7. 動名詞可以用且經常用 your, his, her, its, our, their, John’s, Mary’s, the computer’s 等所有格來修飾,這可更明確地指出動作的執行者。
例句:
- I enjoyed their dancing. (我喜歡他們的舞蹈 - 是他們在跳舞)
- Amanda understood Lance’s saying no to the offer. (阿曼達理解蘭斯拒絕這項提議 - 是蘭斯拒絕提議)
- Mr. Wang complained about Maria’s coming to class late. (王老師抱怨瑪麗亞上課遲到 - 是瑪麗亞上課遲到)
- Simon resented our coming late to the dinner. (賽蒙不滿我們晚餐遲到 - 是我們遲到)
- They discussed the computer’s being broken. (他們討論了電腦被弄壞的事情 - 是電腦被弄壞)
然而,在非正式情況中,吾人往往使用受格而不用所有格。例如:
- Mr. Wang complained about Maria coming to class late.
- Simon resented us coming late to the dinner.
此外,以 Mr. Wang complained about Maria’s coming to class late. 這句為例,由於 coming to class late 發生在 Mr. Wang complained 之前,所以亦可使用完成式動名詞 (perfect gerund):Mr. Wang complained about Maria’s having come to class late.
8. 若干動詞後接名詞 + 不定詞。在某些情況中,名詞是必要的,但在其他情況中,則是選擇性的,可有可無。
例句:
- The platoon commander ordered his soldiers to fire. (排長下令士兵開火) - 名詞是必要的。
- The teacher asked to leave the classroom. (老師要求離開教室) - 名詞可有可無。
- The teacher asked Gary to leave the classroom. (老師要求蓋瑞離開教室) - 名詞可有可無。
9. 若干動詞後接動名詞,但亦可接名詞 + 不定詞。若使用名詞 + 不定詞,將改變動作的執行者。
例句:
- The doctor advised resting as much as possible. (醫生建議多休息) - 泛指他的病人要多休息。
- The doctor advised me to rest as much as possible. (醫生建議我多休息)- 我要多休息。
10. 英文中有許多 “go + 動名詞” 的用語,係用來表示運動及休閒活動。
例句:
- Her father goes swimming Sunday afternoons. (她父親每個禮拜天下午都會去游泳)
- I go jogging every morning. (我每天早上慢跑)
11. 介系詞後接動名詞。最常見的情況是「動詞 + 介系詞」後接動名詞,這種可以後接動名詞的「動詞 + 介系詞」組合,一般稱之為片語動詞 (phrasal verbs)。
例句:
- Holly admitted to stealing my iPhone. (霍莉承認偷了我的 iPhone 手機)
- I made up for forgetting my wife’s birthday. (我彌補忘了我太太的生日)
- Joseph is thinking about studying abroad. (約瑟夫考慮出國留學)
12. 除了「動詞 + 介系詞」後接動名詞外,英文中還有許多「形容詞 + 介系詞」和「名詞 + 介系詞」的組合,亦可接動名詞。
例句:
- Diana is anxious about taking the driving test. (黛安娜對駕照考試很緊張) -「形容詞 + 介系詞」後接動名詞。
- Louise is scared of flying. (露薏絲害怕飛行) -「形容詞 + 介系詞」後接動名詞。
- My interest in becoming a professional skateboarder was well known. (我想要成為職業滑板選手的心意眾所周知) -「名詞 + 介系詞」後接動名詞。
- Chris’ story about seeing a whopping octopus in the sea was really unthinkable. (克里斯有關在海裡看到一隻巨大章魚的故事真的難以置信) -「名詞 + 介系詞」後接動名詞。