| Functions
| Indicators
| Examples
|
| Subject
|
| Riding a bicycle is my favorite pastime.
|
| Part of a compound nominal predicate
|
| All he wanted was setting out here.
|
| Part of a compound verbal predicate
| Modal
| After the verbs and verbal phrases which denote modality: want, expect, like, intend, can’t, help, can’t stand.
| I can’t help smiling.
I like reading at night.
|
| Aspect
| After the verbs denoting the beginning duration or end of an action: begin, finish, cease, goon, commence, give up, continue, stop, keep on etc.
| The child started crying.
|
| Direct object
|
| I enjoy playingtennis.
|
| Prepositional object
|
| He objects to going there and likes most sports except fishing.
|
| Attribute
| Always preceded by a preposition
| She had no desire of seeing him again.
|
| Adverb modifier of
| Manner
| With the prepositions by, in.
| Laila interrupted the boy taking him by elbow.
|
| Time
| With the prepositions after, before, in, at, on (upon).
| On having the bell he went to open the door.
|
| Attendant circumstances
| With the preposition without
| She could talk about impersonal things without turningthe conversation into a lecture.
|
| Gerund
| Examples
|
| followed by direct object.
| Learning the new train schedule is easily.
|
| followed by predicate adjective.
| Feeling happy makes Asel sing.
|
| followed by indirect object.
| Giving Aidana new golf clubs would please her.
|
| followed by adverb modifier.
| Eating fast is bad for the digestion.
|
|
Although gerunds are used in a clause as nouns, they keep the qualities of verbs. Gerunds can be followed by direct objects, indirect objects, adverb modifiers, and predicate adjectives if their meaning allows these constructions.
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