By Compound subjects, Gerunds

I had these exchanges before: Taka wrote:My dictionary says:''Gerund AND gerund' , 'infinitive AND infinitive' and 'abstract noun AND abstract noun' are generally treated as singular when they are used as the compound subject of a sentence.Do you think this explanation is wrong? Grammar Geek...

MrPedantic wrote: Taka wrote: So, when gerunds are perceived as separate activities, the compound are plural.What about compound subjects of infinitives? Are they also treated as plural when perceived as separate activities? It seems so to me: 1. To swim and to run is a fine form of exercise....

Taka wrote: So, when gerunds are perceived as separate activities, the compound are plural.What about compound subjects of infinitives? Are they also treated as plural when perceived as separate activities? It seems so to me: 1. To swim and to run is a fine form of exercise. ] viewed as one...

MrPedantic wrote:<yanked back by loose flap of bear costume> Well, at the risk of seeming wishy-washy, I see both as possible: 1. Running and swimming is my favorite form of exercise. — the speaker presents "running and swimming" as a composite activity. 2. Running and swimming are my...

Before you go too far, Mr. P, would you care to comment on the side issues that has come up? The use of a singular verb when there is a compound subject of gerunds or abstract nouns?

Grammar Geek wrote:Like "Running and swimming is my favorite form of exercise"? No. That would be "...are my favorite forms of exercise."This is a bit getting off the point of the original question, but let me ask.My dictionary says:''Gerund AND gerund' , 'infinitive AND infinitive' and...

The word 'gerund' is going out of favour, with '-ing verb form' now preferred; the result, however, is the same: a gerund is an -ing verb form used as a noun.In your initial sentence, communicating effectively and anticipating customer needs are nonfinite clauses acting as nouns (in this case,...