Hi, Mark Lewis!   
   I read your message from 19.01.2016 16:33   
      
    ak>> Yes, the difference between a noun and a gerund sometimes is a bit   
    ak>> confusing, but there must be rules that allow us to tell the   
    ak>> difference between "ing" nouns and gerunds.   
      
    ML> there are rules but i certainly don't remember them ;)   
      
   It consoles me. ;)   
      
    ak>> "I was awaken by a loud talking" - "talking" is a noun (because we   
    ak>> can feel it!)   
      
    ML> "I was awakened by loud talking" or "I awoke to loud talking" or   
    ML> even (turn it around) "Loud talking woke me"... some folks would   
    ML> add "up" to the end of that and that takes us back to my comment of   
    ML> some weeks ago... eg: if you can be woken up can you also be woken   
    ML> down?   
      
   Well, maybe if you sleep on the upper berth on the train and the train brakes   
   abruptly. Then you will be awoken down. ;-)   
      
    ak>> "Talking is a good exercise" - "talking" is a gerund (the process   
    ak>> itself).   
      
    ML> you could leave out the "a" in this one... "Talking is good   
    ML> excercise."   
      
   Yes, it is hard to be digested by a Russian. ;) We used to consider "exercise"   
   as a countable noun.   
      
    ak>>>> and I say that drivers are allowed to park their cars near   
    ak>>>> hotel? And it is possible that near that hotel there is no   
    ak>>>> parking lot at all.   
    AH>>> Ah... now I think you're onto something! If "parking" refers to   
    AH>>> an area in which people are allowed to park cars, it is an   
    AH>>> uncountable noun which we'd measure in acres or hectares or   
    AH>>> whatever.   
    ak>> Why "an area" is described by an uncountable noun? It should   
    ak>> be "There is a free parking (lot) near the hotel" if it is a noun,   
    ak>> not a gerund.   
      
    ML> if you use "a" in this example sentence then yes, you should   
    ML> add "lot" or "area" or similar... without those then you would   
    ML> leave the "a" out...   
      
   Another puzzle - a noun "parking" is uncountable. It is also unusual for me.   
   Dictionaries tell "Parking" means "spaces". :) "A parking" is wrong, no   
   article is allowed.   
   http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/parking   
      
   ML>   
   -----Beginning of the citation-----   
   1. "There is free parking near the hotel."   
   2. "There is a free parking lot near the hotel."   
   3. "There are free parking areas near the hotel."   
   4. "Free parking may be found near the hotel."   
   5. "Free parking spaces can be found near the hotel."   
   6. "The hotel offers free parking."   
   7. "The hotel offers free parking areas."   
   8. "The hotel's parking is free."   
   ----- The end of the citation -----   
      
    ML> in the sentences above, which ones use "parking" as a noun and   
    ML> which as a gerund? if there are any which use "parking" as   
    ML> something else, what else?   
      
   "parking" is:   
   1. a noun - (because "there is")   
   2. the noun "parking" serves as the adjective to "lot"   
   3. the noun "parking" serves as the adjective to "areas"   
   4. the noun (because only a thing can be found)   
   5. the noun "parking" serves as thee adjective to "spaces"   
      
   6. "Parking" is a noun (the hotel offers places),   
   but it seems, it can be a gerund too in this way:   
   "The hotel ALLOWS free parking".   
   Maybe there is no parking lot at all, but the hotel tells us that we can stop   
   and leave the car in any place near the hotel.   
      
   7. the noun "parking" serves as the adjective to "areas"   
   8. parking == "spaces" i.e. a noun. But "The style of my aunt Mary's parking   
   was terrible" (a gerund - she struck several cars when parking).   
      
   Bye, Mark!   
   Alexander Koryagin   
   english_tutor 2016   
      
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    * Origin: *** nntp://fidonews.mine.nu *** Finland *** (2:221/6.0)