II. The material to be read for the seminar. There are three verbals in English: the infinitive, the gerund and the participle

There are three verbals in English: the infinitive, the gerund and the participle. The verbals are forms of the verb, but they have peculiarities of their own. The verbals are not restricted in number and person by any grammatical subject. The verbals do not have mood distinctions either. Accordingly, the verbals cannot express predication by themselves; they can be only part of the predicate and, as part of the predicate, they must always be in connection with finite forms of the verb. E.g. He rose quickly and began to select books for me from the shelf (Cronin). The tenses of the finite forms indicate the time of the action. The forms that are called tenses in the verbals comprise relative time indication; they usually indicate whether the action expressed by the verbal: a) coincides with the action of the finite form of the verb in the present, past or future or b) is prior to the action of the finite forms of the verb in the present, past or future. The verbals perform different functions in the sentence.

The infinitive is used:

1. As subject: To go far away and quickly was the only thing to do (Galsworthy).

2. As predicative: Her greatest joy was to receive letters every week and to write long replies.

3. As part of a compound verbal predicate: She mustspeak now or not at all (Cronin). The child wanted to slip down from its mother’s lap on to the floor of the car… (Bennett).

4. As object. The objective infinitive is primarily used in this function: Florence entreated him to take her to some neighbouring shop… (Dickens).

5. As attribute: There were many things to be brought from the beach and stored in the outhouse… (Dickens).

6. As an adverbial modifier of purpose: Then all the lads climbed to the top of the rock to look round (Lawrence).

7. As adverbial modifier of resultor consequence: I was too much disturbed to goto bed myself… (Snow). It was too dark to distinguish anything.

The gerund is used:

1. As subject: Avoiding difficulties is not my method (Snow). Watching and ministring Kit was her best care (Galsworthy).

2. As predicative: His first job was getting her tea (Cusack). Their aim is mastering English in the shortest time possible.

3. As part of a compound verbal predicate: She began clipping the flowers and arranging them in a vase (Voynich). On his way home Andrew could not help reflecting what a charming fellow Ivory had turned out to be… (Cronin).

4. As direct object: Ruth took delight in playing and singing for Martin (London). Everybody was surprised at this difficult question having been solved so quickly.

5. As prepositional object: They talked of going somewhere else afterwards… (Dreiser). He was never tired of talking to me about her, and I was never tired of hearing (Galsworthy).

6. As adverbial modifier of time: After writing a few papers, however, I became for some reason discontented and laid them aside for a time (Conrad).

7 As adverbial modifier of manner: The rain poured down without ceasing (Maugham). The whole day was spent in packing things (Jerome).

The participle is used:

1. As attribute: We went on together through the frosty air and gathering fog towards the twinkling lights of the town (Dickens). The air ruffling through the window smelled of the sea (Mansfield). His sister’s eyes, fixed on him with a certain astonishment, obliged him at last to look at Fleur… (Galsworthy).

2. As predicative: The dark woods were touched here and there with red and golden leaves… (Chesterton). James grew more and ore alarmed (Galsworthy). He was too tired to go any further (Hemingway). The results of the experiment were shocking for the young scientists.

3. As adverbial modifier of time: Looking back upon that time, I thought that all might have been different had it not been for the interference of my parents (Dickens). Hearing this and learning that Mr. Peggotty was there, I determined to go to the house at once (Dickens). She put down her book on seeing me come in; and having welcomed me as usual took her work-basket and sat in one of the old-fashined arm-chairs (Dickens). When dressed, I sat a long time by the window, looking over the silvered fields (Bronté).

4. As adverbial modifier of cause: Feeling tired and having nothing more to do till the train left, Jude sat down on one of the sofas (Hardy). Seeing clearly that it would be useless to pursue their point, the gentleman withdrew (Dickens). Being of a nervous temperament, she trembled at her enterprise (Hardy).

5. As adverbial modifier of manner or attending circumstances: Soames stood invisible at the top of the stairs watching Irene sort the letters brought by the last post (Hardy). The captain walked up and down looking straight before him (Conrad).

6. As adverbial modifier of comparison: Lincoln raised his eyes, looked at her asthough peering over the tops of spectacles (Stone). She recrossed her legs comfortably, as though preparing for a long session on the sofa (Snow). For a moment the trio stood as if turned to stone (Murdoch). He looked at her for a moment as though amazed at her friendliness (Greene).

7. As adverbial modifier of concession: Though asked many times for help, Andrew kept silent (Cronin).

8. As part of a complex object: We saw behind us thousands and thousands of white gulls dipping, wheeling, brushing the water with their wings… (Galsworthy). He found her sitting at the breakfast table, and the meal began, almost in silence (Hardy).

Thus, besides the features common to the English verb as a whole, the verbals have certain features of their own distinguishing them from the finite verb.

Their lexico-grammatical meaning is of dual nature. The verbal meaning of “action, process” is presented as some kind of substance (gerund, infinitive) or quality (participle).

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