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LeGion12359 Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Sentence?
Original: I shouldn't have started reading the comments until I was done reading the book.
Can I say the above sentence like this without altering its meaning:
1. I shouldn't have started reading the comments until I was done with reading the book? And like:
2. I shouldn't have started reading the comments until I had finished reading the book? And like:
3. I shouldn't have started reading the comments until I finished reading the book?
Could you please tell me also if 'reading' in the above sentences (including the original) is a gerund or a present participle verb?
To me, 'reading' is a gerund in sentence 1,2 and 3 while in the original, it's a present participle verb.
Can I say the above sentence like this without altering its meaning:
1. I shouldn't have started reading the comments until I was done with reading the book? And like:
2. I shouldn't have started reading the comments until I had finished reading the book? And like:
3. I shouldn't have started reading the comments until I finished reading the book?
Could you please tell me also if 'reading' in the above sentences (including the original) is a gerund or a present participle verb?
To me, 'reading' is a gerund in sentence 1,2 and 3 while in the original, it's a present participle verb.
Top answer
All three are OK. g. "the book"), I still feel that "reading the book" is a noun phrase (gerund phrase) in the original, just as in the others.
- All three are OK.
- g.
- "the book"), I still feel that "reading the book" is a noun phrase (gerund phrase) in the original, just as in the others.
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5 Answers
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All three are OK.
Even though in the original (unlike the others) you cannot replace "reading the book" by a simple noun (e.g. "the book"), I still feel that "reading the book" is a noun phrase (gerund phrase) in the original, just as in the others.
Even though in the original (unlike the others) you cannot replace "reading the book" by a simple noun (e.g. "the book"), I still feel that "reading the book" is a noun phrase (gerund phrase) in the original, just as in the others.
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GPYAll three are OK.Thank you.
GPYEven though in the original (unlike the others) you cannot replace "reading the book" by a simple noun (e.g. "the book"), I still feel that "reading the book" is a noun phrase (gerund phrase) in the original, just as in the others.Then why you feel that way?
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LeGion12359Then why you feel that way?Well, there is no possible subject for "reading" (I mean, obviously the logical subject is "I", but there is no grammatical way that "I" can be supplied as an actual subject in your sentence).
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GPYLeGion12359Then why you feel that way?Well, there is no possible subject for "reading" (I mean, obviously the logical subject is "I", but there is no grammatical way that "I" can be supplied as an actual subject in your sentence).Alright, Could you please tell me how to check whether the subject is an actual subject of the verb in a sentence? I think I kno
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LeGion12359What about 'making' in the sentence below, you are familiar with it:Knowing a little Russian, I had no difficulty making myself understood?I would say that "making myself understood" is again a noun (gerund) phrase.
LeGion12359Is there an easy way to differentiate them in a complex sentence structure?
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