2.5. Gerund-Participial Clause

Yeonsol Kim

April 07, 2026

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1. Subject로 기능하는 Gerund-Participial Clause

Learning Chinese is easy.

• Subject(Gerund-Participial Clause): learning Chinese
  • Predicand: we
  • Predicate: learning Chinese
    • Head: learning
    • Direct Object: Chinese
• Predicate: is easy
  • Head: is
  • Complement: easy

Simplification: Learning Chinese / is / easy

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2. Complement로 기능하는 Gerund-Participial Clause

She likes dancing.

• Subject: she
• Predicate
  • Head: likes
  • Complement(Gerund-Participial Clause): dancing
    • Predicand: she
    • Predicate: dancing

Simplification: She / likes / dancing.

I’m sorry for giving you trouble.

• Subject: I
• Predicate
  • Head(Auxiliary Verb): am
  • Complement(AdjP): sorry for giving you trouble
    • Head(Adj): sorry
    • Complement(PP): for giving you trouble
      • Head(P): for
      • Complement(Gerund-Participial Clause): giving you trouble
        • Predicand: I
        • Predicae: giving you trouble
          • Head: giving
          • Indirect Object: you
          • Direct Object: trouble

Simplification: I / am / sorry / for giving you trouble.

She is tired of Lucy’s being late.

• Subject: she
• Predicate
  • Head(Auxiliary Verb): is
  • Complement(AdjP): tired of Lucy’s being late
    • Head: tired
    • Complement(PP): of Lucy’s being late
      • Head(P): of
      • Complement(Gerund-Participial Clause): Lucy’s being late
        • Subject(NP)
          • Head(Genitive N): Lucy’s
        • Predicate: being late
          • Head(Auxiliary Verb): being
          • Complement(AdjP): late

Simplification: She / is / tired / of Lucy’s being late.

It’s nice seeing him again.

• Predicate
  • Head(Auxiliary Verb): is
  • Complement(AdjP): nice seeing him again
    • Head(Adj): nice
• Predicand(Gerund-Participial Clause): seeing him again
  • Predicate: seeing him again
    • Head(V): seeing
    • Direct Object: him
    • Modifier(AdjP): again
  • Predicand: I

Simplification: It is / nice / seeing him again. (의미: situation 평가)

3. Supplement로 기능하는 Gerund-Participial Clause

Smiling brightly, the girl turned toward him.

• Supplement(Gerund-Participial Clause): smiling brightly
  • Predicand: the girl
  • Predicate: smiling brightly
    • Head: smiling
    • Modifier(AdvP): brightly
• Matrix Clause: the girl turned toward him
  • Subject: the girl
  • Predicate: turned toward him
    • Head: turned
    • Complement(PP): toward him
      • Head(P): toward
      • Object(NP): him

Simplification: Smiling brightly, the girl / turned toward him.

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