Forma -ing ca Gerund (The Gerund)

Forma -ing ca Gerund (The Gerund)

1. Caracteristicile verbale ale formei Gerund. Gerund are, la fel ca si participiul in -ing, caracteristici verbale:

a) are categoriile gramaticale de timp si diateza:

Diateza activa:

Gerund:                      I enjoy learning English. Imi place sa invat engleza.

Perfect Gerund:          He denies having taken the books. Neaga ca a luat cartile.

Diateza pasiva:

Gerund:                      He can’t stand being interrupted. Nu poate suferi sa fie intrerupt.

Perfect Gerund:          He denies having been invited to the party. Neaga ca a fost invitat la

petrecere.

Gerund denumeste de regula o actiune simultana cu actiunea verbului predicativ (cu exceptia situatiilor in care Gerund-ul este precedat de prepozitia before sau after).

The teacher enjoyed taking the children to the museum last Sunday. Profesorului i-a facut placere sa-i duca pe copii la muzeu duminica trecuta.

Forma perfecta (Perfect Gerund) denumeste o actiune anterioara verbului predicativ. Aceasta forma este mai rar folosita decat Gerund si ea apare mai ales dupa verbul deny: He DENIES having seen her. Neaga ca a vazut-o.

In cazul altor verbe, mai ales remember, excuse, forgive, thank si dupa prepozitiile on, after, without, raportul de anterioritate poate fi exprimat si de Gerund.

I can’t remember doing this exercise before.

I can’t remember having done this exercise before.

Nu -mi amintesc sa mai fi facut acest exercitiu.

I thanked him for helping me.

I thanked him for having helped.

I-am multumit ca m-a ajutat.

Nota: Sensul pasiv al Gerund-ului este redat de obicei prin forma pasiva: The children enjoied being taken to the museum. Copiilor le-a facut placere sa fie du-si la muzeu. Dupa verbele want, need, require, deserve, si dupa adjectivul worth se foloseste insa Gerund-ul activ pentru redarea sensului pasiv: Your shoes NEED mending. Trebuie sa-ti repari pantofii / Pantofii tai trebuie reparati. What is WORTH doing is WORTH doing well. Ce merita facut merita facut bine.

b) Pe plan sintactic, Gerund poate avea subienct, complement direct in cazul verbelor tranzitive, complemente circumstantiale: I can’t imagine him driving a car in this weather. Nu mi-l imaginez conducand masina pe o asemenea vreme.

2. Caracteristicile substantivale ale formei Gerund. Spre deosebire de participiul in -ing, care are si caracteristici adjectivale, Gerund are si caracteristici substantivale:

a) poate fi determinat de articole, adjective, substantive la cazul genitiv sintetic:

The sound of a loud knocking on the door interrupted their discussion.

The sound of her coming in interrupted their discussion.

The sound of a baby’s crying interrupted their discussion.

Nota: Daca un verb tranzitiv + complementul sau direct este folosit la Gerund precedat de un articol, complementul direct se transforma intr-un atribut prepozitional cu of.

Comparati: The stranghening of peace and security in Europe is an essential prerequisite for strengthening peace and security throughout the world. Intarirea pacii si securatatii in Europa este o conditie esentiala pentru intarirea pacii si securitatii in intreaga lume.

The writting of books takes a great deal of time.

Writting books takes a great deal of time.

Scrierea cartilor ia foarte mult timp.

b) este intrebuintat dupa prepozitii: AFTER walking for an hour, we went to the cinema. Dupa ce ne-am plimbat o ora, ne-am dus la cinema. He is in the habit OF going fishing every week. Are obiceiul / Obisnuieste sa mearga la pescuit in fiecare saptamana.

c) pe plan sintactic, Gerund-ul indeplineste functii proprii substantivului

1) subiect: Camping is the ideal way to spend a holiday.

Nota: Subiectul exprimat prin Gerund este adeseori introdus de un it anticipativ: It’s no good worring. It’s hopeless trying to get this car going.

2) parte dintr-un predicat verbal, dupa verbele indicand inceputul begin, start; continuarea: continue, go on, keep (on) si sfansitul actiunii: stop, end, finish, cease:

He BEGAN searching for the document.

He WENT ON searching for the document.

He FINISCHED searching for the document.

3) nume predicativ (rar): Seeing is document.

4) complement direct: Fancy meeting you here !

5) parte dintr-un complement prepozitional: He was succeeded in collecting all the material.

6) parte dintr-un complement complex:

I can imagine her getting upset.

I can imagine Mary’s getting upset.

7) parte dintr-un complement circumstantial (precedat de o prepozitie care indica si felul complementului:

- de timp: After cycling douwn the avenue, he turned right.

- de mod: He won the competition by quessing all the answers.

8) parte dintr-un atribut prepozitional: I had the pleasure of travelling with them.

3. Intrebuintarea formei Gerund

1) Forma Gerund este folosita:

a) dupa prepozitii ca after, before, by, for, from, on etc., care indica relatii temporale, cauzale, de mod, de scop, etc.: ON waking up, he found himself in a hospital ward. Cand s-a trezit s-a vazut intr-un salon de spital. Read your paper again BEFORE handing it in. Citeste inca o data lucrarea inainte sa o predai. You’ll get a ticket FOR parking here. Ai sa primesti amenda pentru ca ai parcat aici. She keeps healthy BY keeping a strict diet. Isi mentine sanatatea tinand un regim strict.

b) dupa parti de vorbire urmate in mod obligatoriu de anumite prepozitii:

PROIECT: Absurdul - categorie estetico-literara derivata din cultivarea in fertilele PROIECT: INCEPUTURILE LITERATURII CULTE (primii scriitori „profesionisti”)

- substantive cu prepozitie obligatorie: - doubt + about; - cause, reason + for; - belief, confidence, delight, difficulty, experience, faith, interest, luck, pride + in; - charge, favour, habit, hope, intention, opportunity, point + of; - contribution, objection, opposition + to; etc. He has a lot of EXPERIENCE IN foreign language teaching. Are multa experienta in predarea limbii straine.

- adjective si participii trecute cu prepozitie obligatorie: - angry, anxious, certain, enthusiastic, happy, optimistic, pleased, sure, worried + about; - angry, astonished, bad, clever, delighted, expert, good, pleased, skiful, surprised + at; - excellent, famous, responsible, sorry, suitable, useful + for; - consistent, correct, diligent, experienced, expert, fortunate, helpful, interested, late, prompt, quick, conscious, convinced, fond, guilty, proud, tired + of; - based, dependent, intent, keen + on; - accustomed, equal, equivalent, opposed, used + to; - annoyed, bored, content, delighted, furious, disappointed, happy, pleased, satisfied, sick, upset + with. I am DELIGHTED AT her winning the first prize. Sunt incantat ca a castigat premiul intai.

I am USED TO getting up early.

Sunt obisnuit sa ma scol devreme.

- verbe cu prepozitie obligatorie: - complain, dream, learn, worry + about; - aim, hesitate +; - fight, struggle + against; - begin, conclude, end + by; - apologize, care + for; - prevent, recover. refrain, retire + from; - believe, consist, delight, participate, succeed + in; - accuse, approve, boast, complain, consit, hear, think + of; - agree, concentrate, congratulate, count, decide, focus, insist, live, rely + on; - agree, contribute, look forward, object, resort + to; - agree + with.

I don’t AGREE TO your leaving earlier than the others.

I OBJECT TO your leaving earlier than the others.

Nu sunt de acord sa pleci mai devreme decat ceilalti. I won’t HEAR OF buying a new TV set. Nu vreau sa aud sa cumparam un televizor nou. I’m LOOKING FORWARD TO seeing you again. Astept cu nerabdare sa te vad din nou. These measures CONTRIBUTE TO strengthening peace and security. Aceste masuri contribuie la intarirea pacii si securitatii.

2) Gerund este intrebuintat dupa substantivul use in contructia it is no use sau there is no use si dupa adjectivul worth: This book is WORTH reading. Aceasta carte merita citita. IT’S NO USE trying to mend the vacuum-cleaner. Degeaba incerci sa repari aspiratorul.

3) dupa verbe tranzitive: admit, avoid, consider, deny, detest, dislike, escape, fancy, finish, give up, cannot help, keep (on), don’t mind, miss, postpone, practise, put off, resent, resist, risk, cannot stand, stop, suggest etc. You must AVOID being late in future. Trebuie sa eviti sa intarzii in viitor. He HAS GIVEN UP smoking. S-a lasat de fumat. I CANNOT HELP laughing at his jokes. Nu pot sa nu rad la glumele lui. I CANNOT STAND being interrupted in my work. Nu pot suferi sa fiu intrerupt din lucru.

4) dupa verbe exprimand o activitate mintala: forget, remember, understand etc sau o stare sufleteasca: cannot bear, dread, hate, like, love, neglect, prefer, regret, etc. in alternanta cu infinitivul: I remember being disappointed. Imi amintesc ca am fost dezamagit. I HATE their arriving late. Nu-mi place ca intarzie.

5) dupa verbe indicand un proces: plan, try, undertake; inceputul: begin, start; continuarea: continue sau sfarsitul actiunii: cease, in alternanta cu infinitivul.

They STARTED comparing notes.

They CONTINUED comparing notes.

They CEASED comparing notes.

4. Traducere. Forma Gerund nu are corespondent perfect in limba romana. Ea se traduce de obicei, in functie de context, prin:

a) un gerunziu: He ented his speech by thanking everybody for their attention. Si-a incheiat cuvantarea multumind tuturor pentru atentie.

b) un substantiv: Swimming keeps you fit. Inotul te mentine in forma.

c) o propozitie subordonata: He is fond of reading aloud. Ii place sa citeasca cu glas tare.

5. Infinitivul cu to si forma Gerund. Infinitivul cu to si forma Gerund au unele caracteristici substastantivale si verale comune, datorita carora:

a) pot avea:

- subiect: I want you to go first. I can’t stand Tom interrupting me all the time;

- complement direct: I intend to read this tomorrow. I remember spending a holiday with them.

- complement circumstantial: We wanted to go to the theatre. He had the benefit of studying at a Romanian university.

b) pot indeplini acelelasi functii in propozitie:

- subiect, nume predicativ: To see her is to like her. Seeing is believing.

- complement direct: I love to swim in the sea. I love swimming.

- atribut prepozitional: He has no desire to go. He has no intention of going etc.

In alte cazuri insa, numai una din cele doua forme este posibila. Vom analiza deci cazurile:

1) cand se foloseste numai infinitivul;

2) cand se foloseste numai forma Gerund;

3) cand se poate folosi sau infinitivul sau Gerund-ul si care sunt diferentele de sens.

6. Folosirea infinitivului cu to este obligatorie:

a) dupa verbele enumerate la &1.15.3. pct. 6: arange, ask, attempt, choose, decide, demand etc. + agree, aim, consent, determine, hope, manage, etc.:

They DECIDED to make another attempt.

They AGREED to make another attempt.

They CONSENTED to make another attempt.

b) dupa verbe, substantive sau adjective, pentru a exprima scopul:

We hurried to explored the cave.

We had no time explored the cave.

We found it exciting explored the cave.

c) in constructia Acuzativ cu infinitiv, dupa verbe care exprima un ordin sau o rugaminte:

He ORDERED us to leave immediately.

He REQUESTED us to leave immediately.

He ASKED us to leave immediately.

7. Folosirea formei Gerund este obligatorie:

a) dupa verbele enumerate la & 3. pct. 3: He AVOIDS mentioning the subject. Why do you PUT OFF telling her the truth ? I DON‘T MIND doing it again.

b) dupa prepozitii: BEFORE going out, switch off the lights please. He is keen ON reading poetry.

c) dupa adjectivele worth, like si dupa there is no: It’s WORTH listening to him. THERE IS NO accounting for tastes.

8. In alte situatii se poate folosi fie Infinitivul cu to si forma Gerund. Deosebirile principale intre cele doua forme, in anumite situatii, sunt urmatoarele:

a) Gerund indica in general, infinitivul - savarsirea actiunii in anumite circumstante: It’s no use to deny that I was frightened at first. Nu are rost sa neg ca mi=a fost teama la inceput. It’s no use crying over spilt milk.

b) Gerund indica o actiune anterioara verbului la mod personal, infinitivul - o actiune viitoare: I remember giving her the parcel. Imi amintesc ca i-am dat pachetul. I must remember to give her the parcel. Trebuie sa nu uit sa-i dau pachetul.

c) Gerund indica o actiune anterioara, infinitivul - scopul actiunii exprimate de verbul predicativ: He stopped reading. S-a oprit din citit. He stopped to read the advertisement. S-a oprit sa citeasca reclama.

d) Gerund-ul se refera la o actiune deliberata, infinitivul, la o actiune involuntara: She began speaking. A inceput sa vorbeasca. She began to weep. A inceput sa planga, etc.

Deoasebirile de intrebuintare dintre infinitiv si forma Gerund, detaliate pe verbe, sunt urmatoarele:

8. Deosebirile de intrebuintare dintre infinitiv si Gerund

9.Exista si situatii in care folosirea infinitivului cu to sau a Gerund-ului nu implica diferente mari de sens:

a) Unele substantive, ca ambition, change, charge, honour, intention, possibility, pot fi urmate fie de infinitiv, fir de of + Gerund: We had the HONOUR OF meeting the great sinbger. Am avut onorea de a fi prezentati marei cantarete. I do not have the HONOUR to belong to this association. Nu am onoarea de a fi membru al acestei asociatii. She had no INTENTION OF going on the trip. Nu avea nici o intentie sa mearga in excursie. She left at eight, with the INTENTION to go to bed early. A plecat la 8 cu intentia sa se culce devreme.

b) Unele substantive, adjective sau verbe pot fi folosite uneori fara prepozitie, si atunci sunt urmate de un infinitiv, iar alteori cu prepozitie si atunci sunt urmate de un Gerund: She AGREED to come. A fost de acord sa vina: I AGREE TO her coming. Sunt de acord sa vina. We DECIDED to visit the exhibition. Am hotarat sa vizitam expozitia. We DECIDED ON visiting the exhibition. You were quite RIGHT to refuse his offer. Ai avut dreptate sa-i refuzi oferta. She was RIGHT IN refusing him. (Ea) a facut bine ca l-a refuzat.

Atentie la urmatoarele situatii care prezinta deseori dificultati pentru elevii romani:

a) manage + infinitiv; succeed + in + Gerund; He MANAGED to set everything right, dar: He SUCCEEDED IN setting everything right.

b) aim + infinitiv; aim + at + Gerund:

This book AIMS to give description of the structure of present - day English.

This book AIMS AT giving description of the structure of present - day English.

c) occasion + infinitiv; opportunity + of + Gerund: I hope I won’t have OCCASION (= reason for / need to) to punish you. Sper ca nu voi avea motive sa te pedepsesc. If I have OCCASION to meet him, I’ll give him your message. Daca am motiv sa-l intalnesc, am sa-i transmit mesajul tau. If I have an OPPORTUNITY OF meeting him, I’ll him your message. Daca se iveste vreo ocazie / Daca am pozibilitatea sa-l intalnesc am sa-i transmit mesajul tau.

d) (un)able + infintiv; (un)capable + of + Gerund: He was (UN)ABLE to do it. He was (UN)CAPABLE OF doing it.