Is "resisting" a verb here, or is it a noun?
There's no resisting her.
There's no resisting her.
noun or verb
and a Gerund is a noun : )
'resisting' in the above sentence is a noun.
'resisting' in the above sentence is a noun.
I can understand this confusion over 'noun' or 'verb'. I thought that nouns were 'things' and 'verbs' were 'doing words'.
'resisting': is not a thing, it is not an object.
'resisting' is an activity.
So, to say 'Gerund' is far from being a complete explanation.
If we replace the word 'resisting' with the word 'stopping'.
"There is no stopping her."
Does that help?
I know that 'gerunds' are -ing words. But that is hardly an explanation.
'resisting': is not a thing, it is not an object.
'resisting' is an activity.
So, to say 'Gerund' is far from being a complete explanation.
If we replace the word 'resisting' with the word 'stopping'.
"There is no stopping her."
Does that help?
I know that 'gerunds' are -ing words. But that is hardly an explanation.
<<'resisting': is not a thing, it is not an object.
'resisting' is an activity.
>>
The two statements above contradict one another--
For one, 'resisiting' *is* a thing--it is the act of resisiting. All activities/actions are things. They are similar to abstract nouns (nouns like 'love', 'thought', 'passion', etc) as opposed to concrete nouns like 'book', 'hand', 'street', although some actions can be quite concrete (like 'hitting')
'resisting' is an activity.
>>
The two statements above contradict one another--
For one, 'resisiting' *is* a thing--it is the act of resisiting. All activities/actions are things. They are similar to abstract nouns (nouns like 'love', 'thought', 'passion', etc) as opposed to concrete nouns like 'book', 'hand', 'street', although some actions can be quite concrete (like 'hitting')
Another thing that might be noteful is whether the -ing word can be the subject of a sentence:
Resisting is futile.
See? it's a noun. A verb cannot be the subject of a sentence...
Resisting is futile.
See? it's a noun. A verb cannot be the subject of a sentence...
As Estel said, it's a gerund, a kind of verbal noun. The infinitive form of the verb ("to VERB") plays a similar function, using an activity described by a verb as a noun.
I was once told that a 'gerund' is an 'ing' word used as a noun, and a gerundive an 'ing' word used as a part of a verb. So, the gerund is like the way Germans use infinitives as neuter nouns;
Leben (to live) = Das Leben (the life)
Essen (to eat) = Das Essen (the food)
<< Resisting is futile. >>
There's a better noun to use here, which sounds more comfortable than using a gerund: 'Resistance is futile' - of course you already know, I'm just pointing it out so that learners of English are aware.
Leben (to live) = Das Leben (the life)
Essen (to eat) = Das Essen (the food)
<< Resisting is futile. >>
There's a better noun to use here, which sounds more comfortable than using a gerund: 'Resistance is futile' - of course you already know, I'm just pointing it out so that learners of English are aware.
<<'Resistance is futile' >>
Correct. --this is a set phrase/expression. The two do not mean the same thing, but they are similar. Resisting is futile != Resistance is futile
cf.
"Resisiting arrest is futile"
but not
"Resistance arrest is futile."
Forms in -ing work for all verbs, those in -ance/-ence with only some. -Ance/-ence words are better thought of as separate entities from the verbs they mimmick rather than forms of them (although this was originally the case in the parent/loaner language).
One thing peculiar about the German forms is that they can also be concrete nouns (das Essen = 'Food', not just 'eating').
Correct. --this is a set phrase/expression. The two do not mean the same thing, but they are similar. Resisting is futile != Resistance is futile
cf.
"Resisiting arrest is futile"
but not
"Resistance arrest is futile."
Forms in -ing work for all verbs, those in -ance/-ence with only some. -Ance/-ence words are better thought of as separate entities from the verbs they mimmick rather than forms of them (although this was originally the case in the parent/loaner language).
One thing peculiar about the German forms is that they can also be concrete nouns (das Essen = 'Food', not just 'eating').
Robin Michael...
Gerunds are verbs that end with -ing and are used as noun. But verbs that end with -ing and are used in sentences like "I'm going" or "she is talking" are not gerunds. Rather, they are PRESENT PARTICIPLE. So I strongly disagree with you that "gerund" is not a complete explanation.
So "stopping" in "there is no stopping her" is a gerund and functions in the same way as "resisting" in "there is no resisting her".
So, I'm not sure what really was your point there.
The English language is far greater than you think. A meaning of a word is deep. Synonyms do have similar meaning, but they're still different. One word in English can sometimes describe the whole sentence.
Gerunds are verbs that end with -ing and are used as noun. But verbs that end with -ing and are used in sentences like "I'm going" or "she is talking" are not gerunds. Rather, they are PRESENT PARTICIPLE. So I strongly disagree with you that "gerund" is not a complete explanation.
So "stopping" in "there is no stopping her" is a gerund and functions in the same way as "resisting" in "there is no resisting her".
So, I'm not sure what really was your point there.
The English language is far greater than you think. A meaning of a word is deep. Synonyms do have similar meaning, but they're still different. One word in English can sometimes describe the whole sentence.
<Another thing that might be noteful is whether the -ing word can be the subject of a sentence:
Resisting is futile.
See? it's a noun. A verb cannot be the subject of a sentence... >
And here?
Resisting him, she ran like mad.
Resisting is futile.
See? it's a noun. A verb cannot be the subject of a sentence... >
And here?
Resisting him, she ran like mad.
Dear Estel
I am a (well educated) native speaker, so I have a good sense of what is right and wrong in the English Language. However, because I did not study Languages, I am unfamiliar with terms such as 'Gerund'.
So, while your one word answer was 'technically correct', it was not an explanation. You could argue, that given the answer 'Gerund' I could then Google it, and find out more about what a Gerund is and isn't. However reading textbooks etc is not always interesting. Having a thread like this, in which lots of different people make a contribution is more interesting to me. However, for anyone wanting to find out what a 'Gerund' is, they would be well advised to go to Wikipedia.
First of all, there were no articles on 'Gerund' in Wikipedia Simple English.
In Wikipedia, there is an article, but it is not particularly easy to digest.
You may find these Cartoons helpful. "The Private Life of a Gerund" from St Custard's.
http://www.stcustards.free-online.co.uk/topp/latin/latin2.htm
I did not find them very funny, but then I did not go to a Public School, I went to a Grammar School.
I am a (well educated) native speaker, so I have a good sense of what is right and wrong in the English Language. However, because I did not study Languages, I am unfamiliar with terms such as 'Gerund'.
So, while your one word answer was 'technically correct', it was not an explanation. You could argue, that given the answer 'Gerund' I could then Google it, and find out more about what a Gerund is and isn't. However reading textbooks etc is not always interesting. Having a thread like this, in which lots of different people make a contribution is more interesting to me. However, for anyone wanting to find out what a 'Gerund' is, they would be well advised to go to Wikipedia.
First of all, there were no articles on 'Gerund' in Wikipedia Simple English.
In Wikipedia, there is an article, but it is not particularly easy to digest.
You may find these Cartoons helpful. "The Private Life of a Gerund" from St Custard's.
http://www.stcustards.free-online.co.uk/topp/latin/latin2.htm
I did not find them very funny, but then I did not go to a Public School, I went to a Grammar School.
Actually, a simple dictionary would do. There's no need to go find extensive information online. I believe that most people here have at least one accessible dictionary.
Wikipedia is a good quick fix, but it is not always a reliable source. So I do not like it as much.
Molly B was asking what "resisting" in the context was. She (I'm assuming Molly B is a she, you never really know) merely ask for a simple answer, not a superfluous explanation. Had she come back to ask for it, I would have explained.
I did not mean to insult your intelligence. I myself never studied these terms in school. However, the subject interests me enough to spare some time to read. But I agree with you that reading textbooks is quite boring, so not too many people read them.
Wikipedia is a good quick fix, but it is not always a reliable source. So I do not like it as much.
Molly B was asking what "resisting" in the context was. She (I'm assuming Molly B is a she, you never really know) merely ask for a simple answer, not a superfluous explanation. Had she come back to ask for it, I would have explained.
I did not mean to insult your intelligence. I myself never studied these terms in school. However, the subject interests me enough to spare some time to read. But I agree with you that reading textbooks is quite boring, so not too many people read them.
<<And here?
Resisting him, she ran like mad. >>
Here, 'resisting' is a DIFFERENT word from the Gerund (it is based off the same root verb though). In the above, it is an adjective (present participle) functioning as an adverb (adverbial clause).
Here's where I think all the confustion lies--
There are *3* different '-ing' endings in English: one is a Noun/Gerund ending (<Old English -ing/-ung), one is a Present Participle ending (< Middle English -ynge, -inde < OE -ende, -endi), and the other is a patronymic ending used for names ("Browning", "Ewing", "Channing", etc < OE -ing).
The convergence of all three in Modern English as -ing make it difficult to distinguish when a word is functioning as one as opposed to another.
There is no need to go into the participle aspect when it is clearly a gerund/noun in the original question :\
Resisting him, she ran like mad. >>
Here, 'resisting' is a DIFFERENT word from the Gerund (it is based off the same root verb though). In the above, it is an adjective (present participle) functioning as an adverb (adverbial clause).
Here's where I think all the confustion lies--
There are *3* different '-ing' endings in English: one is a Noun/Gerund ending (<Old English -ing/-ung), one is a Present Participle ending (< Middle English -ynge, -inde < OE -ende, -endi), and the other is a patronymic ending used for names ("Browning", "Ewing", "Channing", etc < OE -ing).
The convergence of all three in Modern English as -ing make it difficult to distinguish when a word is functioning as one as opposed to another.
There is no need to go into the participle aspect when it is clearly a gerund/noun in the original question :\
<<and the other is a patronymic ending used for names ("Browning", "Ewing", "Channing", etc < OE -ing).
>>
This last one also means "of a specified kind" or has diminuitive properties when added to words that are not personal names (eg. "shilling", "farthing", "whiting", "sweeting", "gelding", etc)
>>
This last one also means "of a specified kind" or has diminuitive properties when added to words that are not personal names (eg. "shilling", "farthing", "whiting", "sweeting", "gelding", etc)