Download ON TARGET 2 : UNIT 5

IN CHARGE 1 : UNIT 4 (pp.1-6)
GRAMMAR TARGETS
1.
2.
3.
4.
Gerunds
Verbs with Gerunds or Infinitives
Gerunds or Infinitives & Their Meanings
Using It+ Infinitive Instead of a Geund
See also: Advanced Grammar in Use, pp. 72-79.
1. GERUNDS
As you know from EL111, a gerund is a verbal noun that ends in –
ing (i.e. V+ -ing). It is called a verbal noun because it has
features of both the noun and the verb.
As a noun, it can function like other nouns in the sense that it can
function as a subject or as an object in the sentence as in the
following two examples respectively:


Swimming is good for your health. (Subject)
I enjoy walking by the seaside. (Object)
Furthermore, like a noun, a gerund can be immediately preceded by
a preposition , in which case it functions as an object or
complement of the preposition as in the following three examples:



I look forward to meeting you in London next week.
He is keen on listening to classical music.
I am sure that you are afraid of stating your views
openly.
On the other hand, a gerund behaves like a verb. For instance, it
can be followed by an object as in the following example where the
noun poetry is the object of the –ing form reading.

I enjoy reading poetry.
Here is another example where the –ing form having is followed
by an object (i.e. a shower) and by an adverb of time (i.e. in the
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morning). In fact, the object of the verb enjoy is not the –ing
form having but the whole gerund clause/phrase: having a
shower in the morning.

I enjoy [having [a shower] [in the morning]]
Furthermore, notice that , like a verb, the –ing form may be
negated by the negative particle not (without the use of DO) . The
following two examples are self-explanatory:


I regret not telling you the truth.
I hate not having a hot shower before going to bed.
It is expedient to notice in this context that there is a clear
difference in meaning between the first and the second sentence in
the following pair of examples and that this difference is due to the
action (verb) that is negated:


She does not regret telling the manager the truth. (-ing
form is positive: She told the manager the truth and she
is not sorry about this fact.)
She regrets not telling the manager the truth.( -ing form is
negative: She did not tell the manager the truth and she
is sorry about this fact.)
Finally, notice that, like a verb, the –ing form may occur in the
passive verb as in the following example:


I resist being told what to do all the time.
She cannot stand being treated like a child.
2. VERBS WITH GERUNDS OR INFINITIVES
As you no doubt know from EL111, a verb may be followed
by (i) a gerund ( but not an infinitive) , or (ii) an infinitive (
but not a gerund) or (iii) both (i.e. a gerund and an
infinitive).
Below is a summary of the three classes of verbs.
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2.1. Class 1:
This class comprises some verbs that are followed by the
gerund BUT NOT THE INFINITIVE. The following is a
representative list:

enjoy, avoid, deny, mind, miss, risk,
appreciate, miss, quit, resist, delay, dislike,
etc.
Notice the acceptability of the first sentence and the unacceptability
of the second one in the following pair of examples:


I do not mind typing this article for you.
* I do not mind to type this article for you.
2.2. Class 2:
This class comprises verbs that may be followed by the
infinitive BUT NOT THE GERUND. The following is a
representative list of these verbs:

decide, hope, aim, refuse, want, hope, agree,
expect, manage, etc.
The following two examples illustrate this point:


He refused to sign the contract,
* He refused signing the contract.
( unacceptable)
Notice that with certain verbs, a noun/pronoun comes in between
the main verb and the infinitive as in the following example:

We advised Sami/him to resign.
Amongst the verbs that behave like advise are the following:

advise, tell, convince, persuade, encourage,
remind, order, entice, incite, urge, etc.
These verbs are not commonly followed by the gerund: cf.


We persuaded Ali to visit his mother
* We persuaded Ali visiting
(unacceptable)
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his
mother.
2.3. Class 3:
This group includes verbs that can be followed by either
form (gerund and infinitive). The following are some of these
verbs:

begin, continue, start, like, hate, love, prefer,
etc.
3. CHANGE IN MEANING
Let us begin by considering the following two examples ( from In
Charge 1: Teacher’s Guide, 2003:p.T35) :
 Do you like taking tests ?
 Do you like to take tests ?
As pointed out above, some verbs (e.g. like) may be followed by a
gerund or an infinitive as in the preceding two examples.
The question that immediately arises in such a case is whether this
choice (between a gerund and infinitive) results in difference in
meaning. The answer is that in certain contexts there is a difference
in meaning whereas in others there is little or no difference.
For instance, in the above two examples there is no real difference
in meaning. Similarly, there is little difference in meaning between
the first and second sentence in the following two pairs (ibid):


I can’t stand doing laundry.
I can’t stand to do laundry.


I would love going with you.
I would love to go with you.
In some case, however, there is a clear difference in meaning. See,
for instance, the examples cited in your SB (p.48) for the verbs
stop, remember and regret.
Similarly, there is a clear difference in meaning between the first
sentence (with the gerund) and the second one (with the infinitive)
in the following pair (ibid:p.T36):

He forgot leaving the key. (= He left the key but didn’t
remember doing so).
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
He forgot to leave the key. (= He was supposed to leave the
key but he forgot to do so (i.e. He didn’t leave the key).
By way of further exemplification, consider the following pair of
examples:


Try looking at the matter from a different angle. (= Do this
and see what happens.)
Try to look at the matter from a different angle. (= See if
you can do this.)
Now, what form of the verb get and take would you use after the
verb try in the following sentences (from AGU, p. 76) ?


I tried (get) …….. the table through the window, but it was too
big.
I tried (take) ……. Some aspirin, but the pain didn’t go away.
Obviously, we should use the infinitive in the first sentence and the
gerund in the second.
4.
USING IT + INFINITIVE
Consider the following two examples and try to see how the second
is derived from the first:
Subject
Verb
1.Learning
a would be
foreign language
2. It
would be
an advantage
an advantage
to
learn
a
foreign language
As you can see, the subject of the sentence (1) above is the gerund
clause/phrase learning a foreign language, whereas in the (2)
the subject is the pronoun it.
In English, there is a tendency amongst native speakers to avoid
using long subjects of the type shown in (1) above and thus they
opt for the type of alternative structure in (2).
The process by which we
Extraposition, is very simple:
derive
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(2)
from
(1),
known
as


1. Use the pronoun it as subject. This pronoun is called the
introductory it because it is commonly used to introduce
sentences in English.
2. Move the subject (i.e. gerund phrase) to the very end
of the sentence and use an infinitive instead of the gerund.
The rules are not important. What is important is using sentences
with the introductory it correctly in speech and writing.
Below are some more examples:


A. Spoiling your dress would be a pity.
B. It …………………… would be a pity to spoil your dress.

A. Learning Japanese is not easy.

B. It ………………………….. is not easy
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to learn Japanese.