Verbal characteristics of the gerund

Gerund in English language has two grammatical categories, those of voice and perfect:

- Active, non-perfect – writing;

- Passive, non-perfect – being written;

- Active, perfect – having written;

- Passive, perfect – having been written.

The perfect gerund indicates an action prior to the action denoted by the finite verb in the sentence: He regrets having stolen the money.

The meaning of the non-perfect gerund is vaguar and more flexible and may easily be modified by the context. The action denoted by the non-perfect gerund may precede or follow the action denoted by the finite verb. To render finished actions the non-perfect gerund is often used with the prepositions on and after:

After looking through the newspaper I gave it back to the librarian.

After graduating from the university I went to work to a school.

On arriving in the city we went to the hotel.

On reaching the end of the street they turned to the right.

In the above sentences the action may as well be rendered by means of perfect participles: Having arrived in the city we went to the hotel.

Having reached the end of the street they turned to the right.

Having graduated from the university I went to work to a school.

Passive gerunds can be formed only out of the transitive verbs or intransitive verbs with prepositions. Passive gerund indicates that the action is directed towards the subject: He hates being interrupted.I disliked both reading aloud and being read to.

Active gerunds point out that the action is directed from the subject: He hates interrupting people.They entered without having knocked at the door.

Gerund can performed any syntactical function typical of a noun, although in each case it has its own peculiarities:

- it may function alone without modifiers: He likes driving.

- it may function as the headword of a gerundial phrase: He likes playing chess.

- it may function as part of a gerundial predicative construction: He likes Asel’s (her) playing chess.

- Gerund can be preceded by a preposition: On receiving the letter I went home.

Without asking for his advice she has taken an important step.

- Gerund can be attributed by a possessive pronoun: I was surprised at his coming so early.

- Gerund can be modified by a noun in the Possessive Case: She was proud of her daughter’s singing so well.