THE GERUND AND THE PARTICIPLE. СРАВНЕНИЕ ГЕРУНДИЯ И ПРИЧАСТИЯ

Помните! Герундий отличается от причастия настоящего времени (Participle I): а) по функции в предложении; б) по наличию предлога; в) по наличию притяжательного местоимения или существительного в притяжательном или общем падеже.

1. Герундий может быть любым членом предложения; причастие – только определением, обстоятельством или частью сказуемого.

Обратите внимание! Если предложение начинается словом с окончанием – ing, то это слово является герундием в функции подлежащего, если за ним следует глагол-сказуемое; или оно является причастием в функции обстоятельства, если за ним следует подлежащее.

2. Перед герундием в функциях определения или обстоятельства, как правило, стоит предлог; перед причастием в функциях обстоятельства могут стоять союзы when или while.

3. Пред герундием может стоять притяжательное местоимение или существительное в притяжательном или общем падеже.

EXERCISES

I. A. Form the Gerund Indefinite Passive from the following verbs:

to write, to stop, to study, to make.

B. Form the Gerund Perfect Active and Passive from the following verbs:

to test, to send, to build, to leave.

II. Define the functions of the gerund in the following sentences. Translate.

1. Learning English is not an easy thing. 2. His friend began learning French. 3. Russian scientists played an important part in solving the problem of atmospheric electricity. 4. Studying nature without making observation is useless. 5. Any noise prevents me from working. 6. He doesn’t like being praised, he is too modest. 7. We didn’t mind her helping us. 8. Reading aloud can help you to improve your pronunciation. 9. In speaking about Moscow one has no choice but to quote long figures. 10. Muscovites have a special manner of walking, working, resting, communicating with each other. 11. You can’t become a good specialist without being trained for a long time. 12. We heard of the experiment having been started last week. 13. They couldn’t help using this information. 14. We succeeded in building a flexible system. 15. We are at the beginning of a new way of working, shopping, playing and communicating. 16. Lately some students have stopped writing and have begun pointing and clicking. 17. In fact, communicating with people is an obvious way to use the Web, and students are already doing it all the time from making dates to buying stocks and auctioning cars.

III. Make up sentences according to the models

Model 1: I don’t mind seeing the film again.

(to take part in the conference, to stay in the country for another week)

Model 2: I can’t (couldn’t) help smiling.

(to tell you about it, to laugh when I see him)

Model 3: The book is (not) worth reading.

(the question – to discuss, the proposal – to consider)

Model 4: It’s no use doing it.

(to talk to them, to help him)

Model 5: Did you enjoy spending your holiday there?

(to watch the match, to visit the museum)

Model 6: I remember talking to him.

(to attend the lecture, to invite them to the party)

Model 7: We insisted on (his) going there.

(to make the report, to organize a conference)

Model 8: You can learn speaking English by speaking English.

(to read French, to swim)

Model 9: What about going to the club?

(to have a bite, to visit a museum)

Model 10: Instead of going home he went to the club.

(to answer my question – to ask me his question, to do one’s homework – to look through magazines)

IV. Choose the right Russian equivalent.

1. Oleg’s refusing our help is regrettable.

a) то, что Олег отказался…; b) то, что Олег отказывается …; c) то, что Олегу отказали …

2. She is upset of her son being accused of bad conduct at school.

a) … ее сына обвинили …; b) … ее сын обвиняет …; с) … ее сына обвиняют …

3. He apologized to the teacher for not having done his lessons.

a) … за то, что не сделал …; b) …за то, что не делает …; с) …за то, что не будет делать …

4. I don’t like being asked such questions.

a) …задавать такие вопросы; b) …когда мне задают …;

с) …когда мне задавали …

5. The teacher was surprised at your having made so many mistakes.

a) …что вы сделали …; b) …было сделано …; с) …делаете …

V. Open the brackets using the proper form of the gerund.

1. I decided to do everything myself instead of (to ask) for help. 2. She succeeded in (to speak) English fluently. 3. It’s no use (to cry) over spilt milk. 4. Science requires (to experiment). 5. (To define) a problem precisely requires patience. 6. We know of the work (to carry out) in this laboratory. 7. They insisted on the sample (to test) repeatedly. 8. He has developed a method for (to evaluate) this problem. 9. She turned pale on (to tell) the news. 10. Do you mind him (to examine) by a heart specialist? 11. I was angry at (to interrupt) every other moment. 12. The device needs (to repair).

VI. Explain the difference between the sentences in each pair. Translate them.

1. He insisted on going there. He insisted on our going there.

2. I don’t mind cleaning the dishes. I don’t mind her cleaning the dishes.

3. She is not interested in collecting stamps. She is not interested in his collecting stamps.

4. We are fond of singing. We are fond of their singing.

VII. Find out the sentences with the gerundial construction. Translate.

1. The thunder is caused by heating the air by a spark. 2. A lightning conductor is a means of protecting buildings from the strokes of lightning. 3. We know of this house being destroyed by a stroke of lightning. 4. The professor knew about the students’ going to the power station. 5. Seeing is believing. 6. She cannot read English without consulting a dictionary. 7. His having asked such a question shows that he did not prepare the text. 8. I remember my having told her about the experiment. 9. Lomonosov’s having studied atmospheric electricity contributed to the development of science. 10. There are many methods of learning a foreign language. 11. On coming home he began watching TV. 12 A lot depends on your making the right choice.

VIII. Translate the sentences. Mind the construction with the gerund.

1. Their having overheated the gas changed the results of the experiment. 2. The investigator mentioned his testing this material for strength. 3. We heard of our engineer having left for the international symposium. 4. We insisted on the experiment being repeated. 5. In spite of the gases being compressed they return to their original volume as soon as the applied force stops acting. 6. Newton’s having stated the laws of motion is very important for modern science. 7. We knew of Newton’s having developed the principles of mechanics. 8. We knew nothing of their having been met at the station. 9. Franklin’s having worked in the field of electricity is known all over the world. 10. They didn’t know of his having been given new materials. 11. We know of Faraday’s having stated the law of electromagnetic induction. 12. We heard of the new computer having been put into operation.

IX. Complete the following by translating what is given in brackets. Use the gerund. Insert prepositions or other words where necessary.

1. Why do you deny … (что встречалась с ним раньше)? 2. He will succeed … (поступить в университет). 3. He couldn’t get used … (чтобы над ним смеялись). 4. I don’t feel … (звонить ей). 5. She gave up … (играть в теннис) and started … (бегать по утрам). 6. Do you mind … (я открою окно)? 7. We couldn’t … (не смеяться) looking at her clumsy movements. 8. They were proud of themselves … (что впервые сконструировали этот прибор). 9. Don’t avoid … (навещать заболевших знакомых). 10. Excuse me … (что я пришел, не позвонив).

X. Complete the following sentences using the gerund.

1. Do you prefer …? 2. Your clothes need …. 3. Thank you for …. 4. Do you mind …. 5. He looks forward to …. 6. We are tired of …. 7. I don’t object to …. 8. What is your idea of …? 9. She is fond of …. 10. They accused him of…. 11. Who is responsible for ….? 12. The teacher continued …. 13. The article is worth…. 14. Have you finished …? 15 The student is good at ….

XI. Translate into English using the gerund.

1. Вы не возражаете, если я воспользуюсь вашим телефоном? 2. Стоит обдумать предложение еще раз, чтобы избежать ошибок. 3. Простите, что я снова беспокою вас. 4. Могу я положиться на то, что вы сделаете все возможное в этой ситуации? 5. Его раздражало, когда его прерывали на каждом слове. 6. Ваша машина нуждается в ремонте, и чем скорее вы его сделаете, тем лучше. 7. Прежде, чем что-либо сделать, тщательно обдумайте все последствия. 8. Я не одобряю того, что вы тратите много времени понапрасну. 9. Многие люди используют Интернет только для получения и отправления писем. 10. Миллионы людей пользуются Интернетом, и их число постоянно растет.

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