Search results for 'tag:Present tenses tag:Gerunds' matching tags 'Present tenses' and 'Gerunds'

Re: decline.

Huevos — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:43:34 GMT

New2grammar
stores and restaurants are seeing sharp decline in sales ...

Just to clarify about the indefinite article: it's OK to say "stores and restaurants see sharp decline in sales" without the article when using the present tense; in fact it has the ring of a newspaper headline. On the other hand when using the gerund not using the article in this context sounds very wrong to me as a native speaker.

Re: 3 idioms, and my sentences with them, could you take a look?

Vorpar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:38:30 GMT

1. to steal the show

a) Jack Nicholson stole the show in Batman. (question: is it possible to use this idiom as far as idioms are concerned? question2: would it be better to use here the pres. perfect?)

I think this is fine, though when talking about movies (especially describing action), we usually use the present tense.
b) Slash is the one who always steals the show at Guns & Roses gigs (question: is "at" ok here?)

"at" is fine.
c) She's stolen the show (doubt: I can't come up with a situation in which we would use this idiom in the present perfect)
It could be used during the show, just after a breakthrough scene.

2. to pull sb's leg

a) Oh come off it! Stop pulling my leg and tell me the truth!

This looks fine.
b) She has pulled my leg again!
c) Hey guys, listen, why don't we pull Jim's leg (and play a joke on him) ? It's gonna be fun!

I don't think this idiom is commonly used without the gerund (in a).

3. to foam at the mouth

a) He has been foaming at the mouth for the whole evening (doubt: I'm not sure if the use of the present perfect cont. is appropriate here)
b) He foamed at the mouth when his wife told him that she had been cheating on him. (VS He was foaming at the mouth, or VS has foamed at the mouth)
c) What did your dad say to this? He was foaming at the mouth when I told him (VS He foamed at the mouth)

All of these look fine.

MAIN QUESTION: Are the above-written sentences perfectly OK, and how often do you use the above-mentioned idioms?

Stolen the show is commonly used, but I don't hear the others much at all.

Re: contemplating throwing

Hoa Thai — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 06:32:44 GMT

Anewcomer wrote:
Hi Teachers I came across this sentence in a story book: He had stood upon his balcony and contemplated throwing himself down to the street. Why it's not like this: He had stood upon his balcony and contemplated to throw himself down to the street And what is the difference? And can i say: "continuing saying things" or "continue saying things" or "continue to say things", and what's the difference Thanks

Hi,

The verb contemplate belongs to a group of verbs such as admit, avoid, deny, enjoy, and many more that are followed by a noun or gerund but not an infinitive.

The verb continue, however, may be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive.

We use the present progressive to send a message of âin middle of doing somethingâ (i.e., the action itself). The present tense simply shows the state.

Re: the position of "not"

CalifJim — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 18:17:18 GMT

So the "not" we place before the gerund or infinitive is an exception?(no operators are found in the 2 examples you've given to me) Yes. These are exceptions. There's no operator, but you place not before the gerund or infinitive.

and does the infinitive you mentioned include both to-infinitive and bare-infinitive? No. Just the to infinitive.

if the answer of the 2nd question is yes, why isn't "I not yet see sth." correct? it It is "not + bare infinitive", ~~doesn't~~ isn't it? No. It's not an infinitive.
or it's because "see" is used as verb in this sentence, but not infinitive? Yes. see is the main verb -- present tense, not infinitive.

Bare infinitives occur after operators most of the time, so this situation is covered by the other rules. (I cannot see anything yet. - Here can is the main verb, and an operator. see is a bare infinitive. There's already a rule to place not after the operator can, so another rule to place not before the bare infinitive is totally unnecessary.)

CJ

Re: Gerunds and infinitives

Yankee — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:17:14 GMT

Pucca wrote:
Hello everyone,

I always have problems with the gerund and infinitives, that's why I made some exercises, would you mind correcting them for me?

1.- I object to having loud music played in my ear.
2.- I'm looking forward to hearing from you. OK
3.- She wants to eat fish. OK
4.- I used to speak in Frenck when I met her. OK
5.- They usually speak in her mother language when they are alone. This is neither gerund nor infinitive. It is the simple present tense of the verb 'speak'.
6.- She objects to being laughed at.
7.- We have to drive on the left in England. OK
8.- In addition to comming late, he came dirty.
9.- Are you used to getting up late early? OK
10.- He used to get up early when he was in the army. OK
11.- She expects me to visit her every time I go to London. OK
12.- That woman keeps nagging me all day long. That woman kept nagging me all day long. / That woman keeps nagging me every day.
13.- I dislike answering silly questions.
I would choose the gerund after 'dislike'. However I would use either the 'to infinitive' or the gerund with 'like': I don't like answering silly questions. / I don't like to answer silly questions.
14.- I suggest going earlier. OK
15.- She detests speaking in public. OK
16.- I admit comming here late at night. Also: I admit to coming here late at night.
17.- Imagine not knowing the answer to such a question! OK
18.- They risk having an accident on the way. (Do not use 'to')

Thanks in advance for your help!

My two cents is in the quote, Pucca.

Re: difference between the meaning of these sentences: I used to play...cri

Jeka — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 23:23:52 GMT

Yankee wrote:
Jackson6612 wrote:

Question 2:

Both Philip and Yankee said:

I am used to playing cricket in my spare time.

I was told that after to simple Present Tense form is used but playing is not simple Present Tense form of play. What would you say on this?
Most of the time you will find the base form (infinitive) of the verb after the word 'to'. However, certain expressions require the '-ing form'. Some examples of these are:

- be used to doing
- be accustomed to doing
- look forward to doing
- admit to doing
- object to doing

As far as I know 'to' is a preposition here (it is not a part of infinitive). So, you cannot use anything else after a preposition but a noun or gerund (-ing form). Hope it helps.

Re: lots of tought (to me) questions...will there be a good soul ;) ?

Grammar Geek — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:25:41 GMT

1. Here is a sentence from the key "But I hope you know what you're doing" I'm wondering... Can we say "I'm hoping" or rather not? and is it totally incorrect or in other contexts it would be ok? Grammatically it's okay, but "I hope" sounds more natural to me at the moment.

2. Just tell me if I'm right or not. The verb "to recognise" cannot have the gerund form, can it? Sure it can. After that terrible blow to his head left Petr without any memory, his recognizing his wife is a good sign.

3. "I can see from what you say that your mornings are very busy! But what do you do in the afternoons?"

a) could it be "...from what you are saying..." ? and what's the difference between these two? That's fine. No big difference that I can find.
b) If I wanted to ask about something temporary or someone's plans could I ask "What are you DOING in the afternoons" or not? Sure. With your wife away all week, what are you doing with your evenings? Can you come over and play some poker?

4. "Emerson is currently top of the driver's league" - why is there no "at" before "top" ? I don't know - I would have said "at the top" but I'm not familiar with the driver's league, so perhaps I'm not reading this correctly.

5. "The food tastes even worse now. You have put too much salt in" - why is there no "it" after "in" ? It's implied.

6. "I'm forever picking you hairs out of the bath!" your hairs.

a) why "hairs" instead of "hair" ? I always thought that "hair" is an uncountable noun..."Your hair" is that mass on top of your head and is uncountable. "Your hairs" are more than one of those individual strands that have fallen out.
b) why "forever" ??? what does it mean ??? does it mean "always" ? Yes, I keep having to do it over and over.

7. "Fortunately the baby now sleeps all night" - shouldn't "now" be at the end of the sentence? It can move around - I think it's fine there and really draws attention to the fact that it's a change from "before."

8. "I hear that you have been promoted!"

a) I don't understand why there is "hear" in the present tense instead of something like "heard" or "have heard" Does "hear" is equall in meaning with "heard" ? It's a very recent "learning." "I hear" in the present like this means "it's being discussed and I heard it."
b) what's the difference between "heard" and " have heard" ?

9. "I hope Sarah will be here soon. I'm depending on her" How is it different from "I depend on her" ? Any change of meaning? Yes, "I'm depending on her" means that you need her now, for this project. "I depend on her" is a habitual or ongoing need.

10. Tricky thing What is the difference between:

a) speak to
b) talk to
c) speak with
d) talk with

For example, I always have doubts whether to say "May I speak to..." or "May I speak with..." or "May I talk to..." or "May I talk with..." On the phone, they are quite similar, espcially if the same polite tone is used. Do a search on here on speak and talk and you'll find this discussed a lot.

11. "Jane is away on holiday." Does the word "holiday" has always the same form? Or maybe it can be used with -s ? "holidayS" ? Do a search on here for this one too.

12. Roght or wrong - the verb "to suspect" cannot be used like : "I'm suspecting her" ,can it? You can, but it's not that common. It means you suspect her now, but not recently, and you don't think you will later.

13. "I'm seeing how wide the door is"

a) hmm... "seeing" ??? what does it mean? You are in the process of measuring it, right then.
b) "door" or "doors" ? I don't know - are there two doors?

14. "I'm finding it really enjoyable to work here" Why not "I find it..." Any difference in meaning? Perhaps if it's a new job? You haven't had time to make this "finding" a permenent or habitual feeling.

15. How do you feel today? VS How are you feeling today? I don't see much difference.

16. Does the word "trouble" have the "troubles" form? and in what contexts? (which?) Yes, when you have distinct kinds of trouble. Man trouble, money trouble, job trouble - You face many troubles.

17. Is this sentence OK? "I'm wondering... Can we say "I'm hoping" or rather not? and is it totally incorrect or in other contexts it would be ok?" Sorry, I'm not sure what you're asking here.

Have I done any mistakes/errors in the above points? Perhaps you could post fewer at a time?

lots of tought (to me) questions...will there be a good soul ;) ?

Forum_mail — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:08:36 GMT

Hi folks! I know that I have A LOT OF questions... but I hope someone can at least take a look at them... let's start.

I've got some dobuts about the following :
(all examples come from Michael Vince's 'Advanced Language Practice')

1. Here is a sentence from the key "But I hope you know what you're doing" I'm wondering... Can we say "I'm hoping" or rather not? and is it totally incorrect or in other contexts it would be ok?

2. Just tell me if I'm right or not. The verb "to recognise" cannot have the gerund form, can it?

3. "I can see from what you say that your mornings are very busy! But what do you do in the afternoons?"

a) could it be "...from what you are saying..." ? and what's the difference between these two?
b) If I wanted to ask about something temporary or someone's plans could I ask "What are you DOING in the afternoons" or not?

4. "Emerson is currently top of the driver's league" - why is there no "at" before "top" ?

5. "The food tastes even worse now. You have put too much salt in" - why is there no "it" after "in" ?

6. "I'm forever picking you hairs out of the bath!"

a) why "hairs" instead of "hair" ? I always thought that "hair" is an uncountable noun...
b) why "forever" ??? what does it mean ??? does it mean "always" ?

7. "Fortunately the baby now sleeps all night" - shouldn't "now" be at the end of the sentence?

8. "I hear that you have been promoted!"

a) I don't understand why there is "hear" in the present tense instead of something like "heard" or "have heard" Does "hear" is equall in meaning with "heard" ?
b) what's the difference between "heard" and " have heard" ?

9. "I hope Sarah will be here soon. I'm depending on her" How is it different from "I depend on her" ? Any change of meaning?

10. Tricky thing What is the difference between:

a) speak to
b) talk to
c) speak with
d) talk with

For example, I always have doubts whether to say "May I speak to..." or "May I speak with..." or "May I talk to..." or "May I talk with..."

11. "Jane is away on holiday." Does the word "holiday" has always the same form? Or maybe it can be used with -s ? "holidayS" ?

12. Roght or wrong - the verb "to suspect" cannot be used like : "I'm suspecting her" ,can it?

13. "I'm seeing how wide the door is"

a) hmm... "seeing" ??? what does it mean?
b) "door" or "doors" ?

14. "I'm finding it really enjoyable to work here" Why not "I find it..." Any difference in meaning?

15. How do you feel today? VS How are you feeling today?

16. Does the word "trouble" have the "troubles" form? and in what contexts? (which?)

17. Is this sentence OK? "I'm wondering... Can we say "I'm hoping" or rather not? and is it totally incorrect or in other contexts it would be ok?"

Have I done any mistakes/errors in the above points?

Thanks for your patience... Take care folks!

Re: What is the form of ''be''? Is it Pres tense form, Past tense form, or

Bird Of Paradise — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:47:30 GMT

Jackson6612 wrote:
I think names for those six forms of certain verb are:

Infinitive form, Simple Present Tense form, Simple Past Tense form, Past Participle, Present Participle.

For example:

to go, go, went, gone, going.

I don't know the name for sixth form? Perhaps it's bare infinitive. But there is no difference between Simple Present Tense form and bare Infinitive form of a certain verb. Is there any difference? Although Gerund and Present Participle also look same but there is difference in their use. Check this link http://www.kfmaas.de/presentparticiple.html to look the differnce in the use of Gerund and Present Participle. Likewise, perhaps there is also some difference in the use of bare Infinitive and Simple Present Tense form.

Consider the following,

Go = Base form/infinitive
go = simple tense form
goes = 3rd person singular form
going = present participle
went = past tense from
gone = past participle form

Every main verb in English language has the above six forms.

Re: What is the form of ''be''? Is it Pres tense form, Past tense form, or

Jackson6612 — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 23:34:15 GMT

I think names for those six forms of certain verb are:

Infinitive form, Simple Present Tense form, Simple Past Tense form, Past Participle, Present Participle.

For example:

to go, go, went, gone, going.

I don't know the name for sixth form? Perhaps it's bare infinitive. But there is no difference between Simple Present Tense form and bare Infinitive form of a certain verb. Is there any difference? Although Gerund and Present Participle also look same but there is difference in their use. Check this link http://www.kfmaas.de/presentparticiple.html to look the differnce in the use of Gerund and Present Participle. Likewise, perhaps there is also some difference in the use of bare Infinitive and Simple Present Tense form.