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Editing this article is very easy. Within the clause "Editing this article," the word "Editing" behaves as a verb; in particular the phrase "this article" is the object of that verb. But the whole clause "Editing this article" acts as a noun within the sentence as a whole; it is the subject of the verb "is". In English , a verb's gerund is formed using the ''-ing'' ending. It is identical to the present Participle in form, but behaves differently in Syntax . Examples of the gerund:
VERB PATTERNS WITH THE GERUND Verbs that are normally followed by the gerund include ''admit, adore, anticipate, can't stand, carry on, contemplate, deny, describe, detest, dislike, fancy, finish, give up, keep, keep on, justify, mention, mind, miss, postpone, quit, recall, report, resent, resume, risk, suggest, tolerate''. For example:
Verbs followed by a gerund or a to-infinitive With little change in meaning ''begin, continue, start; hate, like, love, prefer'' With ''would'', the verbs ''hate, like, love'', and ''prefer'' are usually followed by the ''to''- Infinitive . For example:
In these examples, if the subject of the verb is not the subject of the second verb, the second verb must be a gerund (instead of an infinitive) If I am watching sports on television, for example, I can react to the programs only as follows:
With a change in meaning ''dread'' and ''hate'': These two verbs are followed by a ''to''-infinitive when talking hypothetically (usually when using ''to think''), but by a gerund when talking about general dislikes.
''forget'' and ''remember'': When these have meanings which are used to talk about the future from the given time, the ''to''-infinitive is used, but when looking back in time, the gerund.
''can't bear'':
''go on'':
''mean'':
''advise, recommend'' and ''forbid'': These are followed by a ''to''-infinitive when there is an object as well, but with a gerund otherwise.
''regret'':
''consider, contemplate'' and ''recommend'': These verbs are followed by a ''to''-infinitive only in the passive or with an object pronoun.
''try'':
Verbs followed by a gerund or a bare infinitive Verbs of observation and perception can be followed by either the gerund or the bare infinitive. A bare infinitive implies completion, a gerund progression of an action. These verbs include: ''feel, hear, listen to, notice, observe, perceive, see, sense, watch''. Examples:
Gerunds preceded by an object or a genitive A gerund can be used in combination with either an object or a Genitive (possessive). The latter is considered more formal, and the only option when an adjective precedes the gerund, but is more common when the second verb applies to a person rather than an object.
SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GERUNDS AND THE PRESENT PARTICIPLE The term "gerund" is sometimes used incorrectly to mean any word ending with "ing". For example:
Compare:
Passivisation A sentence with gerund phrase serving as a direct object can be recast in the Passive Voice , such that the gerund phrase becomes the subject, while a superficially similar sentence with a participle cannot undergo this transformation:
In the first example, ''asking Bill'' is a noun, the direct object of ''suggested'', while in the second, it is an adjective, the complement of the copula ''kept''. Pronominal substitution The pronoun ''it'' can be substituted for a gerund phrase, but not for a participle verb phrase:
Noun phrase paraphrases A gerund with a direct object can be paraphrased, treating the gerund as an ordinary noun, or sometimes replacing it with one, while this cannot be done with a participle:
Preceding genitive phrases Gerund phrases can be preceded by Genitive phrases, whereas participle verb phrases cannot:
Clefting Gerund phrases can undergo Clefting , whereas participle verb phrases cannot:
Topicalisation Gerund phrases can be topicalised (i.e., moved to the front of a sentence) whereas participle verb phrases cannot:
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