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    Gerunds

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    Christopher Cao
    The document discusses the difference between gerunds and present participles. It explains that gerunds, which are verb forms ending in "-ing" that function as nouns, must be preceded by a possessive pronoun or noun. This is because gerunds act as nouns, so the pronoun or noun before it needs to be in the possessive case to modify the gerund noun. Some examples of correct usage with possessives before gerunds and incorrect usage without are provided.

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    Gerunds

    Uploaded by

    Christopher Cao
    148 views2 pages
    The document discusses the difference between gerunds and present participles. It explains that gerunds, which are verb forms ending in "-ing" that function as nouns, must be preceded by a possessive pronoun or noun. This is because gerunds act as nouns, so the pronoun or noun before it needs to be in the possessive case to modify the gerund noun. Some examples of correct usage with possessives before gerunds and incorrect usage without are provided.

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    The document discusses the difference between gerunds and present participles. It explains that gerunds, which are verb forms ending in "-ing" that function as nouns, must be preceded by a possessive pronoun or noun. This is because gerunds act as nouns, so the pronoun or noun before it needs to be in the possessive case to modify the gerund noun. Some examples of correct usage with possessives before gerunds and incorrect usage without are provided.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    148 views2 pages

    Gerunds

    Uploaded by

    Christopher Cao
    The document discusses the difference between gerunds and present participles. It explains that gerunds, which are verb forms ending in "-ing" that function as nouns, must be preceded by a possessive pronoun or noun. This is because gerunds act as nouns, so the pronoun or noun before it needs to be in the possessive case to modify the gerund noun. Some examples of correct usage with possessives before gerunds and incorrect usage without are provided.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
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    Possessives Precede Gerunds

    by Tina Blue September 26, 2003 What is a gerund, and how does it differ from a present participle?* The present participle is the ing form of a verb used as an adjective: running shoes; breaking story; losing game; reading assignment. A gerund is the ing form of a verb used as a noun. The gerund form of a verb looks exactly like the present participle, but they function differently in a sentence. The gerund will fill a noun slot (subject, direct object, object of preposition, etc.), but the participle will be either an adjective or part of a verb phrase: ~Running is good exercise. (gerund) ~Are those new running shoes? (participle) ~He is running his last race today. (participle) ~Don't even think about buying that dress! (gerund) ~This is the new buying guide for used cars. (participle) ~I won't be buying a new car until I can save up a decent down payment. (participle) Why is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive? A noun or pronoun linked immediately with a gerund should be in the possessive case. Because a gerund acts as a noun, that means that if a noun or a pronoun precedes it, that noun or pronoun must be in the case that will allow it to modify another noun--i.e, the possessive case. For example, the noun "book" would not be preceded by the objective case of a pronoun or the plain form of a noun: ~This is me book. ~This is Jane book. ~This is him book. ~This is them book. You would use the possessive forms of the nouns and pronouns to modify the noun: ~This is my book.

    ~This is Jane's book. ~This is his book. ~This is their book. Since a gerund is a noun, just as "book" is a noun, the same rule applies: Use the possessive form to modify the gerund. Here is a simple example to help you see the difference between a present participle, which may be preceded by the objective case of a pronoun or by the plain form of a noun, and a gerund, which needs the possessive form to modify it: ~I saw Jim swimming. ("Swimming" is a participle describing Jim.) ~I admired Jim's swimming. ("Swimming" is a gerund, acting as the direct object of the verb admired: What did I admire? I admired his swimming.)

    Here are some examples of gerunds that are wrongly preceded either by the objective case of a pronoun or by the plain form of a noun: INCORRECT: ~He resents you being more popular than he is. ~Most of the members paid their dues without me asking them. ~They objected to the youngest girl being given the command position. ~What do you think about him buying such an expensive car. ~We were all grateful for Jane taking on the responsibility for the party. Here are the correct versions, with the possessives in their proper place before the gerunds: CORRECT: ~He resents your being more popular than he is. ~Most of the members paid their dues without my asking them. ~They objected to the youngest girl's being given the command position. ~What do you think about his buying such an expensive car? ~We were all sorry about Jane's losing her parents like that.

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