dinition excluding

[alexchau]

Driving fast is not safe.

In this sentence, 'driving' is gerund, which is noun, should 'fast' be an adjective?

Thx

[riquecohen]

Driving fast is not safe.

In this sentence, 'driving' is a gerund, which is a noun; should 'fast' be an adjective?

Thx

Welcome to the Forum, alexchau. What do you think the correct answer is?

[Barb_D]

What an interesting question!

With "fast," of course, it doesn't matter. It can be an adverb or an adjective, but let's try some other words.

Cautious driving is encouraged. Clearly, you can't use an adverb here, and the gerund looks much more like a noun.

Driving cautiously is encouraged. You do have to use the adverb here, and the gerund looks much more like a verb.

Careful planning will serve you well.
Planning carefully will serve you well.

I would need someone with more linguistics knowledge to explain this, but it is how it's used.

[Rover_KE]

I'm puzzled about dinition excluding.



Rover

[alexchau]

Thx.

Gerund is a noun(?). How could it be more like noun or more like verb?

[luschen]

Try replacing fast with slow/slowly and see what happens.


*** Not a teacher ***

[Barb_D]

A gerund is not a noun. It is a verb form that functions in a sentence the way a noun can function -- as a subject or object.

I don't know WHY if we put the modifier before it, we use an adjective and if we put the modifier after it, we use an adverb.

I hope someone will come along and explain it.

[freezeframe]

A gerund is not a noun. It is a verb form that functions in a sentence the way a noun can function -- as a subject or object.

I don't know WHY if we put the modifier before it, we use an adjective and if we put the modifier after it, we use an adverb.

I hope someone will come along and explain it.

Cautious driving is encouraged. Clearly, you can't use an adverb here, and the gerund looks much more like a noun.

Driving cautiously is encouraged. You do have to use the adverb here, and the gerund looks much more like a verb.

"Driving cautiously" is a gerund phrase. Driving is a verb relative to other components of the gerund phrase. The entire phrase functions as a noun.

Adverbs of manner usually go after the verb.

In "cautious driving", driving is a gerund and cautious is an adjective modifying it.

PS I also want to know about "dinition excluding"!!

[5jj]

I remember reading an article on the differences between 'gerunds' and 'verbal nouns' to explain the difference between:

Smoking cigarettes is bad for you. (Gerund)......The smoking of cigarettes is bad for you. (Verbal noun)

and:

I don't approve of him smoking. (gerund)......I don't approve of his smoking. (verbal noun)

I imagine this would suggest:

I don't approve of him smoking cigarettes/of cigarettes. ......I don't approve of his smoking cigarettes/ of cigarettes.

and:

I don't approve of him smoking heavily. ......I don't approve of his heavy smoking.

I think it was in one of Fowler's works. I will try to track it down.

[stacyhappy]

i love this forum! i teach online at TutorABC and have so many questions sometimes. Maybe teaching online is not the same as face toface, but i love it because i get to stay home and make my own schedule:) Also the students are so respectful!