On the Aspectual Properties of English Derived Nominals

English provides several distinct mechanisms by which verbs may be nominalized, as illustrated in (1-2). The form electing in (1a) is sometimes termed the “verbal” gerund, while the perfectly homophonous form in (1b) is termed the “nominal” gerund. Nominal gerunds in English are distinguished from verbal gerunds syntactically, by their inability to assign objective case to an object (hence the preposition of in 1b), and also by the necessity of possessive marking on their logical subject (in contrast to the optional possessive marking in 1a).