Other Verbs
Complemented by Gerunds
Additional verbs complemented by gerunds
| GERUND CLAUSE | |
|---|---|
A small group of verbs that express attitude and opinion are followed by gerund clause expressing an activity. (See Verb + Gerund.) |
|
| ATTITUDE | ACTIVITY: –ING |
We enjoy |
seeing sheep walking on the road. |
We couldn't help |
noticing sheep as they walked by. |
We recall |
hearing dogs barking behind the herd of sheep. |
We loved |
hearing them making "baaa" sounds. |
We kept |
watching them pass by. |
| PARTICIPIAL CLAUSE | |
|---|---|
An additional group of verbs expressing observation, perception, experience, and "passing time" are followed by an optional gerund-participle clause. |
|
| SENSORY / EXPER. | MODIFIER: –ING |
We saw sheep |
walking on the road. |
We noticed sheep |
walking by. |
We heard (dogs²) |
barking behind the herd of sheep. |
We had fun |
hearing them making "baaa" sounds. |
We sat |
watching them pass by. |
In traditional grammar description, the gerund is more noun-like and the participle is more adjectival. However, current linguistic description no longer distinguishes the gerund from the particple: both are nonfinite. The terms are merged "gerund-participle". See Grammar Notes and resources.
¹It is unclear who is doing the activity. People don't usually bark. We dislike [barking (?) / getting up] in the middle of the night. or We dislike dog-barking in the middle of the night.
² The object dogs can be understood from context whenit is omitted.
Related pages: Gerund Objects. and Clause Reduction 2.
Sensory Verbs
Followed by gerunds or base forms
Gerund vs. bare form (base)
| –ING VERB FORM |
|---|
A sensory verb is followed by a noun and optionally a modifying clause. (particpial clause / gerund-participle clause). |
We smelled a skunk [that was] passing by. |
We saw an athlete [that was] running a marathon race. |
We heard cows [that were] mooing. (making cow sounds) |
We saw some birds [that were] flying away. |
We heard the neighbors [that were] leaving at 7:00 am. |
We watched our mother [that were] cooking dinner. |
We felt the temperature [that were] rising. |
We observed the doctor [that was] doing open-heart surgery. |
We noticed [that he was ] him putting something in his pocket. |
The police found [that they were] them hiding. (found = observed) |
She caught¹ her husband [that was] cheating. |
| BARE / BASE VERB FORM |
|---|
Some sensory verbs are followed by a bare form / base verb form. This form does not change the meaning.. |
We smelled it pass[ing] by. |
We saw him run [ing] a marathon race. |
We heard them moo [ing] . (make cow sounds) |
We saw them fly [ing] away. |
We heard them leave [ing] at 7:00 am. |
We watched her cook [ing] dinner. |
We felt it rise [ing] . |
(no base-form equivalent) |
(no base-form equivalent) |
(no base-form equivalent) |
(no base-form equivalent) |
¹catch (v.) – to observe or surprise someone doing something (often negative). It doesn't mean to physically take hold of someone, rather to discover someone's hidden activity.
Experience Verbs
Followed by gerunds
Having a particular experience
| EXPRESSING POSSESSION |
|---|
When have is used to express possession, it is commonly followed by a noun. (No gerund form is possible.) |
We had a mobile phone. |
We had a holiday |
We had a frisbee. |
We had a karaoke machine. |
She had a baby. |
We had breakfast / lunch / dinner. |
They are having a party. (hosting an event) |
He is having a cigarette / a break. (take) |
Have a bite / a drink / a seat. (take) |
She is having a bath. (take) |
Have a good day / holiday / Merry Christmas (enjoy) |
| HAVING A PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE |
|---|
When have is used to express experience, it is followed by a gerund phrase. Typically, the speaker expresses a good or bad experience. |
We had difficulty finding a pay phone. |
We had a hard time finding a pay phone. |
They had no trouble driving to your house. |
They had an easy time driving to your house. |
She had an awful¹ time getting a visa. |
We had fun skiing. (pleasant) |
We had a ball skiing. (a ball = fun) |
We experienced difficulty finding a pay phone. |
|
|
|
¹awful (adj.) – unpleasant
Related page: Noun vs. Gerund and Have + Verb They had him clean it.
Passing-Time Verbs
Followed by gerunds
Spending Time (doing something)
| TWO SEPARATE ACTIVITIES |
|---|
With a few verbs, two activities can be combined together. Note how these verbs joined by and can be restated. |
He sat and ate his dinner. |
He stood and argued with me. |
He lies around and reads the newspaper. (or lies down) |
He wasted time and texted on his telephone. |
She spends hours and does her homework. |
| SPENDING TIME VERB-ING |
|---|
These verbs with the meaning of "passing time" can be followed by an activity, a gerund clause. |
He sat eating his dinner. |
He stood arguing with me. |
He lies around reading the newspaper. |
He wastes time texting on his telephone. |
She spends hours doing her homework. |
Other Verbs Followed by Gerunds
Summary List
Verb + Object + Verb-ing
| OBSERVATION | PERCEPTION | EXPERIENCE | PASSING TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
see I saw her leaving / leave. |
feel I felt her sneezing / sneeze. |
have trouble I have trouble hearing. |
sit I sat watching the sheep |
watch I watched them falling / fall. |
hear I heard her coughing / cough. |
have difficulty I have difficulty spelling. |
stand I stood waiting for them. |
observe I saw her leaving. |
smell I smelled her passing / pass by. |
have fun I have fun dancing. |
lie around I lay around relaxing. |
notice I noticed her arriving. |
have a great time I had a great time traveling. |
lie He lay complaining. |
|
catch I caught them relaxing. |
have an easy time I had an easy time driving. |
waste time He wastes time shopping. |
|
find I found her sleeping. |
have a ball I have a ball playing video games. |
spend time I spend time browsing. |
|
overheard We overheard them fighting. |
|
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Grammar Notes
Gerunds & Participles: What's the Difference?
| GERUND / GERUND CLAUSE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
One could argue that the reduced gerund clause and the participial clause are the same with the only difference being that the gerund holds the place of a noun (subj or object) while a participial clause modifies a noun. In modern Linguistics, they are both called "gerund-participles". Below, "walking down the road" is the complement of the verb. It completes the idea We enjoy... . |
|||
| SUBJECT: NP | PREDICATOR: VERB | COMPLEMENT: OBJECT | |
We |
enjoy |
walks. (noun) |
|
We |
enjoy |
walking. (gerund) |
|
We |
enjoy |
walking on the road. (gerund clause) |
|
Azar – gerund phrase; Biber, Huddleston – nonfinite clause or gerund clause
| PARTICIPIAL CLAUSE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
A participial clause modifies a noun or noun phrase. Below, "walking on the road" (a reduced clause / nonfinite clause) modifies the object noun "sheep". In both a gerund- and participial- clause, a reduced clause is serving as a part of the sentence. The gerund serves as the object, and the participial phrase serves as a modifier. |
|||
| SUBJECT: NP | PREDICATOR: VERB | COMPLEMENT: OBJECT | ADJUNCT (optional) |
We |
saw (heard, watched, found) |
sheep |
[that were] walking on the road. (relative clause) walking on the road. (modifier) |
The sheep |
were walking |
|
on the road. (prep. phrase) |
See Clause Reduction 2 for "reduced clauses"
(UUEG 15-6) (CaGEL 14 §3.2)
Participial clause placement & meaning
| POST POSITION |
|---|
A modifying clause is placed as close as possible to the noun that it modifies. Below, the clause modifies the object sheep and not the subject we. |
|
| PRE–POSITION |
|---|
A modifying clause placed before the main clause modifies the closest noun, which is usually the subject. |
|
See Shortening Clauses – While
Categories: NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Det – determiner; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; AdvP – adverb phrase; Adv – adverb; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective; Subord – Subordinator; Coord – Coordinator; Interj – Interjection
Functions: Subject: Subject, Predicate: Predicator (V) Complement: elements required by the verb: object, indirect object, predicative complement Adjuncts: (optional modifiers) Adj, Adv, clause
Resources
- Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar (UUEG). White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print. (15– 6-7)
- Huddleston, Rodney and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CaGEL). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print. (1204-5)
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage.(PEU) 4th ed. 2009: Oxford University Press. Print. (242)
Practice
Detective Report: Making Observations
Read Context
7:00 p.m. — The detective …
9:20 p.m. — …
10:00 p.m. — …
11:00 p.m. —
11:30 p.m. - …
12:00 a.m. - …
12:30 a.m. and caught him…
1:00 a.m. - Bill's wife went to bed…
Complete the sentence.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "Check 1-8" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.