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The gerund - Coggle Diagram
The gerund
The functions of the gerund
the subject
It's no use arguing like that.
an adverbial modifier of
time (with the prepositions after, before, on, in, at and the conjunction since) e.g. At hearing the knock she went to the door.
manner (with the prepositions by or in)
He opened the door by pushing it slightly.
attendant circumstances (with the preposition without) They sat without talking for a long time.
condition (with the preposition without)
We can't discuss it without being given permission.
cause (with the prepositions for, for fear of, owing to)
She felt better for having spent so much time at home.
concession (with the preposition in spite of)
In spite of being her friend, he didn't dare to ask her this question.
a predicative
Your task is looking after the children.
part of a compound verbal predicate (with phasal verbs denoting the beginning, continuation
or the end of an action)
She began sobbing again.
a direct object
You can't avoid being talked about.
a prepositional object
She is not used to getting up early.
an attribute (always with a preposition)
There is no sense in talking to them.
The temporal meaning of the gerund
The indefinite gerund denotes an action simultaneous with the action expressed by the finite verb:
He works (worked, will work) for many hours without stopping.
The indefinite forms can also express prior actions:
I remember meeting him somewhere.
The perfect gerund expresses an action prior to that expressed by the finite verb:
He denies having stolen the papers.
The morphological characteristics
Writing/being written
Having written/having been written