Gerund with a past tense in the Subject

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by gjo123

Well, Humble and MikeYewYork, you two seem to have had a nice time batting my question around while I was away for the weekend. Unfortunately, after I returned and read what you two had to say, I am no closer to understanding how anyone can look at a title, "Getting Started," and know that "started" is a participle and not a past tense. No one knows what "Getting Started" is referring to when it is first seen on the front of a video. We don't know that the verb "is" is supposed to follow, as one of you suggest. My question remains unanswered. It still looks to me like getting is the subject and started is the simple past tense. I don't see why that can't be possible.

Excuse me for living.

If you check your original post, your question was about "Getting started is the important thing."

In that question, "is" followed "getting started". If you don't like the answer, you should criticize the question.

[Humble]

Hi,

The sentence has a verb

???
The sentence has a noun, 2 nouns, 3 verbs, 4 prepositions, an adverb and you name it...
Dear gjo,
If it is a title I bet it's a Present Participle from get started. Participles are often seen in titles. For instance talking abt the recent nuclear test:
ASKING FOR TROUBLE.
DEFYING THE WORLD COMMUNITY.
LOSING PATIENCE.
GETTING FED UP etc
Get started is a most frequent collocation and anybody will tell you started is a Past Participle here.
RGS

[gjo123]

Dear Humble and MikeNewYork, what you took to be an original post actually was first posted some time back. It was misunderstood then and more recently I decided to try again. "Getting Started" was not part of a truncated sentence---it was a title. If I understood the nuances of English grammar, I wouldn't be asking this question on the forum. I've looked through a modest collection of grammar books on the current topic. Apparently, Humble, you'd like me to grasp the concept. Thanks for the effort. Perhaps someone else will explain this question in plain English. I am not interested in someone telling me what seems obvious to them. I simply want to know how I, myself, can test the term, "started," and know it is a past participle and not past tense. Sorry, this is not "obvious" to me. We never covered this topic in school. Yes, I attened a small town school. Yes, I am a college graduate, but didn't need grammar courses for my major. Few majors do. My physics major husband doesn't know the solution to my question either. Neither do any of my college graduate friends. In other words, the explanation isn't as simple to many people as it is to you two. Where I'm from, we don't speak to people as is they count for nothing---small town folks know a think or two about manners! For that, we don't need to be grammarians! By the way, I do have a life---a wonderful one.

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by gjo123

Dear Humble and MikeNewYork, what you took to be an original post actually was first posted some time back. It was misunderstood then and more recently I decided to try again. "Getting Started" was not part of a truncated sentence---it was a title. If I understood the nuances of English grammar, I wouldn't be asking this question on the forum. I've looked through a modest collection of grammar books on the current topic. Apparently, Humble, you'd like me to grasp the concept. Thanks for the effort. Perhaps someone else will explain this question in plain English. I am not interested in someone telling me what seems obvious to them. I simply want to know how I, myself, can test the term, "started," and know it is a past participle and not past tense. Sorry, this is not "obvious" to me. We never covered this topic in school. Yes, I attened a small town school. Yes, I am a college graduate, but didn't need grammar courses for my major. Few majors do. My physics major husband doesn't know the solution to my question either. Neither do any of my college graduate friends. In other words, the explanation isn't as simple to many people as it is to you two. Where I'm from, we don't speak to people as is they count for nothing---small town folks know a think or two about manners! For that, we don't need to be grammarians! By the way, I do have a life---a wonderful one.

Pass.

[Humble]

I give up, I did my best.
Best wishes.

[Tdol]

Originally Posted by gjo123

I simply want to know how I, myself, can test the term, "started," and know it is a past participle and not past tense.

Try substituting it for a verb that is different in the past tense and past participle. Would you say 'getting flew' or 'getting flown'? I'd use 'flown', which is a past participle.

[gjo123]

To Humble and Tdol: Yes, Humble, you did your best. Thanks. As to your response, Tdol, I was really excited when I first saw it. Ah, a sure fire test---I thought. Then, I thought about go, went, gone. I don't think you'd use 'gone' with getting---getting gone. But, then, I don't think anyone would use 'went' with getting either---getting went. Perhaps this is one of those cases for which there is no test which will yield 100% accurate results in all cases? Humble, why are you giving up? A good teacher sees a challenge for what it is: an opportunity to grow. Struggle with me a bit longer. There is a link I'm not seeing. Help me to see it!

[Tdol]

went = past tense
gone = past participle
The test works.

In an English verb, the past tense is the second column and the past participle the third.

[gjo123]

Okay, if you say so. But, 'Getting Gone" surely seems strange to my ears. Thanks for the info.

[Tdol]

It may sound strange; we wouldn't necessarily use any verb in the same way because they might not generate a realistic and meaningful phrase. 'getting gone' may sound strange, but 'getting went' surely sounds even stranger.