The Infinitive. The Gerund. The Participle. Учебное пособие

2. THE GERUND

2.1. TENSEAND VOICE DISTINCTIONS

OFTHE GERUND

62. Where can you see this signage or public notices in the UK? Use the prompts below.

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63.Supply all possible forms of the gerund of the following verbs: take, bring, say, teach, translate, give, buy, tell, publish, build, lose, describe, plant, print out, bring up.

64.Identify the forms of the gerunds in the sentences below. Translate the phrases into Russian.

e.g. He admitted having seen her the day before. – Having seen is a Perfect GerundActive.

1)We enjoyed swimming, funny films and the dodgems.

2)I leave before being left. I decide. (Brigitte Bardot)

3)She had the feeling of being watched.

4)Jeff accepted the gesture as an apology for having intruded where she shouldn’t.

5)Sarah began fussing and clattering about the place. She was furious with me for speaking out of turn.

6)The little girl looked after the chicks without being told.

7)After telling her what Sam had suggested, he waited patiently for her response.

8)I loved the excitement of unloading crisp packages of brand-new things. Even the everyday, like mops and soap, were elevated by the privilege of never having been used before.

65. Use the correct form of the gerund.

1)The suspect denied ____________ (commit) the crime.

2)You did help me a lot, and I can never be sufficiently grateful to you for ____________ (give) me so much of your precious time.

3)I stopped ____________ (excite) and began to worry.

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4)You’re under arrest.You’re under arrest for ____________ (shoot) that Bobby.

5)I just don’t understand how he managed to disappear right at the beginning of the case and then conceal himself all that time without

____________ (spot).

6)I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. When I woke it was dark and my dress was stuck to me with the heat. I regretted ____________

(not / undress).

7)I wouldn’t mind ____________ (spend) a couple of days in Rome this summer.

8)People talked of him as a great composer after ____________ (hear) the first rehearsals.

9)I stretched, grunting with pain as my leg muscles extracted their revenge for ____________ (ignore) for so many hours.

10)No problem can be solved without ____________ (clearly / understand).

11)Her one concern was to reach the top floor without ____________

(see). She would wait therefore.

AN INDEFINITE (SIMPLE) GERUND CAN BE USED TO DENOTE AN ACTION PRIOR to the action of the finite verb. It occurs if it is used

1. after the verbs:

•remember, forget, recall, recollect;

•forgive, apologize for, excuse (excuse is always followed by a possessive pronoun before the gerund);

•be sorry for, regret;

•deny, admit;

•thank, mention, describe.

e.g. She admitted making a mistake. – Она признала, что допустила ошибку.

I’m sorry for saying all these things. – Мне жаль (извините), что я ска-

зала все это.

2. after the prepositions:

• on, upon, after, without, for

e.g. On seeing Jane he froze. – Увидев Джейн, он замер.

He got a jail sentence for breaking the law. – Его приговорили к тю-

ремному заключению за то, что он нарушил закон.

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66. Paraphrase the sentences using the gerund. Point out the sentences where the gerund refers to an earlier action.

e.g. He admitted that he had stolen the bicycle. → He admitted stealing/ having stolen the bicycle.

1)Edward Snowden admitted that he had given away secret information.

2)I hate it when I am told what to do.

3)The company denied that they had sold counterfeit goods.

4)I’m sorry I didn’t phone you earlier.

5)I couldn’t write back sooner. Please, excuse me.

6)She denied that he had met the suspect before.

7)I wasn’t particularly honest with him, I admit.

8)Both Russia and the USA denied that they had launched pilotless aircraft.

9)She can ride a bike even if she doesn’t hold bars!

10)I spoke to the manager, and then I decided to write a letter of complaint to our supplier.

11)I’d like to thank you – you’ve helped us a lot.

Take it in turns with your partner to read out the sentences above and rephrase them using gerunds. Student A: read the original sentence, Student B: refrase it without looking at the book.

67. Rephrase the sentences using the gerunds after prepositions.

Anne Boleyn was the second wife of King Henry VIII. She was found guilty of adultery against her husband. The swordsman cut off her head with one swift stroke. When the King received the news of her death, he ordered to put her body and head into an arrow chest and bury them in an unmarked grave in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula. Her grave was identified only a few centuries later.

King Henry VIII had six wives and beheaded two of them. After King Henry VIII had been married six times, he still had no heir.

68. Use the correct form of the gerund of the verbs in brackets and the correct word order.

1)The thought of ____________ (never / see) him again, ____________

(never / be) able to touch him, was a twisting pain in her heart.

2)I can’t blame her for ____________ (not / want) to see me.

3)No one had told me about that. I resented ____________ (not / inform).

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4)I was getting anxious about ____________ (receive / not ) any news for weeks.

5)He hadn’t even realized ____________ (not / go) to the show was an option.

6)The driver admits to ____________ (not / see) the boy who came from opposite pavement.

69. Work with your partner. Take turns to make up sentences using the prompts below. You can use either gerunds or infinitives.

70. The Dawsons have bought a house. It is an old house, and there are some things to be done about the house. Finish off the sentences using need and the verbs in the box below (there are alternatives to each sentence).

trim replace do up renovate repair install brighten up

e.g. The old fireplace needs ____________. It needs renovating / to be renovated.

1)The house needs ____________.

2)The central heating ____________.

3)The floor ____________.

4)Wi-Fi ____________.

5)The old plumbing ____________.

6)The old tiles in the bathrooms ____________.

7)Anew toilet and bath ____________.

8)Aburglar alarm ____________.

9)The trees and bushes in the garden ____________.

71. Translate into English.

1)Стоит посмотреть этот фильм. Уверен, вам понравится.

2)Забор нужно покрасить.

3)Этот вопрос надо изучить.

4)Я заметил, что машина серьезно (badly) нуждалась в ремонте.

5)У нас много дел – надо выкосить (подстричь) газон и полить все клумбы (flower beds).

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6)Не хочу заводить собаку, ведь ее нужно кормить, выгуливать, с ней нужно играть.

7)Информация в Википедии нуждается в проверке.

8)Оборудование нужно апробировать (to test).

9)Нужно изменить один пункт в договоре, иначе у нас будут убытки.

10)Кафель в ванной нужно сменить.

72. Speak to your partner. What needs to be done / doing

1)in your flat / in the dormitory?

2)in the classroom where you are now?

3)in the city where you live?

2.2.SYNTACTIC FUNCTIONS OFTHE GERUND

73.Define the syntactic function of the gerunds or gerundial phrases. Point out the complete subjects, objects or predicatives (if they are expressed by gerundial phrases).

1)‘‘I don’t want a clever wife. Reading is not for women,’’he said.

2)It was hard saying the words.

3)I felt like telling her the truth, but for the sake of peace, I didn’t.

4)I can’t blame her for not wanting to see me and for having Grandad acting on her behalf.

5)One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.

6)D’you fancy helping me make the picnic?

7)A lot of these stories are about people and occasions that I know little about, but I enjoy reading them and learning more about how things were in times past.

74. Identify compound verbal modal and aspect predicates. State the function of the gerunds.

e.g. 1) They began chattering about the holiday. – The gerund chattering is part of a compound verbal aspect predicate because it is used after the verb began. (About the holiday is an indirect object).

2) I couldn’t help enjoying it. – The gerund enjoying is part of a compound verbal modal predicate because it follows the modal expression couldn’t help. (It is a direct object).

1)George nodded and continued dangling his feet.

2)‘‘What do you think I should do?’’ – ‘‘I think you should stop worrying.’’

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3)She kept repeating his name.

4)Jack takes Cara’s hands and immediately she stops screaming and looks into his eyes.

5)He couldn’t help thinking we are all getting old.

6)This company ceased trading in 1971.

7)She couldn’t help feeling that future looked black. She jumped to her feet and began pacing the ground in front of the workshop. Then she stopped pacing.

75. Look through the sentences below. Open the brackets using the gerunds with the correct prepositions. What is the function of gerunds in these sentences?

1)Harry would repeat everything I said to Mum and I had no intention

____________ (share) my idea – not yet.

2)I admire the works by this scholar, but his reason ____________

(reach) this conclusion is still unclear to me.

3)He made an effort ____________ (grasp) the gist of what she was saying, but in vain.

4)The idea ____________ (keep) ten six-year-olds entertained for a whole afternoon is scary.

5)The book describes trends in contemporary art, with an attempt

____________ (evaluate) how techniques are used and what the subjects are.

6)I think without Zhirinovsky the liberal democrats won’t stand a very good chance ____________ (elect) to the Russian State Duma.

7)I had arranged the job interview for Monday morning and was excited at the prospect ____________ (get) that job.

8)This project is a serious effort ____________ (improve) the country’s healthcare system.

9)We said everything we hadn’t said in the weeks before, quickly inventing hopes and dreams to distract us from the terror ____________

saying goodbye.

10)Depression may be a result ____________ (suppress) negative emotions and feelings.

11)The reason ____________ (break) an academic essay into parts is to make it more accessible to the reader and to communicate your ideas successfully.

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76.Write the correct prepositions afterthe nouns below (see the exercise above if necessary). Then make up sentences of your own using gerunds with the correct prepositions. Compare them with your partner.

77. Point out attributes and adverbial modifiers. Define the types of adverbial modifiers.

1)The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it. (George Orwell)

2)Andrew was sad at having to turn down Paul’s invitation. Once again he had to put the needs of his family business above his own desires.

3)In spite of being tired, she went out with her boyfriend.

4)She was angry with me for waking her up.

5)It was odd because she’d been so cross at mum for talking about the very same thing.

6)‘‘Well, lucky you,’’ the woman said after thinking for a moment and shrugging her shoulders as if to say, ‘‘He’s peculiar!’’

7)The idea of having serious trouble with the powerful trade union made the manager nervous.

8)She held the ebony elephant in her hand, feeling its weight, coolness and smoothness for one more time before putting it back in its original place on the shelf.

9)I can’t tell you if the profits will rise without looking at the figures.

78. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and six words, including the word given.

1.“I didn’t tell Brian your secret,” she said.

DENIED

She …… my secret.

2.“I borrowed your favourite trainers,” David told John.

ADMITTED

David …… .

3.My teammates were telling me what to do all the time and I didn’t enjoy it.

TOLD

I didn’t enjoy …… by my teammates.

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4.It’s essential to plan ahead in my job.

PLANNING

……in my job.

5.She remembered it: the teacher made her stand alone in front of the school children all afternoon, because of Mike.

BEING

She …… alone in front of the school children all afternoon, because of Mike.

6.He told me about the incident and I thanked him.

LETTING

I thanked him …… about the incident.

7.You mentioned that you had been to college, didn’t you?

GOING

You mentioned ……, didn’t you?

2.3.USE OFTHE GERUND

VERB / PHRASE + THE GERUND without a preposition

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______

* This asterisk marks the verbs above that can be followed by infinitives:

1)without any change in meaning;

2)with an insignificant change in meaning;

3)with a considerable change in meaning.

These differences will be dealt with further in the book.

79. Fill in the gaps with suitable forms of the gerund using the prompts in the box.

1)This ancient castle is well worth ____________.

2)She resented ____________ Mark again. She wished they hadn’t got back together – he wasn’t her Mr Right.

3)I hate ____________ what to do.

4)Once on the roof, he couldn’t risk ____________.

5)‘‘Hello, love!Are you there?’’She didn’t want to be discovered, and, for a wild moment, she seriously considered ____________ in the wardrobe.

6)Winnie the Pooh always liked a little something at eleven o’clock in the morning, and he was very glad to see Rabbit getting out the plates and

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