Submitted by Becca (not verified) on Sun, 06/14/2009 - 02:22.
The title of the Cure song, "Killing an Arab", is not a gerund. It is part of a longer sentence which is in the present simple tense.
"I am the stranger killing an Arab."
In this form, the sentence is present simple: I am. Subject + Verb1 + Complement (noun) + Gerund Phrase (participle phrase as an adjective in this case).
This differentiates him from other strangers, such as the stranger eating a sandwich or the stranger riding a bicycle.
However, the gerund form may be used thus:
"Killing an Arab is just about one of my favorite daily activities."
The title of the Cure song, "Killing an Arab", is not a gerund. It is part of a longer sentence which is in the present simple tense.
"I am the stranger killing an Arab."
In this form, the sentence is present simple: I am. Subject + Verb1 + Complement (noun) + Gerund Phrase (participle phrase as an adjective in this case).
This differentiates him from other strangers, such as the stranger eating a sandwich or the stranger riding a bicycle.
However, the gerund form may be used thus:
"Killing an Arab is just about one of my favorite daily activities."
The act of killing an Arab is now the subject.