Intermediate English Grammar for ESL Learners - Robin Torres-Gouzerh 2016

The possessive
17 Gerunds

In formal English, a noun or pronoun preceding a gerund is in the form of a possessive.

We appreciated Tara’s letting us use her phone.

I never liked his dating that girl.

In casual English, however, an object form of a noun or pronoun quite commonly precedes a gerund.

We appreciated Tara letting us use her phone.

I never liked him dating that girl.

Although the direct object + gerund construction is heard with great frequency, the possessive construction is preferred.

I was very annoyed by William’s driving so recklessly.

We were all so proud of Linda’s winning the race.

I couldn’t bear the child’s crying.

Julian’s sister did not approve of his drinking.

They all hated my singing and especially my dancing.

A word of caution: If a verb form ending in -ing precedes a noun, the verb form is a present participle, because its function in that position is as a modifier of the noun.

The other soldiers were distracted by William’s twitching muscles.

They all hated his reverberating baritone.

Exercise 17.2 Underline the gerund(s) in each sentence.

1. Moving to a new city is always stressful.

2. Mentioning this to Paul would be very clumsy.

3. She is looking forward to meeting him in person.

4. Managing this store is becoming too overwhelming.

5. We enjoy walking in the countryside and swimming in rivers.

Exercise 17.3 Fill in the blank with the appropriate gerund form of the verb in parentheses.

https://d.docs.live.net/413f2395bcbbb1aa/Документы/l They warned me that ... (reach) the top of the mountain would take several days.

2. ... (Decide) where to keep our old winter boots was not too difficult.

3. The policeman’s job is ... (protect) citizens and ...(serve) the law.

4. Laura does not seem to have time to do anything but ... (study) and ... (stay) out late with her friends.

5. I made a living by ... (paint) houses and ... (repair) roofs.

6. Rehearse ... (sing) that song with your professor; otherwise, you’ll never get better.

7. She cannot ask her parents to keep her dog without ... (alert) them to her vacation plans.

8. ... (Listen) to Paco de Luda playing acoustic guitar was amazing.

9. ... (Stretch) has always been my favorite form of relaxation.

10. ... (Rhyme) and ... (dance) are crucial elements of hip-hop culture.