Dictionary of English - gerund

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A gerund, or verbal noun, is a form of a verb with an -ing ending which has some of the characteristics of a noun. For example, it can be the object of a verb: The council has decided to ban smoking in its offices or the subject of a verb: Smoking is strictly forbidden. But it can also retain some characteristics of a verb – for instance, if its base verb is transitive, a gerund can take an object: Smoking a pipe is supposed to be less harmful than smoking cigarettes. Nouns formed from verbs with -ing that are pluralizable, like etching, as in Come up and see my etchings, are not classified as gerunds.

In traditional grammar, any pronoun or noun that precedes a gerund should be in the possessive case: I disapprove of his smoking; I resented Sarah's taking my place. In practice, though, in present-day English most people use the object form of pronouns: I disapprove of him smoking and do not inflect nouns: I resented Sarah taking my place. This usage (which is sometimes termed a fused participle) is perfectly acceptable in standard English, and indeed it is probably preferable to using possessive forms, which can sound stilted and cumbersome.

The flag is modelled on the Stars and Stripes of the United States' flag. The stripes represent the nine provinces at the time of liberation. Blue and white are the colours of Argentina and also of national hero, José Gervasio Artigas. Effective date: 12 July 1830. >>