Gerundial Construction

The gerund can be used singly, in a phrase, or in a predicative construction. In a gerundial construction, the gerund is in predicate relation to a noun or a pronoun. The subject of the sentence is not identical with the subject performing the action denoted by the gerund. The nominal elements of the construction can be expressed by a noun in the common case:

Do you remember people of different social classes protesting against the new bill?

The possessive of nouns is avoided in informal style and when the noun phrase is lengthy. The possessive is used mostly in formal style when the noun phrase has personal reference:

The very lack of refinement in the circus and its popular appeal probably account for Lautrec's having come to the subject when he did.

The nominal element of the construction can also be expressed by a possessive pronoun or, occasionally, by a personal pronoun in the objective case, the object pronoun being more informal and emphasizing the subject of the action:

I dislike his/him coming here every day.

Various other pronouns – all, that, this, both, each, something, etc. – may become the nominal element of a gerundial construction:

She insisted on both of them being wrong.

Gerundial predicative constructions perform a variety of nominal functions in sentences – subject, direct object, prepositional object, postpositional attribute, and adverbial modifier.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-10