Grammar: ⚙️ Verbs in Depth: 🎭 Modals & 🌱 Non-Finite Verbs (Advanced) (B2) - Lesson 8: Perfect Gerunds (having V3) & Perfect Infinitives (to have V3)

✨ Lesson 8: Perfect Gerunds & Infinitives

Welcome to a very advanced lesson! You already know how to use gerunds (e.g., doing) and infinitives (e.g., to do). Today, we will learn their "perfect" forms. We use these special forms to be very clear about the sequence¹ of events and to emphasize² that one action happened *before* another.

The Perfect Gerund: having + past participle

We use the Perfect Gerund³ to show that an action was completed before the action of the main verb. It is often used to start a sentence, replacing "After + -ing".

Example 1 (Replacing 'After'):

→ "After finishing his work, he went to the riverside."
→ "Having finished his work, he went to the riverside."

---

Example 2 (After a verb):

→ "He denied stealing the money." (A general denial).
→ "He denied having stolen the money." (This emphasizes the act of stealing happened before the denial.)

The Perfect Infinitive: to have + past participle

Similarly, the Perfect Infinitive⁴ shows that its action happened before the main verb's action. It is often used with verbs like 'seem' or 'claim', and to talk about past wishes.

With 'seem':
"He seems to be happy." (He is happy now).
"He seems to have been happy yesterday." (He was happy in the past).

With 'claim':
"The man claims to have seen a ghost in the old building." (The seeing happened before the claiming).

With 'would like' (for past wishes):
"I would like to have gone to the concert, but I couldn't get a ticket." (I wanted to go in the past, but I didn't.)

Understanding this nuance⁵ will help you understand more complex sentences and texts.

🧠 Practice Quiz: Simple or Perfect?

Choose the best form (simple or perfect) to complete each sentence.

1. _______ (finish) all her tasks, she finally relaxed.
   Answer: Having finished (This means "After she finished...")
2. He seems _______ (be) a very kind person.
   Answer: to be (This describes his present state.)
3. I would love _______ (see) the famous Phare circus in Battambang, but I didn't have time on my last trip.
   Answer: to have seen (This expresses a wish about a missed past opportunity.)
4. She is proud of _______ (win) the award last year.
   Answer: having won (The winning happened before the feeling of pride.)
5. The politician claimed _______ (never / meet) the businessman before.
   Answer: to have never met

📝 Homework: Rewrite the Sentences

Rewrite these sentences using a Perfect Gerund or Perfect Infinitive to add clarity and emphasis.

1. After I completed the project, I took a long holiday.
   Answer: Having completed the project, I took a long holiday.
2. It appears that he left his wallet at home.
   Answer: He appears to have left his wallet at home.
3. I was sorry that I spoke to her so angrily.
   Answer: I regretted having spoken to her so angrily.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Sequence: (Noun) - លំដាប់ (lum'dap) - The order in which things happen or should happen. ↩
2. Emphasize: (Verb) - សង្កត់ធ្ងន់ (sâng'kât'thngón) - To give special importance to something in speaking or writing. ↩
3. Perfect Gerund: (Noun Phrase) - កិរិយានាមបរិបូណ៌ (kĕ'rĭ'yaa'néam bo'rĭ'bao) - The gerund form used to show an action happened before the main verb (having + p.p.). ↩
4. Perfect Infinitive: (Noun Phrase) - កិរិយាស័ព្ទដើមបរិបូណ៌ (kĕ'rĭ'ya'sâp daem bo'rĭ'bao) - The infinitive form used to show an action happened before the main verb (to have + p.p.). ↩
5. Nuance: (Noun) - អត្ថន័យលម្អិត (ât'thâ'nœ̆y lâm'ĭt) - A subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound. ↩