THE GERUND

I. Identify the gerund, define its form, verbal and nounal properties:

1. As it was nearly time for lunch, the court adjourned before hearing the evidence. 2. I had no doubt that she was near. On my asking now, if that were not so, Mr. Omer nodded yes. 3. I was a trifle discomfited at being seen by Andrew, he nevertheless carried off the situation with a flourish. 4. It's no good our going without you. 5. She yawns in his face without even knowing her rudeness. 6. She felt a cold sensation which generally preluded his becoming angry. 7. It would mellow him, I think, all those beautiful prayers and psalms and seeing one's neighbours. 8. I turned from them at once. In doing so, I heard her say to the coachman, "Drive anywhere!" 9. "I'm by no means happy about Calvert's influence on the undergraduates, if we took the very serious risk of electing him to our society." 10. They drank, after touching the glasses very lightly. 11. The children were introduced, Sandra from a distance because of having done what children of her age so often do. 12. The British bicycle was much admired, for the solidity of its frame and for being the only one on the island with stainless steel wheels. 13. In discussing her with Val, at breakfast on Sunday morning, Winifred dwelt on the family skeleton. 14. It won't make any difference your keeping quiet. 15. I said I wasn't afraid of being deceived by her so much as being wangled into a false position by Nimmo and Boot ham. 16. Well, there's no avoiding him now. 17. I didn't like having to think about it. 18. He spoke in a quiet voice to avoid being overheard.

П. Point out the cases in which the gerund denotes an action simultaneous with that of the predicate verb, posterior or anterior to that of the predicate verb. Explain them:

1. All he was doing was putting on an act of listening and nodding. 2. "I wonder if Felicity will mind your having changed her room round." 3. He was never confident in arguing with his wife. 4. So Jack Burden lived in the slat­ternly apartment with the other graduate students, for even after being fired the unlucky industrious one still lived in the apartment. 5. Rudbeck is fond of saying, "When we open this road." 6. Merely wondering what to say to her made him doubt and shrink and begin pretending even to himself. 7. "I had promised, before leaving the flat, to go to the re­cital she was giving on the following Thursday." 8. She had been sulky and short-tempered all the morning, in spite of being promised lunch at the Royal Festival Hall. 9. He had still not contrived a plan for sending her to mountains. 10. And if he thought so, then I did too, because he could convince me just by p 1 а у i n g his ideas. 11. He left without daring to take one last look at the challenging emptiness he had left behind. 12. I will insist on there being a next time. 13. Anyway, it added to the notable feeling of relaxed contentment that had begun to grow on me since starting to talk to Robert. 14. The door opened without having been rapped on. 15. Basil was little used to being heard with respect and was correspondingly resentful at being reproach­ed with his own words. 16. "You can't imagine your friend Roy not attending to them." 17. She thought he was clever but misguided, and never gave up hope of converting him. So you see I couldn't sleep for worrying because of my poor wife and my poor boy and being afraid of the knife. She couldn't help being pleased to be summoned. 20. The house at Hereford Square still seems grey and derelict; after having been half slaughtered it had not yet come back to life. 21. She seemed incapable of reading anything except the newspaper, and after remarking upon the extreme plian­cy of their covers, took no further interest in Hugh's Jane Austen. 22. "He put it very sweetly, but Г know that in marrying Fleur's father without love I did a dreadful thing." 23. "I'm not keen on getting me into trouble." 24. It's no use trying to tell other people your troubles. 25. "They are thinking of doing something for him." 26. He was pre­occupied, however, with the danger of losing the emotional impact and significance of all these experiences by having to write them up immediately for the newspaper. 27. After looking round our sitting-room in a way that re-evoked my feelings on showing her the cataloguing-room at the library, she perched precariously against the edge of the gate-leg table. 28. The future — inexorable pendent to the present — he-took care not to face, for fear of breaking up his untroubled manner.

III. Explain the use of the Perfect and Non-Perfect forms of the Gerund. In some cases they are interchangeable. Mark the sentence in which the Participle can substitute for the Gerund:

А. 1. But it was only after walking three miles in the sun, and being covered with the dust of the passing cars, that "at last we arrived. 2. Syson turned quite pale at hearing these words. 3. Lord Wittenham decided, on seeing Prince's report, that this was front-page news. 4. And Preedy, after reflecting a moment, gave a long sigh. 5. They were sitting together in the bar, after having had an excellent dinner. 6. His first feeling on realizing that he was in love with Miranda was a certain sense of achievement. 7. Immediately on being de­mobbed he went the rounds, full of hope. 8. On waking up ' he ate voraciously the meals his mother set on the bedside chair. 9. I think what excited them was the fact that he should be wondering about among us, unheralded, after having given the place such a wide berth for so long. 10. Fielding, in discussing the theory of the novel, always emphasized its epic and historical character. 11. It was characteristic that, after asking me to dinner, he left me in a lordly way to pay the bill. 12. Yates recalled the instructions Colonel De Witt had given upon arriving from England to take charge of the Detachment. 13. Probably they had had the idea quite spontaneously since starting the race. 14. "It gives me a funny feeling," she said. "After living in this town all my whole life, to know that after tomorrow I'll never be back here anymore." 15. "I suppose you are quite a great lawyer?" I said after looking at him for some time. 16. I asked him what he would answer when his son, on growing up, re­proached him for bringing him into the world. 17. On reaching tile bottom of the stairs I turned towards the Transept Kitchen. 18. On receiving Soames's card, Jolyon said to the maid,... "Show him into the study, please."

B. 1. Bowen admired him very much for telling that story. 2. She said to me, "I should like to thank you for joining us on this occasion." 3. Perhaps in years to come they would
thank their old father for having taken them to foreign climes before their attitude to these could be vitiated as his own had been. 4. I shall never forget taking this exam. 5. Do forgive
me for talking so endlessly. 6. And now a few reasons for my going to Africa. 7. Ajali testifies to finding Golly's dead body. 8. I felt extreme irritation with Hugo for having put me in
the position of being disloyal to the Hospital. 9. I felt pain and indignation at having to ask Mrs. Tincham questions about Finn. 10. Lady Muriel disapproved with particular
strength of my leaving my wife in London. 11. Roy once accused me of disliking him.

IV. Comment on the use of the -ing form. It could be a gerund, a verbal noun:

1. You will not think it unsuitable if, before ending my speech, I strike a personal note. 2. Peter and Molly before parting that night had resolved to tell no one of the incident. 3. They had' exchanged addresses before parting. 4. The spending habit is like a dope with some women. 6. All he was doing was puttig on an act of listening and nodding. 6. This was the speech he had prepared before coming. 7. Ex­cuse me for coming late. 8. I don't really feel violent, even after my four years training in dreadful deeds. 9. My surgical training lies many years behind me. 10. But he couldn't think what it was his uncle had said or told him and then he forgot that he had remembered even the having been told, sitting in the chair himself now before the hearth... .11. Life was striving, yes, but they were striving all wrongly. 12. Then there might be some hope of awakening. 13. On awakening with daylight, a trickling of water caught my ear. 14. And he was such an expert in the art of modern living. 15. Majorcans seldom commit crimes (unless smuggling be so regarded...). 16. He has now perfected his method of trading. 17. He has seen pot-making all his life. 18. But he much prefers writing to typing because he is a bad typist and a good writer. 19. We arrived to "an understanding. 20. They were so convinced we would understand that we were ashamed for not understand­ing. 21. She was broken down by his heightened understanding, as he came near to death. 22. Margaret seemed notwith­standing to hear Susie's sobbing. 23. "The next thing he'll buy me will be a diving suit." 24. He didn't look like much, but when he got to talking people listened. 25. The arrangements were not of my making. 26. Before answer­ing, the Boss stepped back to the chair and sank into it. 27. Mr. Wog said something about weaving. 28. The dress­ing station was on the Austrian side of the river. 29. My face went hot, and I started mumbling and stammering. 30. Sometimes she thinks she is a fraud, that she is acting a part, that all her life is acting. 31. "Well," he said, "that's the end of my writing career." 32. I practice spear-throwing. 33. She begins to be critical of his broken nails, his too long hair, his bad shaving. 34. The gathering of the people had been no threat to him. 35.1 licked my hand for I had scratch­ed it in falling. 36. There was a door. He stood and listened. He could hear two people's breathing. 37. Preedy, in the act of passing, stopped and turned. 38. In passing between them Мог felt a shock. 39. Without my knowing, he took a flat for me in Dolphin Square. 40. The cheers were drowned by a most frantic booing. 41. James was not in the habit of blam­ing, praising, drawing deductions or generalizing about such things.