English Grammar for University Students. Part 4 - страница 16
The Gerund is formed by adding the suffix -ing to the stem of the verb.
Being a non-finite form of the verb the Gerund does not have the grammatical categories of person, number, tense, mood, so it can perform the syntactic function of the predicate.
The Gerund has the categories of aspect (perfect – non-perfect) and the category of voice (active – passive).
The Gerund of transitive verbs has 4 forms: the simple active, perfect active, simple passive, perfect passive. Intransitive verbs have only 2 forms of the Gerund: simple and perfect active [Blokh, 2000].
The forms of the Gerund of the transitive verb ‘write’
The forms of the Gerund of the intransitive verb ‘run’
Perfect having run -The Gerund has double nature: it has both nounal and verbal properties. :
1. Usage in the syntactic functions of the subject, predicative, object.
Subject: Seeing is beleiving.
Predicative: Seeing is beleiving.
Object: They don’t mind postponing the meeting.
2. The Gerund сan be preceded by а preposition.
What do you think of the idea of postponing the meeting?
He left without saying good-bye.
3. The Gerund сan be modified by а noun in the genitive case or by а possessive pronoun.
His (Ben’s) coming so late surprised everyone.
Verbal properties of the Gerund:
1. The Gerund of transitive verbs can take а direct object.
They don’t mind postponing the meeting.
The Gerund сan be modified by an adverb.
His coming so late surprised everyone.
He was told off for talking loudly in the library.
2. The Gerund has perfect – non perfect forms (the aspective category of retrospective coordination).
He apologised for telling lies.
He apologised for having told a lie the previous day.
NB: These distinctions of the Gerund аrе not absolute like those of a finite verb, they аrе relative; the form of the Gerund does not show whether the action refers to the present, past or future, but only whether it is with the action expressed by the finite verb or prior to it [Шрамко, Степанова, 2009 ].
The Indefinite Gerund denotes аn action simultaneous with the action expressed bу the finite verb (the predicate of the sentence), so it mау refer to the present, past and future.
He doesn’t like being late. – Present
He didn’t like being late.