Hi, Ardith Hinton!   
   I read your message from  16.01.2016 16:56   
   about Gerund & noun.   
      
    ak>> Free parking is available at the hotel.  As I think "parking" is a   
    ak>> noun.   
    AH> Yes, according to my OXFORD CANADIAN DICTIONARY "parking" is a noun   
    AH> in this context.   
      
    ak>> We don't use "a" article for the same reason we omit  articles  in   
    ak>> newspaper titles.   
    AH> For the sake of brevity we often omit articles on signs too.  But I   
    AH> think there may be another reason. See below.... :-)   
      
    ak>> So, "parking" here is a place to park cars.   
    AH> Uh-huh. A place... IOW, a general area. :-)   
      
    ak>> Can I say  that  this  sentence  has  another  meaning  if  I  say   
    ak>> that "parking" is a gerund?   
    AH> The word "parking" may have been derived from the verb initially...   
    AH> but a gerund, by definition, functions as a noun.   
      
    ak>> In this case "parking" is a process,   
    AH> As we explain the concept  to  junior  high  school  students  Over   
    AH> Here, "a noun is the name of a person, place, thing,  or (abstract)   
    AH> idea". AFAIC you are alluding to an abstract idea when you describe   
    AH> something as a process.  If it's any consolation,  native  speakers   
    AH> often have difficulty with this.... ;-)   
      
   Yes,  the difference between a noun and a  gerund  sometimes  is  a  bit   
   confusing,  but there must be rules that allow us to tell the difference   
   between "ing" nouns and gerunds.   
      
   "I was awaken by a loud talking" - "talking" is a noun (because  we  can   
   feel it!)   
      
   "Talking is a good  exercise"  - "talking"  is  a  gerund  (the  process   
   itself).   
      
    ak>> and I say that drivers are allowed to park their cars near  hotel?   
    ak>> And it is possible that near that hotel there is no parking lot at   
    ak>> all.   
      
    AH> Ah... now I think you're onto something!  If "parking" refers to an   
    AH> area in which people are allowed to park cars, it is an uncountable   
    AH> noun which we'd measure in acres or hectares or whatever.   
      
   Why "an area" is described by an uncountable noun?  It should be  "There   
   is a free parking (lot) near the hotel" if it is a noun, not a gerund.   
      
    AH> There  may  or  may  not  be  marked  spaces.   Either  way   we're   
    AH> oversimplifying if we equate the number of spaces to the number  of   
    AH> cars.  I see nothing here indicating (e.g.)  that  motorcycles  and   
    AH> recreational  vehicles  are  excluded.   A  downtown   hotel   with   
    AH> underground parking may have more restrictions than a hotel in  the   
    AH> suburbs or beyond,  however,  and I'm just as skeptical as you  are   
    AH> when I'm reading advertisements... [chuckle].   
      
   I meant that if "parking" is a gerund we talk  not  about  a  place  but   
   about a process.  So:  "A free parking  (lot)  is  available  near  that   
   hotel."   
      
   But,  nevertheless,  "Free parking is allowed." (the hotel owner  allows   
   the process of parking).   
      
    AH> Another example is "seating".  In church, or in a sports arena, the   
    AH> seating may consist of benches.  How many people will  fit  onto  a   
    AH> bench depends on their size, the nature of their relationship, etc.   
    AH> In a theatre,  there may be  numbered  seats.  But  the  math  also   
    AH> becomes more complex when one takes into  account  that  wheelchair   
    AH> users bring their own seating along with them  &  may  or  may  not   
    AH> transfer  to  a  different  seat  if  a  suitable  alternative   is   
    AH> available.   
      
   Let's use a gerund:  "Seating without popcorn is not allowed!" (we speak   
   about the process).   
      
    AH> Another example is "standing room only".  How many individuals will   
    AH> fit into a given space depends on a lot  of  different  factors  as   
    AH> well.  In this part of  the  world,  the  fire  marshall  may  have   
    AH> something to say about it. :-))   
      
   The word "standing"  here  is  not  a  noun  or  a  gerund  -- it  is  a   
   participle.   
      
   Bye, Ardith!   
   Alexander Koryagin   
   ENGLISH_TUTOR 2016   
      
   --- Paul's Win98SE VirtualBox   
    * Origin: Quinn's Post - Maryborough, Queensland, OZ (3:640/384)