Exercise 1: choose one of the options A or B that you think is correct. Justify your answer.
Answers: 1 B, 2 A, 3 B, 4 B, 5 A
Task 2: correct grammatical errors in the following sentences
1. Reading the article and noting required material, I make extracts. 2. I dialed the number, putting the receiver on the table. 3. Having determined these quantities from astronomical and geodetic observations, the compression of the Earth is derived based on formulas. 4. Having broken its wing, the jackdaw was cured. 5. Approaching nine o'clock, it began to get dark. 6. While climbing over the fence, an unpleasant incident happened: he tore his pants. 7. Arriving in the city of my childhood, I will definitely meet my school friends and my first teacher. 8. Newspapers report that Kent went crazy after jumping out of a twentieth-story window..
| Explanation: 1. Inconsistency in the use of types of gerunds: reading (non-sov.v.) and noting (sov.v.) Right: Reading the article and noting the necessary material, I make extracts. After reading the article and marking the required material, I made extracts. 2. An error in the formation of gerunds. Right: putting 3. The action expressed by a gerund can only refer to the subject. 4. – A jackdaw broke its wing, and someone else treated it, since cured is a passive participle. 5. It gets dark 6. impersonal verb , the gerund cannot apply to it at all. An action expressed by a gerund can only refer to the subject. 7. It is not recommended to use gerunds in sentences where the predicate verb is in the future tense. 8. B in this case the verb should be replaced by a gerund, and the gerund by a verb ( |
Losing his mind, Kent jumped out of the window). Otherwise, the situation expressed in the sentence will be diametrically opposite to what was in reality. Participle perfect form indicates an action that precedes the action expressed by the predicate verb.
1. Reading “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky, we are faced with images of representatives of “ dark kingdom" 2. Going to her first ball, Natasha Rostova felt natural excitement.
3. Re-reading M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths,” the question arises every time whether there can be two truths. 4. Raskolnikov cannot understand that by killing the old woman, the world will not change. 5. Having driven 40 kilometers, the buildings of the satellite city became visible to us on the left of the road. 6. After reading the recommended literature, students became clear about their own mistakes in constructing sentences and using foreign words.
Possible difficultiesGood advice
In the use of single gerunds and participial phrases, mistakes are often made due to the discrepancy between the producers of the action in the predicate and the gerund, for example:
“As I approached the station, my hat flew off.”
Remember: the gerund denoting an additional action and the verb denoting the main action must refer to the same producer of the action.
In the above phrase, this linguistic rule is violated: in fact, the speaker (and not the hat) was driving up to the station.
It is necessary to change the sentence so that both actions (in the predicate and participle) refer to the same actor:
“As I approached the station, I dropped my hat.”
Errors in the use of gerunds and participial phrases may be due to the absence of a verb in the sentence, for example:
“Returning home, I felt sad”;
“How touching he is when he delivers this monologue.”
An adverbial phrase cannot be present in a sentence in which there is no predicate expressed by a verb. The participle must refer to the verb or (in rare cases) to the participle, for example:
“Returning home, I felt sad”;
“As he delivered this monologue, he looked very touching”;
“People were unable to hold back the pressure of the waves that rushed onto the shore, sweeping away everything in their path.”
If a gerund or participial phrase is contained in a definite-personal sentence, doubts may arise that the sentence is constructed correctly, for example:
If a gerund or participial phrase is contained in an indefinite-personal sentence, errors are possible, for example:
“After graduating from the institute, graduates were sent to work in Moscow schools.”
In definite personal sentences, the gerund is quite appropriate and refers to the implied subject:
“When leaving home, do not forget to turn off electrical appliances.”
In indefinite sentences, the gerund must always refer to the implied indefinite agent, for example:
“When playing golf, people usually use several different clubs.”
If this rule is violated, an error occurs:
“After graduating from the institute, graduates were sent to work in Moscow schools.” (It was graduates who graduated from the institute, not those who sent them to Moscow schools.)
If a gerund or participial phrase is contained in an impersonal sentence, errors are possible, for example:
“Even being near the fireplace, I feel cold.”
In impersonal sentences, a gerund or participial phrase is appropriate only if the sentence contains an infinitive form of the verb. As a rule, these are impersonal offers with general meaning necessity or possibility/impossibility, for example:
“When solving a problem, you can use any reference materials»;
“When you go on a trip, you need to take a map with you.”
When using gerunds and participial phrases in speech, the following syntactic norms should be observed:
1. An action expressed by a gerund can only refer to the subject.
For example, in one of his stories A.P. Chekhov provides an entry in the complaint book: Approaching this station and looking at nature through the window, my hat flew off. In addition to other speech and grammatical errors, this statement also contains an error in the use of gerunds. The subject of this sentence is a noun hat. In accordance with grammar rules It turns out that it was the hat that drove up to the station and admired the beauty of nature outside the window.
In order to correct the sentence in accordance with the norms, it is necessary to change the construction: transform the addition I have(it is precisely this that is the subject of the action) into the subject: Approaching the station I lost my hat.
An exception to this rule is gerunds, which refer to the infinitive expressing the action of another person:
His house was full of guests, ready to entertain his lordly idleness, sharing his noisy and sometimes violent amusements(A.S. Pushkin).
In this case, the action of the gerund sharing refers to the supplement guests and grammatically depends on the infinitive amuse.
May not refer to the subject and the turn with words based on, since the form based on is no longer perceived as a gerund (this is a preposition):
The calculation is based on average production rates.
2. Precisely because the action of the gerund refers to the subject, gerunds cannot be used in impersonal sentences, that is, where there is no active subject expressed by the nominative case form.
For example: Returning home, I felt sad. Such a statement will be grammatically incorrect, since the action of the gerund returning refers to the supplement to me. To correct a sentence, you must either transform it so that the object becomes a subject ( Returning home I felt sad), or replace the gerund with a predicate verb or with subordinate clause (When I was returning home, I was sad).
It is allowed, although not encouraged, to use gerunds in those impersonal sentences that include an infinitive ( When returning home, you need to stop at a bakery on the way).
3. For the reason stated above The use of gerunds in passive (passive) constructions is not allowed, that is, in those sentences where the subject does not indicate the real subject (it is usually expressed by an addition in the instrumental case), but the object of the action.
The predicate in such sentences is usually expressed either passive participle (A soldier was wounded in the head by a grenade fragment), or reflexive verb with the suffix -sya ( The house is being built by workers). Sentences like: Coming out of the encirclement, the fighter was wounded in the head; Having found necessary funds , the house is being built by the workers of our trust.
To make such sentences correct, you must either replace the adverbial phrase with a synonymous construction, or transform passive design to active:
When leaving the environment the fighter was wounded in the head by a shrapnel; When a fighter left the encirclement, he was wounded; Having found the necessary funds, the workers of our trust began building a house.
4. It is not recommended to use gerunds in sentences where the predicate verb is in the future tense: Arriving in the city of my childhood, I will definitely meet my school friends and my first teacher.
5. Participles usually cannot be combined as homogeneous members with other adverbs or with the predicate.
Currently, sentences that can be found in XIX literature century: Pechorin, wrapped in an overcoat and pulling his hat down over his eyes, tried to make his way to the doors(M.Yu. Lermontov); Cavalry Guards galloped, but still holding horses(L.N. Tolstoy).
Exceptions form participles (most often in the perfective form with the meaning of a state as the result of a previous action), which begin to acquire the characteristics of an adverb. Usually these are circumstances of the course of action. But they can only be homogeneous with circumstances that perform the same function in a sentence: The lady sat down in the chair sometimes sideways, sometimes tucked in legs(A.N. Tolstoy).
Note 1. The place of the adverbial phrase in the sentence is relatively free. At the same time, there are certain tendencies in placing the participle before or after the predicate.
Before the predicate verb Usually a gerund is used, which denotes the action preceding the action expressed by the predicate verb:
Taking out a handkerchief, Sergei handed it to me(Sergei first took out a handkerchief and then handed it to me).
Before the predicate verb Usually there is also a gerund indicating the cause or condition of the action, since the cause or condition always precedes the effect:
Frightened, Tonya screamed(Tonya screamed because she was scared, and she was scared at first, and then she screamed).
After the predicate verb Usually a gerund is used with the meaning of a subsequent action:
The horse fell, crushing my leg(First the horse fell and then crushed my leg).
Note 2. When using the perfect participle or imperfect form it is necessary to take into account its semantic relationship with the predicate verb and the form in which the verb appears.
Participle imperfect form usually used if the action expressed by the gerund coincides in time with the action expressed by the predicate verb:
Smiling, she extended her hand to me; Smiling, she extended both hands towards me.
Participle perfect form indicates an action preceding the action expressed by the predicate verb:
Smiling, she extended her hand to me.
When using perfect and imperfect gerunds, word order and other factors should be taken into account. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to which of the actions is expressed by a gerund and which by a predicate verb. Otherwise, the sentence may become incorrect or inaccurate in terms of the meaning it expresses.
So, in a sentence: Approaching the river, the riders stopped their horses- there is a semantic inaccuracy. The imperfect gerund indicates the coincidence in time of two actions expressed by the verb and the gerund, but in reality the riders first drove up to the river and then stopped the horses. Therefore, it is more appropriate to use the perfect participle: Having approached the river, the riders stopped their horses.
One more example: Newspapers report that Kent went crazy after jumping out of a twentieth-story window.. In this case, the verb should be replaced by a gerund, and the gerund by a verb ( Losing his mind, Kent jumped out of the window). Otherwise, the situation expressed in the sentence will be diametrically opposite to what was in reality. The perfect participle indicates an action that precedes the action expressed by the predicate verb. Therefore, if we leave the original construction ( Kent went crazy after jumping out of a twentieth floor window), then we can decide that Kent first jumped out of the window and only then (in flight) went crazy.
Exercises for the topic “The use of participles and participial phrases»
Exercise 1. Correct speech errors associated with the use of participial phrases.
1. After watching the film, the writer became even closer and dearer to me.
2. By listing the names of the dead at the end of the film, it is believed that they will not be forgotten.
3. Looking at such injustice, my heart bleeds.
4. Arriving at the site on the first day, we were immediately given a task.
5. Having moved to 9th grade, we got a new subject.
6. Reading the poem, you feel the power of every word.
7. Having lost her husband in the war, she had no desire to start a new family.
8. Standing at the door to the living room, I could clearly hear their conversation.
9. Having run away from home, the boy was found by the police.
10. Approaching the city, my hat fell off.
11. Without finishing school, Sergei had to work.
12. Using a calculator, the calculation is carried out correctly and easily.
13. Having woken up, he was told that breakfast was served.
14. After reading the play, images of the characters clearly appeared before me.
15. Having finished the excursion, lunch was waiting for us at the restaurant.
16. After the trial, the writer was sent to Siberia, staying there for many years.
Answers:
1. After watching the film, the writer became even closer and dearer to me.
2. When the names of the dead are listed at the end of the film, we believe that they will not be forgotten.
3. When I look at such injustice, my heart bleeds.
4. When we arrived at the site on the first day, we were immediately given a task.
5. When we moved to 9th grade, we got a new subject.
6. Reading the poem, I feel the power of every word.
7. When she lost her husband in the war, she had no desire to start a new family.
8. Standing at the door to the living room, I clearly heard their conversation.
9. The boy who ran away from home was found by the police.
10. When I was approaching the city, my hat fell off.
11. Sergei, who did not finish school, had to work.
12. When using a calculator, the calculation is carried out correctly and easily.
13. After he woke up, he was told that breakfast was served.
14. After reading the play, images of the characters clearly appeared in front of me.
15. After the end of the excursion, lunch was waiting for us at the restaurant.
16. After the trial, the writer was sent to Siberia and remained there for many years.
Exercise 2(for advanced language learners). Find errors and inaccuracies in the use of gerunds and participial phrases. Justify your answer. Correct the sentences.
1. Reading “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky, we are faced with images of representatives of the “dark kingdom”.
2. Going to her first ball, Natasha Rostova felt natural excitement.
3. Re-reading M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths,” the question arises every time whether there can be two truths.
4. Raskolnikov cannot understand that by killing the old woman, the world will not change.
5. Having driven 40 kilometers, the buildings of the satellite city became visible to us on the left of the road.
7. The master lived in basement, and every time he saw someone’s legs, his heart sank.
8. Having climbed the mound, Pierre began to see the entire panorama of the battle.
9. Having risen to the top, not a single sound is heard from the valley.
10. Having started working on his dissertation, my friend no longer had time to play chess.
11. Everything stated in the monograph is very important, given the lack of time of a practicing physician.
12. Having gotten lost in the forest, the children were ready to give in to despair.
Participles and participial phrases, as well as participial phrases, are a characteristic sign writing, first of all - official business and scientific style. IN oral speech they are rare. Moreover, it is not recommended to use gerunds in oral speech at all!
But since the participle is a book form, its use often causes difficulties.
When using gerunds and participial phrases in speech, you should pay attention to a complex of factors.
1. It should be remembered that the action expressed by a gerund can only refer to the active subject.
For example, in one of his stories A.P. Chekhov cites an entry in the complaint book of the official Yarmonkin: Approaching this station and looking at nature through the window, my hat flew off. In addition to other speech and grammatical errors, this statement also contains an error in the use of gerunds. The subject of this sentence is a noun hat. In accordance with grammatical rules, it turns out that it was the hat that drove up to the station and admired the beauty of nature outside the window.
In order to correct the sentence in accordance with the norms, it is necessary to change the construction: transform the addition I have(it is precisely this that is the subject of the action) into the subject: Approaching the station I lost my hat.
An exception to this rule is gerunds, which refer to the infinitive expressing the action of another person:
His house was full of guests, ready to entertain his lordly idleness, sharing his noisy and sometimes violent amusements(Pushkin).
In this case, the action of the gerund sharing refers to the supplement guests and grammatically depends on the infinitive amuse.
The phrase proceeding from may not refer to the subject, since the form proceeding is no longer perceived as a gerund:
The calculation is based on average production rates.
2. Precisely because the action of the gerund refers to the subject, gerunds cannot be used in impersonal sentences, that is, where there is no active subject expressed by the nominative case form.
For example: Returning home, I felt sad. Such a statement will be grammatically incorrect, since the action of the gerund returning refers to the supplement to me. To correct a sentence, you must either transform it so that the object becomes the subject (cf.: Returning home I felt sad), or replace the gerund with a predicate verb or with a subordinate clause (cf.: When I was returning home, I was sad).
It is allowed, although not encouraged (!), to use gerunds in those impersonal sentences that include an infinitive ( When returning home, you need to stop at a bakery on the way).
3. For the reason stated above, the use of gerunds in passive (passive) constructions is not allowed, that is, in those sentences where the subject does not indicate the real subject (it is usually expressed by an addition in the instrumental case), but the object of the action.
The predicate in such sentences is usually expressed either by the passive participle (cf.: A soldier was wounded in the head by a grenade fragment), or a reflexive verb with the suffix -sya (cf.: The house is being built by workers). Sentences like:
Coming out of the encirclement, the fighter was wounded in the head; Having found the necessary funds, the house is being built by the workers of our trust.
To make such sentences correct, you must either replace the participial phrase with a synonymous construction, or transform the passive construction into an active one:
When leaving the environment the fighter was wounded in the head by a shrapnel; When a fighter left the encirclement, he was wounded; Having found the necessary funds, the workers of our trust began building a house.
Wed: Arriving in the city of my childhood, I will definitely meet my school friends and my first teacher.
5. Participles usually cannot be combined as homogeneous members with other adverbs or with the predicate. Currently, sentences that can be found in 19th-century literature would be grammatically incorrect:
Pechorin, wrapped in an overcoat and pulling his hat down over his eyes, tried to make his way to the doors(Lermontov); Cavalry Guards galloped, but still holding horses(L. Tolstoy).
Exceptions form participles (most often in the perfective form with the meaning of a state as the result of a previous action), which begin to acquire the characteristics of an adverb. Usually these are circumstances of the course of action. But they can only be homogeneous with circumstances that perform the same function in a sentence!
The lady sat down in the chair sometimes sideways, sometimes tucked in legs(A.N. Tolstoy).
6. The place of the adverbial phrase in the sentence is relatively free. At the same time, there are certain tendencies in placing the participle before or after the predicate.
Before the predicate verb Usually a gerund is used, which denotes the action preceding the action expressed by the predicate verb:
Taking out a handkerchief, Sergei handed it to me(Sergei first took out a handkerchief and then handed it to me).
Before the predicate verb Usually there is also a gerund indicating the cause or condition of the action, since the cause or condition always precedes the effect:
Frightened, Tonya screamed(Tonya screamed because she was scared, and she was scared at first, and then she screamed).
After the predicate verb Usually a gerund is used with the meaning of a subsequent action:
The horse fell, crushing my leg(First the horse fell and then crushed my leg).
7. When using a perfect or imperfect gerund, it is necessary to take into account its semantic relationship with the predicate verb and the form in which the verb appears.
Participle imperfect form usually used if the action expressed by the gerund coincides in time with the action expressed by the predicate verb:
Smiling, she extended her hand to me; Smiling, she extended both hands towards me.
Participle perfect form indicates an action preceding the action expressed by the predicate verb:
Smiling, she extended her hand to me.
When using perfect and imperfect gerunds, word order and other factors should be taken into account. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to which of the actions is expressed by a gerund and which by a predicate verb. Otherwise, the sentence may become incorrect or inaccurate in terms of the meaning it expresses.
So, in a sentence: Approaching the river, the riders stopped their horses- there is a semantic inaccuracy. The imperfect gerund indicates the coincidence in time of two actions expressed by the verb and the gerund, but in reality the riders first drove up to the river and then stopped the horses. Therefore, it is more appropriate to use the perfect participle: Having approached the river, the riders stopped their horses.
Let's give another example: Newspapers report that Kent went crazy after jumping out of a twentieth-story window.. In this case, the verb should be replaced by a gerund, and the gerund by a verb ( Losing his mind, Kent jumped out of the window). Otherwise, the situation expressed in the sentence will be diametrically opposite to what was in reality. The perfect participle indicates an action that precedes the action expressed by the predicate verb. Therefore, if we leave the original construction ( Kent went crazy after jumping out of a twentieth floor window), then we can decide that Kent first jumped out of the window and only then (in flight) went crazy. And this is nonsense!
One of the most common mistakes when constructing a sentence is the incorrect use of participial phrases. To avoid this, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the rules for using this part of speech, as well as exceptions to these rules.
In written and oral speech, incorrect construction of sentences with participles is quite common. The most common errors occur when the following rules are violated:
Examples of errors: Approaching the house, my umbrella fell out. While reading a book, she was constantly disturbed by sounds from the yard.
Examples of errors: Left alone in the house, I was lonely. Solving this problem, it was difficult for him.
Examples of errors: Giving mom flowers, I will congratulate her on her holiday. Katya will choose a new dress, seeing all the options in the store.
Examples of errors: The man crossed the road, but looking to the right. We will walk through the forest, but without going far.
Examples: Swimming across the river, we saw small fish (NSV). Having done the work, they were resting (SV).
Exceptions
In some cases, non-compliance with some of the above rules is acceptable under the following conditions:
