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The Use of Participles and Gerunds

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The Use of Participles and Gerunds The Use of Participles and Gerunds Wenyuan Gu West Career&Technical Academy Las Vegas, Nevada July 3, 2020 The English verb has two major forms, finite and non-finite. How to use them correctly is very important to English language learners (ELL), whose native language is not English when they study English. The writer tried to summarize and describe the various use of the participles and gerunds, two of the three non-finite forms - the infinitive, the participles (which have two forms, the present participle and the past participle), and gerunds, on the basis of his extensive reading and review of different English grammar books, reference books, magazines, newspapers, books, and English dictionaries, etc., in order for English language learners to further understand how to use the participles and gerunds properly in the English language. Some contemporary grammarians do not like to have a clear distinction between present participles and gerunds. They called both the –ing form or -ing participle or the -ing clause, but the writer still wants to follow the traditional way of English grammar, because this would be beneficial to those whose native language is not English when they are studying English. A gerund is a form of verb functioning as a noun. For this reason, we can say “I don’t mind him/John smoking here” or “I don’t mind his/John’s smoking here”, in which smoking is a gerund (used as a noun) rather than a present participle. We can say “I always see him/John going there”, in which going is a present participle rather than a gerund. But we cannot say “*I always see his/John’s going there”, because going in this sentence is not a gerund. The correct use of participles and gerunds is a matter of usage and cannot be explained by all rules. Therefore, the writer used a wide variety of examples cited or given to describe the use of participles and gerunds so that learners further understand how to use them appropriately. The symbol*(asterisk) means that the phrase or sentence is unacceptable. The question mark? is used for forms that are doubtful. / means the choice of items. A cross-reference, (see 8.2), means “see 8.2” in this article. NP means a noun phrase. AmE means American English, and BrE, British English. SVO means subject + verb + object; SVC, subject + verb +complement; SVOiOd, subject + (indirect) object + (direct) object; SVOC, subject + verb + object + complement; SVOA, subject + verb + object + adverbial; SVOCA, subject + verb + object + complement + adverbial. 1 1 The finite verb vs. the non-finite verb A finite verb phrase is one that can be the main verb of a sentence. A non-finite verb phrase is an infinitive, participles (present or past), and a gerund. In the sentence “Many people stay up late at night”, we have “stay up late at night” as its predicate, in which the verb “stay up” is a finite verb. In “He went to see his father yesterday,” went is a finite verb. A finite verb is one which predicates something of the subject of the sentence or clause in which it is. A verb is not necessarily, however, always used as a finite verb. It can be used as a non-finite verb as well. In fact, the whole predicate including the verb may be transplanted into other sentences, where it is to have the function not of a predicate but of a subject, an object, a predicative, a complement, an attributive, an adverbial, an apposition, or an independent element, as the case may be. In that case, it will be non-finite, i.e., a gerund (if it is tantamount to a noun) or an infinitive (if it is tantamount to a noun, an adjective or an adverb) or a participle (if it is tantamount to an adjective or an adverb). 2 The Participles Forms of the participles Transitive Verb Write Intransitive Verb go Active Passive Present Indefin ite writing being written going Participle Perfect having written having been having gone written Progressive Perfect having been having been writing being written (?) Past Participle written gone Like the finite verb, the non-finite verbs can be put into the passive voice, if the meaning requires. If the subject or the understood subject of the sentence is also the logical object of the non-finite verb, then a passive participle is used if its action is in progress. For example: The houses now being built will be quarters for scientific workers. (The logical object of the non-finite verb, built, is the houses.) 2 Being encouraged by this discovery, the researchers went on working with all the more application and fortitude. (The logical object of the non-finite verb, encouraged, is the researchers. Here the present participle phrase Being encouraged by this discovery is adverbial in function, in which the word being can always be omitted. Then the phrase becomes the normal past participial adverbial denoting passive voice.) She heard the door being closed. (The logical object of the non-finite verb, closed, is the door.) The houses now being built will be our new school. (The logical object of the non-finite verb, built, is the houses.) 3 Participles used as part of the finite-verb 3.1 Present participles The present participle expresses an action that is in progress or taking place at the same time with or immediately before the action indicated by the main (or principal) verb, e.g. They are having lunch now. (present progressive tense) Jean is reading a book now while Sandy is using her computer. (present progressive tense, indicating two actions are happening at the same time) Seeing the bus coming, he ran for the bus-stop. =As soon as/When/After he saw the bus coming, he ran for the bus-stop. (present participle, seeing, to show simultaneous action with that of ran) Beibei came to visit us, bringing her elder sister with her. (present participle, bringing, to show simultaneous action with that of came) 3.2 Perfect participles The perfect participle expresses an action completed before that indicated by the main verb, e.g. Having graduated from West Career&Technical Academy (West CTA), she began to study accounting in college. =After/When she had graduated from West CTA, she began to study accounting .… (perfect form to show prior action to that of began) Having been despised/ Despised /Being despised/ by all, he felt ashamed to see his father. (perfect form to show prior action to that of felt) Having been married, they moved to Las Vegas. (married first and moved second) Having been reminded of his doubtful personality, I was ever on the lookout in my dealing with him. 3 = After/When I had been reminded of his doubtful personality… (perfect form to show prior action to that of was in the main clause) Having seen the movie, he wrote a comment. =After/When/As/Because he had seen the movie, he wrote a comment on it. (perfect form to show prior action to that of wrote in the main clause) 3.3 Present or past In the finite form the verb agrees in person and number with its grammatical subject and has tense distinction, i.e. He studies/studied/can/will study English. He is/was/has been/had been studying English. She is/was seen in Las Vegas. I am/was here, etc. The following are some examples of the participles used in the finite verb phrases, as in What are you doing here? (present continuous/progressive tense) They were working on the project when I came. (past progressive) The house was built. (past tense with passive) The house is being built. (present progressive with passive) The house was being built. (past progressive with passive) He was being examined. (past progressive with passive) He was killed by a car accident last week. (past tense with passive) They have been partners for years. (present perfect) John has worked hard. (present perfect) Sandy had completed the project by yesterday. (past perfect) They have been working for five hours. (present perfect progressive) They had been working for five hours. (past perfect progressive) He has been examined. (present perfect with passive) He had been examined. (past perfect with passive) He has been being examined. (present perfect progressive with passive, rarely used) He had been being examined. (past perfect progressive with passive, rarely used) 3.4 Used with modal auxiliary verbs The finite verb phrase also has mood and can be used with modal auxiliaries. We use may as an example, and the verb, examine, as participles (present or past) to illustrate the following: He may be examining. He may be being examined. He may be examined. He may be being examined. He may have examined. 4 He may have been examining. John may have been working hard. He may have been examined. He may have been being examined. (R. Quirk et al., 1972) He’ll be being examined, while we are there. (F.R. Palmer, 1978) 4. Tenses Traditionally, we have sixteen tenses, most of them containing present participles and past participles as you can see some examples above. 5 Participles used as premodifiers and postmodifiers The participles (present or past) can be used as adjectives to modify a noun or noun phrase. They can be placed before or after a noun. They are called premodifiers (before a noun) and postmodifiers (after a noun), respectively. 6 Premodifiers (modifiers placed immediately before NP) The present or past participles can be used as adjectives to premodify NP, as in I was always awakened by the coming ambulance at night.
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