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Verbal nouns - Easy Learning Grammar

The verbal noun is the -ing form, i.e. the present participle of the verb, used as a noun. It can be used in all the places that a noun can be used, but still keeps some characteristics of the verb. It is sometimes called the gerund.
  • The screaming of the brakes terrified me.
  • Smoking is prohibited.
The verbal noun normally functions as an uncountable noun, as above. However, there are some uses of the verbal noun that can be preceded by an indefinite article or used in the plural.
  • He gave a reading from his latest volume of poetry.
  • The takings were down this week in the shop.
The verbal noun can be preceded by the definite article, by adjectives, and by possessives.
  • Her marvellous singing won Helen the scholarship.
Just like any noun, the verbal noun can function:
  • as a subject.
  • Driving was impossible.
  • as the complement of the verb be.
  • Seeing is believing.
  • His greatest pleasure is working.
  • as an object after certain verbs. See also The to infinitive and the -ing form.
  • Louisa likes swimming but Helen prefers diving.
  • after prepositions to make a prepositional phrase.
  • Can you watch them without laughing?
Verbal nouns are also used:
  • after some phrasal verbs such as: be for/against, give up, keep on, look forward to, put off.
  • She was all for leaving immediately.
  • Linda gave up swimming but she kept on dieting.
  • They were looking forward to writing home.
  • after certain set expressions such as: can’t stand, can’t help, it’s no use/good.
  • I can’t stand waiting around.
  • I can’t help getting cross.
  • It’s no use crying over spilt milk.
The possessive determiner can be used with the verbal noun, especially in formal English.
  • Anna left the house without my knowing.
  • The verbal noun also has:
  • a perfect form: having …ed.
  • Martin was accused of having cheated.
  • a passive form: being …ed.
  • Being asked did not bother me.
  • a perfect passive form: having been …ed.
  • The car showed no sign of having been touched.
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Table of contents
  • Parts of speech
  • Parts of the sentence
  • Direct and indirect objects
  • Verbs
  • Tense
  • The verb phrase
    • Types of main verb
    • The forms of main verbs
    • Irregular verbs
    • Auxiliary verbs
    • Be
    • Have
    • Do
    • Modal verbs
    • Can and could
    • May and might
    • Must
    • Shall and will
    • Should
    • Would
    • Ought to
    • Dare and need
    • Used to
    • Phrasal verbs
    • Tense
    • Aspect
    • Compound tenses
    • The present simple tense
    • The past simple tense
    • The present continuous tense
    • The past continuous tense
    • The present perfect tense
    • The past perfect tense
    • The present perfect continuous tense
    • The past perfect continuous tense
    • Future reference
    • Active and passive
    • Finite and non-finite verbs
    • The non-finite parts of the verb
    • The to infinitive
    • The to infinitive and the -ing form
  • The noun phrase
    • The noun phrase
    • Types of noun
    • Gender of nouns
    • Showing possession through nouns
    • Compound nouns
    • Number in nouns
    • Verbal nouns
  • Determiners and adjectives
    • Determiners
    • The indefinite article
    • The definite article
    • Nouns used without a determiner
    • Demonstratives
    • Possessives
    • Quantifiers
    • Numbers
    • Distributives
    • Exclamatives
    • Noun phrases with several determiners
    • Adjectives
    • Comparison
  • Adverbials
    • Adverbs and adverbials
    • Form of adverbs
  • Pronouns
    • Pronouns
    • Personal pronouns
    • Reflexive pronouns
    • Possessive pronouns
    • The demonstrative pronouns
    • Relative pronouns
    • Interrogative pronouns
    • Indefinite pronouns
  • Prepositions
  • Word order; declarative, interrogative and imperative statements
    • Word order in sentences
    • Declarative, interrogative, and imperative statements
    • The declarative
    • Complements
    • Word order in negative statements
    • The interrogative
    • WH- words
    • Sentence tags
    • The imperative
    • The vocative
    • The subjunctive
    • Exclamations
    • Responses
  • Clauses
    • Sentences and clauses
    • Joining clauses
    • Subordination
    • Adverbial clauses
    • Relative clauses
    • Conditional clauses
    • Reporting speech
    • Reported speech
  • Punctuation
    • The apostrophe ( ’ )
    • The comma ( , )
    • Quotation marks (‘ ’) or (“ ”)
    • Capital letters
    • The full stop ( . )
    • The question mark ( ? )
    • The exclamation mark ( ! )
    • The colon ( : )
    • The semicolon ( ; )
    • Brackets ( )
    • Square brackets [ ]
    • The hyphen ( - )
    • The dash ( – )
    • The slash ( / )
    • Punctuation in numbers
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