1

A few even have experience working with the United Nations.(https://ludwig.guru/s/experience+working+with) (https://www.forbes.com/1999/09/13/freeman_0913.html#338ea1d5720f)

I have experience going to England.

It seems like "working with the United Nations" actually modifies "experience".

So, I think that it could be parsed as "Experience is working with the United Nations".

If my thinking is correct, could you please bring me some sentences like this?

Improve this question
4
  • @ Jason Bassford is "of" omitted between "experience" and "working"? Like "experience of working".
    – GKK
    Jan 29, 2019 at 23:01
  • "Experience is working with the United Nations". Isn't there a typo--is instead of in?
    – Victor B.
    Mar 8, 2019 at 14:11
  • On the contrary. The 'experience working', or 'experience working' is a wide-spread set expression, in which the noun 'experience' modifies the noun 'working'. It means 'to take some work deliberately to gain some necessary experience in a professional field.'
    – kngram
    Dec 16, 2021 at 4:32
  • There are many examples on the Internet of similar sentences. Use "textranch" to learn these, for example.
    – kngram
    Dec 16, 2021 at 5:08

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
2

In all of the examples cited so far, you could consider the gerund to modify the noun, but you could also consider a preposition to be understood:

A few even have experience [[with/of]] working with the United Nations.

I have experience [[with/of]] going to England.

We had some difficulty [[with/in]] finding the address. (from Arcatera)

Here is a clearer example:

I hiked for five miles with this walking stick.

"Walking" is clearly not a participle, because the stick is not walking. It must be a gerund that describes what the stick is used for. There are plenty of similar examples: drinking fountain, divining rod, swimming hole, writing paper, recording studio, etc.

Those are all set phrases, but gerunds can also modify nouns in new ways. E.g.:

The guru has a meditating room in his house. (The room is used for meditating.)

Improve this answer
0

Yes, it can.

We had some difficulty finding the address. Here, difficulty is a noun and is followed by a gerund.

Improve this answer
0

Consider these three sentences:

I enjoy walking in the mountains
I have experience of walking in the mountains
I have experience walking in the mountains

In the first sentence, "walking in the mountains" is clearly a gerund phrase and is the direct object of enjoy. In the second sentence, "walking in the mountains is again a gerund phrase, and it is linked to the rest of the sentence by of: it effectively qualifies the kind of experience that you have. In the third sentence, "walking in the mountains" is a participial phrase which modifies experience.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .