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gerund_certain_verbs_09_explanation .doc
Gerund after certain verbs:
After certain verbs the gerund is used as an object:
avoid
finish
miss
suggest
give up
practise
an infinitive is possible:
risk
imagine
quit
dislike
keep
no infinitive!
enjoy
mind
go on
stop
carry on
Peter suggested kicking the dog.
Mary imagined saving the dog.
The dog wouldn’t mind being left alone.
All of these verbs can also be followed by a noun (but then again, a gerund takes the
grammatical function of a noun, so that is not very surprising):
Fiona enjoys folk songs.
Gerund or infinitive after certain verbs:
begin
hate
continue
go on
remember
intend
forget
start
like
try
mean
The father watches his little son eating spaghetti and sees him making a big mess o f
the table-cloth, his clothes and the kitchen-floor. So he says to his son:
“Please, try eating your spaghetti.“
[Essen, nicht herumwerfen, junger Mann.]
The son hears his father, looks around and cleverly replies:
“But, dad, I tried to eat them but they are too fast for me!“
[Aber ich hab’s doch versucht!]
When the gerund follows the verb the emphasis is on the action the gerund
describes (first sentence; the father want his son to eat, not to throw around the
spaghetti).
When the verb is followed by an infinitive the stress is on the verb itself (second
sentence; the son explains that he’s been trying very hard, it’s just that he can’t do
it).
Here is another important distinction:
A teacher shouldn’t tell his students to stop listening (they wouldn’t listen to him any
longer), a teacher should tell his students to stop to listen (now they will stop
whatever it is they are doing and will then listen to him).
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Adjectives, nouns and verbs + preposition + gerund:
Verbs which follow a preposition are turned into gerunds.
adjective + preposition + gerund
I’m sick and tired of playing the piano.
Ann is crazy about dancing.
noun + preposition + gerund
The Titanic was in danger of sinking.
Leo knows the reason for sinking.
verb + preposition + gerund
Kate decided against receiving the ‘Oscar’ by her acting.
I dream of being a bird.
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