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QUESTION: gerund clauses

From:Jim Grossmann <jimg@...>
Date:Friday, February 12, 1999, 6:32
Hi, Everybody,

    Do all languages have equivalents to verbal gerund clauses?

    e.g.

    CASTING STONES is inadvisable.

    The police disapprove of BREAKING INTO HOUSES.


    It seems to me that these could be easily paraphrased:

    One casts stones inadvisably.

    When one breaks into houses, the police disapprove.


    I'm working on a language that doesn't have gerunds so far.   I'm
reluctant to add them, because I'm afraid it might make my language too
typical.

    On the other hand, I don't want to fall into the trap of trying to make
my language exotic by forbidding this, that, and the other thing, until all
I'm left with too inflexible and limited a grammar.

signed,

wringing my hands in Washington State

(Jim)



Jim