Transcript “The Use of the Gerund in the English Language and ways of its

“The Use of the Gerund in
the English Language and
the Ways of its Translation
into Ukrainian”
by Kate Zemlyankina
Group 11-3
Financial-economical lyceum
Teacher:
Klachkova Maria Antonivna
The Word “Gerund”
English is one of few
languages in the world that
have the gerund in their
grammar. The word
“gerund” sounds strange
and incomprehensible for
the Ukrainian learners of
English and creates certain
difficulties in its
interpretation.
Objectives of the Work
The objectives of the
Working at our topic we
work
used methods of
•to analyse and compare theoretical research such
the non-finite forms of
as analysis, synthesis,
the verb,
comparison,
•to study the forms and
generalization and also
functions of the gerund,
some methods of
•to analyse the ways of
empirical knowledge
rendering gerunds into
such as study of
Ukrainian.
literature, analysis of
information.
The Verbals
The gerund as a grammatical form
relates to the verbals or the non-finite
forms of the verb. Like the finite
forms of the verbs the verbals have
tense and voice distinctions, but their
tense distinctions differ from those of
the finite verb.
Types of Verbals
There are three verbals in English:
the participle, the gerund, and the
infinitive. In the Ukrainian language
there are also three non-finite forms of
the verb, but they do not fully coincide
with those in the English language
(дієприкметник, дієприслівник,
інфінітив).
General Notion about Gerund
The gerund is a verbal that ends in
-ing and functions as a noun. The term
verbal indicates that a gerund, like the
other two kinds of verbals, is based on
a verb and therefore expresses an
action or a state of being.
Practical Use of the Gerund
The wide use of the gerund seems to be the most
characteristic feature of Modern English, which
distinguishes it not only from the Ukrainian or
Russian languages, but also from such European
languages as French and German, with which the
English language has very much in common in the
sphere of the verb.
For example, we usually say:
•I enjoy swimming.
•The film is worth seeing.
•In the night it started raining.
Double Nature of Gerund
The nominal characteristics
of the gerund:
The verbal characteristics
of the gerund:
1. The gerund can perform the
function of a subject, an
object and a predicative.
1. The gerund of transitive
verbs can take a direct
object.
2. The gerund can be preceded
by a preposition.
2. The gerund can be
modified by an adverb.
3. Like a noun the gerund can
be modified by a noun in
the possessive case or a
possessive pronoun.
3. The gerund has tense
distinctions; the gerund of
transitive verbs has also
voice distinctions.
Forms of the Gerund
There are four forms of the gerund in
English: the Indefinite Gerund Active, the
Indefinite Gerund Passive, the Perfect Gerund
Active and the Perfect Gerund Passive.
Forms of the
Gerund
Active
Passive
Indefinite
writing
being written
Perfect
having written
having been written
Syntactic Functions of the Gerund
The gerund may be used in various syntactic
functions, such as: subject (підмет), predicative
(іменна частина присудка), object (додаток),
attribute (означення), adverbial modifier (обставина).
1. The gerund as a subject.
Talking mends no holes. (proverb) – Розмови не допомагають у біді.
2. The gerund as a predicative.
Are you for or against staying here? – Ти за чи проти того, щоб
залишитися тут?
3. The gerund as a prepositional indirect object.
He didn’t succeed in passing the exam. – Він не склав іспит.
4. The gerund as an attribute.
I have no intention of discussing this question. – Я не маю наміру
обговорювати це питання.
5. The gerund as an adverbial modifier.
He talked without stopping. – Він розмовляв без зупинки.
Gerund Phrase
A Gerund Phrase is a group of words
consisting of a gerund and some modifiers
that function as the direct object, indirect
object, or complement of an action or a
state expressed in the gerund.
Finding a needle in a haystack would be easier then what we're
trying to do.
finding (gerund)
a needle (direct object of the action expressed in the gerund
in a haystack (prepositional phrase as adverb)
Gerundial Complex
The Gerundial Complex is a
construction in which the verbal element
expressed by the gerund is in the
predicative relation to the nominal
element expressed by a noun or a
pronoun.
I don’t like your going off without any money.
Gerund and Participle
Unlike the participle the gerund may
be preceded by a preposition, it may be
modified by a noun in the possessive
case or by a possessive pronoun; it can
be used in the function of a subject, an
object and a predicative. In the function
of an attribute and of an adverbial
modifier both the gerund and the
participle may be used, but the gerund
in these functions is always preceded
by a preposition.
Gerund and Verbal Noun
Gerund
Verbal Noun
1) The gerund has a double
character — nominal and verbal.
The verbal noun has only a nominal
character.
2) The gerund is not used with
an article.
The verbal noun may be used with
an article.
3) The gerund has no plural form.
The verbal noun may be used in
the plural.
4) The gerund of a transitive verb
takes a direct object.
The verbal noun cannot take a direct
object, it takes a prepositional object
with the preposition of.
5) The gerund may be modified by
an adverb.
The verbal noun may be modified
by an adjective.
Gerund or Infinitive?
The fact that certain verbs in
English can be followed
either by the gerund or by
the infinitive creates
additional difficulties for
translation.
It is believed that the
difference between these
two forms is of aspective
nature, the gerund
representing an action in
progress and the infinitive
representing an action as a
fact. Besides, the gerund is
believed to denote a general
action, the infinitive – a
concrete one.
Ways of Translation
There is no gerund in the Ukrainian language and
the English gerund is rendered into Ukrainian in
different ways: by a noun, by an infinitive, by a
verbal adverb and by a subordinate clause.
a) by a noun.
Dancing had not begun yet. - Танці ще не почалися.
b) by an infinitive.
She had tea with Cipriano before leaving. - Перед тим, як піти,
вона випила чаю з Чипріано.
c) by verbal adverb.
On seeing Bella he stopped and beckoned her to him. Побачивши Беллу, він зупинився та покликав її до себе.
d) by a subordinate clause.
He regretted now having come. - Тепер він шкодував, що
прийшов.
Conclusion
We chose the topic of our work because
we consider it to be relevant nowadays.
Studying at school, we don’t pay enough
attention to such an important aspect of the
English grammar as the gerund. Many
students have troubles in using and
translating it into Ukrainian. Our research
work may be of great help to the learners of
English in avoiding difficulties and
improving their knowledge concerning this
grammatical unit.