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The combinability of the gerund differs considerably from
that of the infinitive. Thus, the gerund may be preceded by a
preposition, as in She thought of going there. We insisted on
staying here.
In contrast to the infinitive, the gerund is often
accompanied by a noun in the possessive case or a possessive
pronoun. Sometimes the action denoted by the gerund is not
associated with any doer, any producer of the action, as in Living
is striving.
Very often the doer is not clear, as in I like singing (it is nit
clear whether I myself like to sing or I like other people’s singing).
This is much rare with the infinitive, which mostly denotes an
action whose subject is represented by some word in a sentence.
Compare: I like singing and I like to sing (in the latter sentence the
doer of the action denoted by to sing is represented by I).
In addition, the infinitive possesses a peculiar modal force
not observed in the gerund, as in article to be translated (= which
must be translated).

Questions for self-assessment

1. What is the difference between in the system of Ukrainian and
English non-finite forms or verbals?
2. Dwell upon the difference of the grammatical paradigm of the
English infinitive in comparison with its Ukrainian counterpart
3. Describe the English participle versus
Ukrainian”дієприкметник” and “дієприслівник”
4. What are the isomorphic and allomorphic features of the English
Participle in comparison with the Ukrainian Participle?
5. Describe the nature of the Ukrainian “дієприслівник”. What are
the ways of its rendering into English?
6. Present the characteristics of the allomorphic non-finite form of
the verb – the English gerund. What are the ways of its rendering
into Ukrainian?

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