
For example, a gerund can be modified by an adverb and can take a direct object.Ĭompare these two examples. A gerund is a noun that, having derived from a verb, retains a few verb-like properties.
Verbal nouns are not the same as gerunds (another type of noun formed from a verb). The Difference between Verbal Nouns and Gerunds
Malicious attacks on the Soviet Union produce a natural feeling of indignation. I need to die for the killing of those people. We're seeing the arrival of conversational robots that can walk in our world. No man saw the building of the New Jerusalem it descended out of heaven from God (Historian John Robert Seeley). (Note: With some verbs, the verbal noun is identical to the base form of the verb.)īeing normal nouns, verbal nouns can be modified by adjectives, be pluralized (if the sense allows), and be followed by prepositional phrases (e.g. He mounted a surprise attack with the Romans. That was an awful decision by the referee. I do not want another repetition of yesterday. The money will fund the building of a bridge. Verbal nouns are formed in a number of ways (usually by adding a suffix to the base form of the verb).
The Difference between Verbal Nouns and Gerunds.