People who are just starting to learn English often ask a question about what gerund is. Since this linguistic phenomenon for a Russian-speaking person not only sounds exotic, but also has no direct analogue in the Russian language, sometimes it is very difficult to explain everything intelligibly and clearly the first time. It should immediately be indicated that this topic is very difficult to grasp immediately. Therefore, professional teachers advise from time to time to return to theoretical materials on this topic in order to refresh your knowledge.
What is gerund?
So, gerund is called the impersonal form of the verb, which does not express action, but only calls it and has at the same time functions of both the noun and the verb. An impersonal form means that the gerund does not change in either persons or numbers. Initially, it is difficult to understand how to form it and how to use it, but the necessary knowledge and skills will come with time and practice.
Gerund: basic rules of education
The formation of gerund is the simplest piece of information on the subject. Which, incidentally, often leads to misconceptions about the use. To do this, simply add the -ing ending to the base of any verb. At this stage, everything seems elementary simple, but do not forget that we are still talking about English, and do not forget about constant surprises and subtleties.
If the verb is simple and ends with an open syllable or with -y, then the corresponding ending is added without any additional actions:
to read - reading;
to worry - worrying.
If the last syllable of the verb is closed, then the final consonant must be doubled to form gerund. Example:
to swim - swimming.
When the verb ends with -e, the final letter drops out. Then the -ing ending is added without it. For instance:
to store - storing.
In general, endings in English are a separate conversation. To make sure of this, let's form gerunds from verbs that end in -ie. In this case, this letter combination changes to -y, to which the end of the gerund is added.
Verb properties of gerund
As mentioned above, gerund combines two functions. Verbs, in turn, include the following:
- direct direct add-on availability - reading newspapers;
- the presence of an adverb as a definition - singing lovely;
- perfect form and passive voice.
Gerund: properties of the noun
Since gerund is a combination of the qualities of a verb and a noun, it has the following common features with a noun:
- can be used after possessive pronouns - his dancing;
- may go after the preposition - before sleeping;
- can perform various functions of a noun as a member of a sentence.
Gerund functions in a sentence
Given the above fact, it is not surprising that gerund can perform various functions in a sentence, which will seem rather difficult for people who are trying to learn English.
First of all, gerund can act as a subject, which is not surprising, because it is the properties of the noun that are one of the main ones that form gerund. So, the function of the subject gerund can be performed only if it is used without an excuse and faces the predicate:
Riding is good for health.
In this role, he can still drag along a number of words dependent on the meaning that create a gerundial group. The words forming such a group must stand between the predicate and the gerund itself. Example:
Reading that book was excellent.
In the above example, the first three words form a gerundial group. It consists of the gerund itself, which stands out as one of the most characteristic endings in the English language, and two words that depend on it.
Also, gerund can function as part of a nominal predicate. In this case, he should stand immediately after the verb to be in the appropriate form. For instance:
The assignment was writing an essay.
Here, many may notice that the gerund in this function is very similar in appearance to the regular verb used in one of the times of the Continuous group. To distinguish between these linguistic phenomena is quite simple. If the subject in the sentence alone cannot carry out the action expressed by the word with the ending -ing, then we are dealing with gerund, and if the subject can independently perform this action, then we can safely say about the use of the verb in the long term.
Although this sounds unexpected, gerund can also serve as a definition. Here he describes or characterizes any member of a sentence only if it is expressed by a noun. Traditionally, this function is performed by the gerund when it stands after the described word and the preposition, which just shows the relationship between the words. The most popular pretext here is of, although sometimes other options may be found, expressed for, in, at and about.
When we talk about the definition function, it is worth separately mentioning the following cliched phrases that indicate the need for the use of gerund. Examples: chance of, hope of, reason for and others.
There was little hope of coming in time.
In certain cases, the gerund can act as a definition, being in front of the defined word. Here you need to clearly understand the difference between him and Communion I, which in its form is absolutely identical. As for the meaning, there is a difference, and it lies in the fact that the participle I expresses the action performed by the person or object, and the gerund means the purpose of the object before which it is used.
Another possibility of gerund is the function of circumstance. In this case, it must necessarily stand after such pretexts as for, through, by, without, instead of, in, on, after and before. Examples of using gerund in sentences in this function are the following sentences:
After reading that, he went home.
Instead of stopping, he increased the speed.
Finally, we came up with gerund as an addition. Despite the fact that this function is indicated last, it is the most common variant of using the word form in speech. It is immediately worth noting that the gerund in the function of addition can be direct and prepositional. In English, there are no specific rules regarding when to use the direct supplement, and when - the prepositional. The only useful tip here is to learn the verbs that determine the choice of option. The most difficult thing is that the English language collected a huge number of verbs for each group. However, there is no need to worry, because over time, people studying English should develop a linguistic sense, which will continue to help make choices.
Gerund or Infinitive
A very common difficulty for many is the decision to choose either gerund or an infinitive just as a supplement. The whole difficulty lies in the fact that both the infinitive and the gerund in this function are translated into Russian in the indefinite form of the verb. So, in the English language there are verbs after which you can use only gerund, there are verbs that pull only the infinitive, and there are those after which you can use both options. Given all this, you should always remember the following two rules:
- the infinitive indicates a brief manifestation of the action, and the gerund expresses a long process;
- the infinitive is directed to the future, and the gerund is associated with the present and the past.
Despite the above, many scholars argue that in modern English there is a strong tendency to use the infinitive instead of gerund.
Translation options for gerund
Since there is no direct analogue of gerund in Russian, it can be translated in different parts of speech, depending on what function it performs in a sentence. The main ones are the noun denoting the process (swimming), and the verb of indefinite form (smoking). In addition, as an option for translation, you can still meet the participle (doing).
Conclusion
Gerund is an integral part of the English language, which, unfortunately, is difficult for Russian-speaking people. In order to fully understand the gerund, examples, rules of education and methods of translation, you need to stock up a dozen patience and not give up on possible failures.