken

They carried on discussing the project enthusiastically; He remembered being offended by the spokesman; I’m sorry for having raised these groundless objections; Laura recalled having been taken to Disneyland when she was a child.

NB: The non-perfect gerund is commonly used to denote a prior action thanks to the lexical meaning of the verb or the preposition suggesting priority (after verbs of recollection, gratitude, blame, reproach, punishment and reward and preposition on, that suggests immediate priority, and after):

He admitted spreading the confidential information; After choosing a gift and paying for his two items he left the store.

NB: There are some verbs (need, want, require, deserve) and the adjective worth which are followed by an active gerund with passive meaning:

The parquet needs polishing (to be polished – also possible); The gunman deserves to be locked up = The gunman deserves locking up.

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Syntactic functions of the gerund

the gerund as subject:

Denying everything won’t give any results; Taking risks is an integral part of our job; Working full-time was extremely difficult; It’s no use/ good arguing; There’s no point in revising the matter twice; It’s worth (while) trying; There’s no getting out of it (there’s no telling/ knowing/ escaping/ mistaking, etc.);

the gerund as part of the predicate:

1.as predicative: Helen’s passion is buying accessories for all her dresses;

2.as part of the compound verbal predicate with phasal verbs like begin, burst out, continue, finish, give up, keep on, quit, stop, , etc. :

On hearing the joke everybody burst out laughing;

the gerund as object:

Gerund as direct object after:				Gerund as prepositional object
admit	enjoy	postpone		aim at	dream		praise for
anticipate	escape	practice		accuse of	about/of		prevent from
appreciate	excuse	put off		apologize for	hear of		punish for
avoid	fancy	recall		assist in	help in		put up with
delay	feel like	recollect		blame for	insist on		rely on
deny	forgive	resent		complain about/	forgive for		result in
detest	involve	resist		of	have	no	sentence for
discuss	mention	risk		congratulate on	difficulty in		stop from
can’t stand	mind	suggest		consist in	learn of		succeed in
can’t help	miss	understand		count on	look	forward	suspect of
consider		! also after the		depend on	to		threaten
		adjectives		(dis)approve of	object to		with
		busy	and	discourage from	persist in		worry about
		worth

Gerund as prepositional object after adjectives, statives and past participles:

be afraid		be annoyed at	be furious about/over
be aware		be anxious about/for/over	be grateful for
be (in)capable		be astonished at/by	be keen on
be conscious	of	be certain about/of	be opposed to
be fond		be charged with	be preoccupied with
be ignorant		be content with	be responsible for
be proud		be delighted at	be right in/*about
be sure		be devoted to	be selfish (in)
be absorbed in		be (dis)pleased with/at/about	be sorry about
be/get accustomed to		be engrossed in	be surprised at
be amused at		be excited about	be tired of
be angry at		be fed up with	be/get used to

*Compare: You were right in applying for a pass (Ты был прав, что заказал пропуск) – You were right about his applying for a pass (Ты был прав – он заказал пропуск);

He suggested discussing my chances of promotion; Are you accusing me of spreading the rumours? Mark was suspected of being a spy;

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the gerund as attribute:

1.after nouns, mainly abstract nouns, followed by a preposition:

apology (for)	habit (of)	necessity (of)	process (of)
art (of)	harm (in)	objection (to)	prospect (of)
astonishment (at)	hope (of)	opportunity (of)	reason (for)
chance (of)	idea (of)	plan (for)	risk (of)
custom (of)	importance (of)	pleasure (of)	right (of)
disappointment (at)	intention (of)	possibility (of)	skill (in)
excuse (for)	interest (in)	precaution (of)	surprise (at)
experience (in/of)	means (of)	preparation (for)	thought (of)
fear (of)	method (of)	problem (of)	way (of)

It was my first experience of sharing with total strangers; We had no objections to ordering such machines;

This is an airplane for transporting goods; The barometer is an instrument for measuring the pressure of the air (after concrete nouns it expresses the purpose or the destination of the object mentioned);

2. gerund may be used as a premodifying attribute: a dancing hall, a dining table, a spending habit, writing paper, etc.

the gerund as adverbial modifier of several types:

Only on/after hearing the request he decided to make a donation (of time); In refusing to work abroad she missed an excellent job opportunity (of time or reason); But for meeting Alex, I might have chosen another way in life; The order will be accepted subject to receiving your confirmation within 10 days (of condition); I didn’t object in spite of their moving in the wrong direction (of concession).

Gerundial complex

The gerund can have its own subject different from the subject of the sentence and form a gerundial complex. This complex consists of a noun or a pronoun and a gerund attached to it.

Formal English: possessive form + gerund

I have no objection to his helping you with the project; We are concerned about the company’s trading in oil.

Informal English: object form + gerund

They approved of him reorganizing the working day; We are worried about Jane working so hard.

NB: 1) If the noun or pronoun refers to things or animals, we never use a possessive form: I remembered the horse winning the race (not: *the horse’s winning…); I insisted on the parcel being delivered promptly (not: *the parcel’s being delivered…);

2) If the gerundial complex is the subject of the sentence, only the possessive form is used with reference to people: Jim’s failing Physics was not unexpected.

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Ex.33. Open the brackets using the gerund either in the active or passive voice form.

1. The decorator insists on (pay) for his work done. 2. Henry is looking forward to (give) the leading part in the play. 3. Joan is very secretive. She avoids (ask) any personal questions or (ask) any even by her closest friends. 4. Why do celebrities avoid (meet) journalists? 5. The nurse showed no sign of (hurt). 6. The matter is not worth (speak of). 7. The tutor was annoyed at (interrupt) every other moment. 8. She can’t stand (remind) people of their duties and (remind) of hers. 9. Paul had never thought of security because he had no idea of (kidnap). 10. The food mixer needs (repair). 11. After (examining) by the doctor I was given a sick leave. 12. We did not want to speak to the correspondent and tried to avoid (interview) by him. 13. The evidence seemed overwhelming, but Mason denied (commit) the murder. 14. Persuasion is the art of (get) other people to do something or to believe something without (compel) to do so. 15. Specialists organized their considerable resources in an effort to prevent data from (take) from International Financial Statistics.

Ex.34. Complete the sentences using the gerund as subject.

1. … has been a rewarding experience. 2. … makes my neighbour upstairs unbearable. 3. … is one of my greatest satisfactions. 4. There … that this has been a difficult year for the company. 5. Personally, I think … is the most popular form of recreation nowadays. 6. … keeps you up to date with current events. 7. … only complicated my life. 8. … can’t be a weighty argument. 9. … will only make things worse.

Ex.35. Study the pattern there’s no + gerund. Translate the sentences into Russian. Write sentences about your city and university with the patterns given below.

There’s no telling/ knowing = it’s impossible to tell/ to know there’s no denying/ escaping/ mistaking = it’s certain (that)

1. There is no knowing what the eventual cast will be. 2. There is no escaping the fact that our department won’t be able to complete these orders without extra staff. 3. There is no telling what future will hold for her. 4. There is no denying that this will be a serious blow to the shareholders. 5. Julia is very unpredictable so there’s no knowing how she’ll react to the news. 6. There’s no mistaking whose children these triplets are.

Ex.36. Comment on the following situations using the phrases: It’s no good (use) … , There’s no/I can’t see any point in … , What’s the good (use) of …? What’s the point in (of) …?

Model: I know you are overworked and underpaid. – I know you are overworked and underpaid. But I can’t see any point in magnifying your difficulties.

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1. The government has decided to ban tobacco advertising. 2. The editor is unlikely to respond to public pressure. 3. He should have replied to the threats by going to the police. 4. These days she can barely earn enough to support herself. 5. Babies grow out of their clothes so quickly. 6. The company has reputation for a low pay and bad conditions. 7. In criticizing the boss she risked losing the position. 8. These old frames are of little value. 9. People wear flamboyant clothes when they want to be noticed.

Ex.37. a) Combine the sentences using the gerund.

1. Send your application today. Don’t delay! 2. I have to pay an enormous income tax. I resent this. 3. His assistant always buys a thing or two in a dutyfree shop. She can’t resist this. 4. Jerome had given us the false information. He admitted his fault. 5. Liz doesn’t eat convenience foods. She avoids this. 6. My son is always going on a spending spree on his payday. I resent this. 7. You shouldn’t take advantage of people’s weakness. It’s no good. 8. I posted your letters. I clearly remember that. 9. Both companies had discharged a lot of toxic waste. They denied that. 10. I have to get Mark’s permission for everything I do. I can’t stand this. 11. Mike – to push people around?! I can’t imagine that! 12. b) Combine the sentences. Use gerunds preceded by prepositions.

Model: Jim was denied admittance. – He was angry at being denied admittance.

1. Bob asked Monica to pay all the expenses. He should be ashamed … 2. Charles was elected president of the association. He was content … 3. Rita was not treated with much respect. She was not used … 4. Nick was refused the visa. He was very much annoyed… 5. Andrew betrayed their friendship. She cannot forgive … 6. You graduated from the State University! Let us congratulate you … 7. As you’re trying to keep fit, don’t consume much sugar. You should refrain… 8. Don’t disturb him: he’s busy brushing up for his exam. He’s preoccupied… 9. The police stopped the motorist after he exceeded the speed limit. The police charged the motorist… 10. As the child was sleeping we were speaking in a whisper. We were speaking in a whisper for fear…

Ex.38. Specify what kind of adverbial modifier the gerund is and write similar sentences.

1.In writing the essay about Spanish culture, I understood the country better.

2.On returning home from the bank I spotted a small statuette on the mantelpiece. 3. I bumped into a man. Without looking up I apologized and proceeded on my way. 4. That morning my father said to me: “In sending you to this college, Henry, I’m making a sacrifice.” 5. The band disappointed thousands of fans by cancelling the concert. 6. We lost ourselves through not knowing the way. 7. After studying the case attentively the solicitor changed his mind. 8. You are making a mistake in dissuading him from sending the reply. 9. They took the suspect to the station for questioning. 10. Without seeing the pictures, I can’t judge how good they are. 11. I have had a lot of depressing

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thoughts since leaving the office. 12. In standing on the table, John banged his head on the ceiling.

Ex.39. Fill in the gaps with prepositions.

1. The media can be blamed … imposing lots of negative views on gullible young people. 2. She often complains … not feeling appreciated at work. 3. If you persist … causing the trouble, the company may be forced to dismiss you. 4. Ted is accustomed … catching a 6 o’clock suburban train. 5. Who will help me … hanging the blinds? 6. The girl showed her skill … designing clothes for pets. 7. He was absorbed … studying the manuscript. 8. The principal got tired

…making reprimands. 9. We have difficulty … installing the new equipment. 10. The loader agreed to assist us … shifting the furniture. 11. Don’t be sorry

…missing the first scene. 12. He is suspected … having a love affair with a married woman. 13. Mason’s disability prevented him … walking. 14. Her failure in the first interview may discourage her … applying to other universities. 15. The workers threatened the boss … going on strike. 16. … choosing her coronation stamp Queen Elizabeth examined sixty-three designs. 17. There’s no point … contradicting women, is there? 18. Jake seems to feel the need … pouring out his heart. 19. You should have seen her face … being caught red-handed.

Ex.40. I. Complete the sentences. Add the necessary preposition.

1. Anyone travelling without a passport runs the risk… 2. I have been out of work for eight months. I’m anxious… 3. They put out the fire… 4. The people tend to criticize the government … 5. Bill can no longer afford to go to Cyprus for holiday. He misses… 6. Allen had an active lifestyle. He was in the habit… 7. Large companies generally welcome the idea… 8. His overprotective wife took the precaution… 9. The children were allowed to stay up late. She didn’t see any harm… 10. You are a Jack-of-all-trades. Why not try your hand… ? 11. I’m just stating facts, I’m far… 12. You would like to learn the nitty-gritty of running a small business? So don’t be frightened… 13. Helen is mad about cooking oriental dishes. Just imagine the amount of time she loses…

II. Make up sentences about yourself and your family using gerunds

preceded by prepositions.
I think I’m hopeless …	My younger brother/ sister is excited…
I really can’t blame people…	My parents are looking forward…
I want to succeed…	My father is pleased…
My relatives tend to complain…	I’ll never put up…
My mother says she’ll never	I can’t recall…
get accustomed…	Luckily I had no difficulty…
Mum has never tried to stop me…	I’m (in)capable…

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I tried to discourage my friend… Just imagine my surprise…

It was my first experience… It’s difficult for me to resist…

Ex.41. I. Open the brackets using the gerundial complex. Write both the possessive and object form where possible.

1. (He, demand) our withdrawal proved the impossibility of reaching a compromise. 2. The shareholders agreed to (we, close down) the factory. 3. The new proposals involve (I, work) longer hours. 4. Diana resented (this photograph, publish) without her approval. 5. I can’t imagine (my husband, grumble about) clothes – he doesn’t care what he wears. 6. (The boy, tell a lie) upset everyone. 7. The proprietor was not aware of (new guests, arrive). 8. They had no objection to (we, share) the duties. 9. I can think of no reason for (she, say) that. 10. Do you mind (I, leave) the light on? 11. I was told of (she, not/ be) well. 12. (He, sell) the apartment with antiques and family library was a shock to everyone. 13. The board objected to (Mr. Marlin, resign). 14. (More money, go) to the underdeveloped nations will definitely make things worse. 15. There’s a lot of evidence of (new models, test or compare). 16. I don’t mind (you, pay) the total sum in five monthly instalments. 17. We know of (wood, use) as structural material in prehistoric times.

II. Complete the sentences using the gerundial complex. Add the preposition where necessary.

1. John’s children are not likely to pass the entrance exams with flying colours. The father cannot count… 2. Why do you pretend to be eating? I’m not going to put up… 3. Personal matters are often discussed in public. I strongly object… 4. I prefer my children to take independent decisions. I hate… 5. The guards were watching every step of yours! How did you manage to get out… ? 6. She can hold her tongue. There’s no danger… 7. Bob appeared here all of a sudden! Just fancy… 8. The twins should be vaccinated this year but their parents are against … 9. I have nothing to do with him as he has broken our engagement. After… 10. Why are you always pushing me into doing things? I can’t stand…

Ex.42. Translate into English.

1. Елена сидела в гостиной, не говоря ни слова и не обращая внимания на болтовню своей сестры. 2. Декан не согласился, чтобы мы перенесли собрание для абитуриентов. 3. Он гордился тем, что его избрали председателем профсоюза. 4. Марк упорно продолжает вкладывать деньги в это безнадёжное предприятие. 5. Видя наши затруднения, они предложили свою помощь. 6. В статье журналист обвинил руководство компании в том, что оно вводит в заблуждение общественность. 7. Библиотекарь пытался найти предлог, чтобы уйти пораньше. 8. Какой смысл откладывать на чёрный день, если деньги могут девальвироваться (to be devalued)? 9. Я не одобряю то, что ты пропускаешь лекции. 10. Ты