Monocomplementive, tran-sit I vc The railings

Their having arrived so early was indeed a great surprise.
Their early arrival was a great surprise, really.
The triple correlation, being of an indisputably systemic nature and covering a vast proportion of the lexicon, enables us to interpret it in terms of a special lexico-grammatical category of processual representation. The three stages of this category represent the referential processual entity of the lexemic series, respectively, as dynamic (the infinitive and its phrase), semi-dynamic (the gerund and its phrase), and
static (the verbal noun and its phrase). The category of pro­cessual representation underlies the predicative differences between various situation-naming constructions in the sphere of syntactic nominalization (see further, Ch. XXV).
Another category specifically identified within the frame­work of substantival verbids and relevant for syntactic analysis is the category of modal representation. This cat­egory, pointed out by L. S. Barkhudarov [BapxyflapoB, (2), 151—152], marks the infinitive in contrast to the gerund, and it is revealed in the infinitive having a modal force, in particular, in its attributive uses, but also elsewhere. Cf.:
This is a kind of peace to be desired by all. (A kind of peace that should be desired) Is there any hope for us to meet this great violinist in our town? (A hope that we may meet this violinist) It was arranged for the mountaineers to have a rest in tents before climbing the peak. (It was arranged so that they could have a rest in tents)
When speaking about the functional difference between lingual forms, we must bear in mind that this difference might become subject to neutralization in various systemic or con­textual conditions. But however vast the corresponding field of neutralization might be, the rational basis of correlations of the forms in question still lies in their difference, not in neutralizing equivalence. Indeed, the difference is linguisti­cally so valuable that one well-established occurrence of a differential correlation of meaningful forms outweighs by its significance dozens of their textual neutralizations. Why so? For the simple reason that language is a means of form­ing and exchanging ideas — that is, ideas differing from one another, not coinciding with one another. And this sim­ple truth should thoroughly be taken into consideration when tackling certain cases of infinitive-gerund equivalence in syntactic constructions — as, for instance, the freely alterna­ting gerunds and infinitives with some phasal predicators {begin, start, continue, cease, etc.). The functional equiva­lence of the infinitive and the gerund in the composition of the phasal predicate by no means can be held as testifying to their functional equivalence in other spheres of expression. As for the preferable or exclusive use of the gerund with a set of transitive verbs (e.g. avoid, delay, deny, forgive, mind, postpone) and especially prepositional-complementive verbs and word-groups (e.g. accuse of, agree to, depend on, prevent from, think of, succeed in, thank for; be aware of,

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be busy in, be indignant at, be sure of), we clearly see here the tendency of mutual differentiation and complementation of the substantive verbid forms based on the demonstrated category of processual representation. In fact, it is the ger­und, not the infinitive, that denotes the processual referent of the lexeme not in a dynamic, but in a half-dynamic re­presentation, which is more appropriate to be associated with a substantive-related part of the sentence.
§ 7. Within the gerund-participle correlation, the cen­tral point of our analysis will be the very lexico-grammatical identification of the two verbid forms in -ing in their refer­ence to each other. Do they constitute two different verbids, or do they present one and the same form with a somewhat broader range of functions than either of the two taken sep­arately?
The ground for raising this problem is quite substantial, since the outer structure of the two elements of the verbal system is absolutely identical: they are outwardly the same when viewed in isolation. It is not by chance that in the American linguistic tradition which can be traced back to the school of Descriptive Linguistics the two forms are rec­ognized as one integral V-ing.
In treating the ing-lorms as constituting one integral verbid entity, opposed, on the one hand, to the infinitive (V-to), on the other hand, to the past participle (V-en), appeal is naturally made to the alternating use of the possessive and the common-objective nounal element in the role of the sub­ject of the ing-iorm (mostly observed in various object posi­tions of the sentence). Cf.:
I felt annoyed at his failing to see my point at once. «-► I felt annoyed at him failing to see my point at once. He was not, however, averse to Elaine Fortescue's entertaining the hypothesis.<-► He was not, however, averse to Elaine Fort-escue entertaining the hypothesis.
This use presents a case known in linguistics as "half-gerund". So, in terms of the general ing-iorm problem, we have to choose between the two possible interpretations of the half-gerund: either as an actually intermediary form witli double features, whose linguistic semi-status is truly reflected in its conventional name, or as an element of a non-existent categorial specification, i.e. just another variant of the same indiscriminate V-ing.
In this connection, the reasoning of those who support the idea of the integral V-ing form can roughly be presented thus: if the two uses of V-ing are functionally identical, and if the "half-gerund" V-ing occurs with approximately the same frequency as the "full-gerund" V-ing, both forms present­ing an ordinary feature of an ordinary English text, then there is no point in discriminating the "participle" V-ing and the "gerund" V-ing.
In compliance with the general principle of approach to any set of elements forming a categorial or functional conti­nuum, let us first consider the correlation between the polar elements of the continuum, i.e. the correlation between the pure present participle and the pure gerund, setting aside the half-gerund for a further discussion.
The comparative evaluations of the actually different uses of the ing-iorms can't fail to show their distinct categor­ial differentiation: one range of uses is definitely noun-rel­ated, definitely of process-substance signification; the other range of uses is definitely adjective-adverb related, definite­ly of process-quality signification. This differentiation can easily be illustrated by specialized gerund-testing and par­ticiple-testing, as well as by careful textual observations of the forms.
The gerund-testing, partly employed while giving a gen­eral outline of the gerund, includes the noun-substitution procedure backed by the question-procedure. Cf.\
My chance of getting, or achieving, anything that I long for will always be gravely reduced by the interminable exist­ence of that block. —» My chance of what? —> My chance of success.
He insisted on giving us some coconuts. -^ What did he insist on? —> He insisted on our acceptance of the gift.
All his relatives somehow disapproved of his writing poetry.-^ What did all his relatives disapprove o/?-»His relatives disapproved of his poetical work.
The other no less convincing evidence of the nounal fea­turing of the form in question is its natural occurrence in coor-dinative connections with the noun. Cf.:
I didn't stop to think of an answer; it came immediately off my tongue without any pause or planning. Your husband isn't ill, no. What he does need is relaxation and simply cheering a bit, if you know what I mean. He carried out rig-

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ll'j

orously all the precepts concerning food, bathing, medita­tion and so on of the orthodox Hindu.
The participle-testing, for its part, includes the adjec­tive-adverb substitution procedure backed by the correspond­ing question-procedure, as well as some other analogies. Cf.:
He was in a terrifying condition. -* In what kind of con­dition was he?—»He was in an awful condition. (Adjective substitution procedure) Pursuing this course of free association, I suddenly remembered a dinner date I once had with a distinguished colleague.—>When did I suddenly remember a dinner date?—*77zm I suddenly remembered a dinner date. (Adverb-substitution procedure) She sits up gasping and staring wild-eyed about her.—>How does she sit up?—>She sits up so. (Adverb-substitution procedure)
The participle also enters into easy coordinative and par­allel associations with qualitative and stative adjectives. Cf.:
That was a false, but convincing show of affection. The ears are large, protruding, with the heavy lobes of the sensual­ist. On the great bed are two figures, a sleeping woman, and a young man awake.
Very important in this respect will be analogies between the present participle qualitative function and the past par­ticiple qualitative function, since the separate categorial standing of the past participle remains unchallenged. Cf.: an unmailed letter — a coming letter; the fallen monarchy — the falling monarchy; thinned hair - thinning hair.
Of especial significance for the differential verbid identi­fication purposes are the two different types of conversion the compared forms are subject to, namely, the nounal con­version of the gerund and, correspondingly, the adjectival conversion of the participle.
Compare the gerund-noun conversional pairs: your airing
the room to take an airing before going to bed; his breed­
ing his son to the profession a person of unimpeachable