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Gerund

hirashin

Sempai
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8 Apr 2004
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Dear native English speakers,

would you please proofread my sentences containing the gerund?

(1) That boy likes playing the guitar.
ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ
(2a) Playing soccer is a lot of fun.
(2b) Playing soccer is very fun.
(2c) Playing soccer is really fun.
ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ
(3a) We stopped talking and went out.
(3b) We stopped talking and then went out.
ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ ツ
(4) Tadashi finished writing a letter to his father.

(5a) Playing the piano is a lot of fun.
(5b) Playing the piano is a lot of fun for me.
(5c) Playing the piano is a lot of fun to me.

(6) I enjoy playing the guitar every day.

(7) My father doesn't like watching TV.

(8) He finished washing his car two hours ago.

(9a) Speaking Japanese is easy for us.
(9b) Speaking Japanese is easy to us.

(10) I like reading English books.

(11a) Studying/Learning English is a lot of fun for me.
(11b) Studying/Learning English is a lot of fun to me.

(12) His father's hobby is swimming.

(13a) I enjoy studying/learning Japanese here every Saturday.
(13b) Every Saturday I enjoy studying/learning Japanese here.

(14) It stopped raining.

Thanks in advance.

Hirashin
 
2b is incorrect.

9b is wrong or at best unusual.

5c and 11b are not natural to me.

The word order in 13a seems preferable in most contexts.

The others all look OK to me.
 
Thank you for the help, Clark.

It seems that there's a little difference in usage of some words between
the US and the UK. Interesting!

Do all the sentences I gave sound good to you, Clark?

Hirashin
 
It seems that there's a little difference in usage of some words between
the US and the UK. Interesting!



Hirashin

My wife and her parents were from the UK/Scotland and their English seemed like it came from Mars at times. Even in the US , there are lots of differences in how we speak depending on where you live. For a non-US person visiting the US, what you say and how you say it will not be as important as the accent/pronounciation you have. Sometimes a foreigner will use perfect English , but will not be understood because of their heavy accent or to fast a speed of speaking or incorrect pronounciation(sic) of a word.

Uncle Frank

---------- Post added at 12:24 ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 ----------

I would leave out the "very" on (2b).

(5c) , (9b) , and (11b) I would place the "to me/to us" at the beginning of the sentence with a comma after it instead of at the end.

Uncle Frank
 
I don't have any rules or special reason ; I just go by what would sound OK to me if someone said that sentence to me or if I read it in a letter. I try not to compare them to each other , I look at them as though they stand alone. Anything I comment on is just my own personal opinion and personal taste of my tin ear.

Uncle Frank
 
Hands in the air and be honest, now. How many had to look up "gerund"?
 
Thank you all for all your interesting comments you gave.

Hello, Mike. I have a question about your sentence:How many had to look up "gerund"?

Does it mean "How many have I had to look up 'gerund' " ?

Hirashin
 
No, I was asking how many other people had to look up the definition of the word "gerund". I think American public schools quit teaching grammar a long time ago. At any rate, most Americans quit learning it a long time ago.
 
No, I was asking how many other people had to look up the definition of the word "gerund". I think American public schools quit teaching grammar a long time ago. At any rate, most Americans quit learning it a long time ago.

Oh, I see. The word "gerund" is not familiar to American people, is it?

I don't think that's a big problem. I'm not interested in what is supposed to be grammatically correct.
It's more important for me to know how native English speakers use English.

I wish I could understand their English better.


By the way, it seems my previous question didn't make any sense.
I should have said "How many TIMES have I had to look up...".
I'm sorry.

Hirashin
 
Gerundium and gerundivum are used in Latin in order to use verbs like nouns or adjectives. Even when it was still fresh in my mind from my Latin lessons quite some time ago, I thought it was very confusing and complicated.

I didn't know there was a term for it in English, since it is only used in straightforward ways: "He finished washing his car. Where the part in italics serves as an object, a bit like a noun: similar to e.g. "He finished the meal.

So I didn't have to look up "gerund" in order to know where the name came from, but to be honest, I did google the actual Latin term for making this post :p (notice I'm using a gerund in the previous sentence ;) People use this all the time, and I think English can be taught without using the word "gerund".
 
Of course it can be taught without using the word. People who have never heard of it or given the slightest thought to grammar have used gerunds all their lives.

My question arose from there currently being two populations in America: those who grew up when grammar was still taught and those who came along afterward. And even among those of us who had to endure years of grammar instruction there are no doubt a great many who no longer remember what "gerund" means.
 
Grammar is still taught in America. The second group you are referring to are those that refused to learn.
 
Of course it can be taught without using the word. People who have never heard of it or given the slightest thought to grammar have used gerunds all their lives.

My question arose from there currently being two populations in America: those who grew up when grammar was still taught and those who came along afterward. And even among those of us who had to endure years of grammar instruction there are no doubt a great many who no longer remember what "gerund" means.

It wasn't my intention to criticise the question you asked. I did try to find a reason why many would negatively answer it, but I share your opinion on this.

Some parts of the populace here simply refuse their children a proper education, mostly on religious grounds. Over here, quality of education is generally not a problem; public schools are open to all, have good teachers and do not require a eurocent for tuition. But apparently some parents think their children will be successful in our society by studying the bible, talmud or quran. Luckily, this is rather rare here, but still, I don't like it one bit.
I do not mean to present myself here as the prime example of good education, though. Please forgive me if I seem arrogant.

But I've been off topic enough in this thread. :sorry:
 
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