Publications
Publication details [#5580]
Kjellmer, Göran. 1980. 'There is no hiding you in the house': On a modal use of the English gerund. English Studies 61 (1) : 47–60. 
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Language as a subject
Annotation
The construction 'there + be + no + gerund' is potentially ambiguous: modal or non-modal meaning. The modal meaning is usually one of (im)possibility, or (in)capacity, but it can also shade off into (im)propriety and (non)necessity.