Verbal noun
A
verbal noun is a
noun formed directly as an
inflexion of a
verb or a verb
stem, sharing at least in part its constructions. This term is applied especially to
gerunds, and sometimes also to
infinitives and
supines.
Examples of the verbal noun in English sentences:
* The question of being is an intrinsic part of philosophy. (
being is a gerund)
* The writing of a book is always an ambitious undertaking. (
writing is the verbal noun)
* I am against the removal of the previous candidate. (
removal is technically a verbal noun, but see below)
* To speak is not to listen. (
to speak and
to listen are infinitives acting as nouns; in other words: Speaking means that one is not listening; here,
speaking is a gerund, and listening a present
participle)
* Going is hardly as easy as standing. (
going and
standing are
imperfect participles, or infinitives in -ing acting as nouns; in other words,
gerunds)
Some claim that true nouns sharing the stem of their respective verbs are also verbal nouns (such as
survival from
survive). However, in English grammar it is a little accepted view, on the grounds that it would make nearly all nouns verbal nouns; but in some other languages, such as Arabic, that view is the only possible one, as there is no gerund or infinitive form of a verb (the Arabic
masdar is a verbal noun:
naql, for example, can be translated as "transporting" or "to transport", but its literal meaning is "transportation".)
In other languages:
German:
* Das Trinken des Wassers ist uns wesentlich ("to drink water is essential to us" -
Trinken is the verbal noun)
Arabic:
* من الممكن مقابلته غدا mina lmumkini muqābalatuhu ghadan ("it is possible to interview him tomorrow" -
muqābalah is the verbal noun, and its literal meaning is "an interview")
*
Gerund*
Infinitive
