Gerunds and Infi nitives 83 it Don’t you just love taking a couple of days off work? it I enjoy working with my hands. Object of a preposition it I got my job by working as an intern for six months. it Before doing anything, you have to strip all the old paint off the wall. it We fi nally quit around seven after finishing the proposal. it My main concern was getting started so late. it The problem with the job is having to commute so far to work. it Right now our goal is finishing the job on time within the budget. Since gerunds are derived from verbs, adverbs that originally modifi ed the verb underlying the gerund can also modify the gerund derived from that verb. For example, consider the follow- ing sentence: She stressed the importance of always meeting our commitments on time. The adverb always modifi es the gerund meeting. Exercise 6.2 Underline the gerund phrases in the following sentences. Confi rm your answers by replacing the gerund phrase with it. it They feared taking on such a big task. 1. Putting the schedule on the website really made it much easier to plan our meetings. 2. I vaguely recall hearing some discussion about that. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 83 3/16/09 12:34:04 PM 84 Noun Phrases 3. We need to talk about solving the quality control problems. 4. His weakness was trying to please everybody. 5. The consultants recommended cutting back on a few of our less important projects. 6. Working such long hours put a terrible strain on all of us. 7. Getting it right the fi rst time is the best approach. 8. They are not happy about having to take such a late fl ight. 9. The problem is getting enough time to do everything. 10. We barely avoided sliding into the ditch. 11. Arriving at the airport a couple of hours early turned out to be a really good thing. 12. We all voted for ordering in pizza. 13. He always insists on doing the whole thing by himself. 14. Acting so quickly saved us a lot of trouble. 15. The problem was attaching such a big fi le to the e-mail. 16. Forget about leaving early. 17. Knowing the right thing and doing the right thing are not the same. 18. We have to focus on achieving results. 19. Getting off to such a bad start took away from our later successes. 20. Seeing is believing. One of the hardest things about identifying gerunds is telling apart a verb in a progressive tense from a gerund that follows a linking verb. For example, compare the following sentences: Progressive tense: The cat was getting ready to pounce. Gerund: My big concern was getting enough sleep. As you can see, we have exactly the same sequence of verbs, was getting, in both sentences. In more general terms, how can we tell when some form of be ϩ a present participle is a progressive tense (be as a helping verb ϩ a present participle verb) or be as a main verb followed by a gerund? Here are the differences between our two example sentences: helping main verb in verb present participle form Progressive tense: The cat was getting ready to pounce. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 84 3/16/09 12:34:04 PM Gerunds and Infi nitives 85 main object verb gerund of verb Gerund: My big concern was getting enough sleep. Fortunately, there are two reliable ways of telling them apart. We can always change a progressive verb into a simple form. In the case of our example, we can change the past progressive was get- ting to the simple past tense got: Progressive tense: The cat was getting ready to pounce. Simple past: The cat got ready to pounce. When we try to do the same thing with the gerund, the result is nonsensical: Gerund: My big concern was getting enough sleep. Simple past: X My big concern got enough sleep. The other test is the third-person substitution test for gerund phrases. Here is the test applied to both sentences: it Progressive tense: The cat was getting ready to pounce. Third-person pronoun test: The cat was getting ready to pounce. Clearly, it does not equal getting ready to pounce. When we apply the same test to the gerund phrase, it makes perfect sense: it Gerund: My big concern was getting enough sleep. Third-person pronoun test: My big concern was getting enough sleep. In this case, it does indeed make sense as a substitute for getting enough sleep. Exercise 6.3 Each of the following sentences contains a sequence of some form of the verb be followed by a present participle. Underline each progressive verb or gerund phrase and write progressive or gerund above it, and then confi rm your answer by applying one of the tests discussed previously: paraphrasing a progressive as a simple tense or replacing a gerund phrase with it. progressive The discussion was getting out of hand. The discussion got out of hand. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 85 3/16/09 12:34:04 PM 86 Noun Phrases 1. Our effort was showing a defi nite improvement in sales. 2. My worry is being late for an important meeting. 3. The kids were playing in the backyard. 4. The kids’ favorite activity is playing in the backyard. 5. John’s idea of a good time is watching football on TV. 6. Sally was studying classical Greek in Athens last summer. 7. Sally’s great ambition is studying classical Greek some summer. 8. The problem was getting stuck in traffi c on the way home. 9. The worst thing is losing a really close game that we could have won. 10. We are meeting them at a restaurant near the station. Infi nitives and infi nitive phrases Infi nitive and infi nitive phrases are generally quite similar to gerunds and gerund phrases. Most of the description of gerunds and gerund phrases will apply to infi nitive and infi nitive phrases. Infi nitives consist of to ϩ the base or dictionary form of the verb. For example: to be to go to have (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 86 3/16/09 12:34:04 PM Gerunds and Infi nitives 87 Infi nitives can be used in many ways, but in this chapter we are only concerned with infi nitives used as nouns. An infi nitive phrase is an infi nitive together with all of its modifi ers and/or complements. The difference between an infi nitive and an infi nitive phrase is exactly the same as the difference between a noun and a noun phrase. For example, compare the following pairs of infi nitives and infi nitive phrases used as objects. The infi nitives are in italics, and the entire infi nitive phrase is underlined. We all need to sleep. We all need to sleep for a few hours. We want to fi nish. We want to finish this job as soon as we can. They expected to win. They expected to win the game easily. From now on we will use the term infi nitive phrase for infi nitives with or without modi- fi ers and/or complements. Infi nitive phrases can play three of the basic four noun roles: subjects, objects of verbs, and predicate nominatives. Unlike gerund phrases, infi nitive phrases cannot be objects of prepositions. Here are some examples of infi nitive phrases as subject, object of a verb, and predicate nominative: Subject To give up so easily would be a terrible thing to do. To do our very best is all that anybody could ask of us. To learn Chinese characters takes years. Object of verb We need to get some more help. They expected to be in Dallas by noon today. The offi ce tried to reach him by voice mail. Predicate nominative (complement of a linking verb) The idea is to arrange a surprise party for Susan next week. Our goal for this year was to increase our sales by ten percent. The driver’s responsibility is to get all of the guests from the airport to the hotel. As is the case with gerund phrases, infi nitive phrases are a category of noun phrases. Since infi nitive phrases are nonhuman and always singular, infi nitive phrases can always be replaced (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 87 3/16/09 12:34:04 PM 88 Noun Phrases by it. Here are examples of infi nitive phrases in all three noun roles, subject, object of a verb, and predicate nominative, followed by the it substitution. It To make a decision on such an important matter was not an easy thing to do. it The candidate refused to answer the reporters’ questions. it My biggest concern was to find a new job as soon as possible. Exercise 6.4 Underline the infi nitive phrases in the following sentences. Confi rm your answers by replacing each infi nitive phrase with it. To turn down such a generous offer was a hard decision to make. It To turn down such a generous offer was a hard decision to make. 1. Our original plan was to go to the play after having dinner in town. 2. We wanted to get an apartment somewhere in easy commuting distance. 3. To operate heavy equipment requires a special license. 4. They decided to enroll in a gym or health club. 5. The lawyer’s advice was to get out of the contract any way we could. 6. To teach math in middle schools requires a special kind of person. 7. Our assignment was to analyze the fi nancial status of a small business. 8. To assume that you know what is going on may be a big mistake. 9. Our decision was to fi ght against the zoning change. 10. To permit such dangerous behavior is really asking for trouble. 11. I didn’t want to stop for lunch because I had so much work. 12. To give up so easily would be a sure sign of weakness. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 88 3/16/09 12:34:04 PM Gerunds and Infi nitives 89 13. The plan was to make them an offer they couldn’t refuse. 14. After the long fl ight, we really needed to stretch our legs. 15. We didn’t want to think about all the awful things that could happen. 16. To receive this award from you is a great honor and privilege. 17. After much debate, the fi nal decision was to add three new positions. 18. You will need to take a full load next semester. 19. I wanted to believe that they were telling us the truth. 20. To err is human, to forgive is divine. Infi nitive phrases differ from gerund phrases in one respect. English speakers often prefer to move longer infi nitive phrases to the end of the sentence, putting an it in the subject position to act as a placeholder or marker. This use of it is called a “dummy” or “empty” it because it does not actually refer to anything outside the sentence. For example, consider the following sentence with an infi nitive phrase in the subject position: To turn down such a good opportunity didn’t make economic sense. We could shift the infi nitive phrase to the end of the sentence and put a dummy it in the position vacated by the infi nitive phrase: It didn’t make economic sense to turn down such a good opportunity. Here are some examples of subject infi nitive phrases shifted to the end of the sentence and replaced by dummy it. Original: To drive on the left side of the road was a strange experience. Shifted: It was a strange experience to drive on the left side of the road. Original: To do it the right way would cost more than we could afford. Shifted: It would cost more than we could afford to do it the right way. Original: To insist on a down payment seemed perfectly fair to me. Shifted: It seemed perfectly fair to me to insist on a down payment. (i-viiiB,001-328B) whl bk.indd 89 3/16/09 12:34:04 PM . general terms, how can we tell when some form of be ϩ a present participle is a progressive tense (be as a helping verb ϩ a present participle verb) or be as a main verb followed by a gerund? Here. successes. 20. Seeing is believing. One of the hardest things about identifying gerunds is telling apart a verb in a progressive tense from a gerund that follows a linking verb. For example, compare. We all voted for ordering in pizza. 13. He always insists on doing the whole thing by himself. 14. Acting so quickly saved us a lot of trouble. 15. The problem was attaching such a big fi le