Ardith Hinton to Anton Shepelev:   
      
   AS>> I therefore view "invasion" in the phrase "invasion of   
   AS>> Iraq" as a gerund.   
   AS>> [...]   
   AS>> And what grammar school allows nouns to have direct   
   AS>> objects?   
      
   AH> Where I come from "invasion" is a noun and "Iraq", in   
   AH> this context, is not a direct object but the object of   
   AH> the preposition.   
      
   Yes, that is the formally correct and the generally accepted   
   view, but "invasion" denotes the same action as the   
   transitive verb "invade", which applies to the thing (to   
   avoid the grammar term) Iraq indifferently of the specific   
   phrasing, i.e.   
      
     a.  The invasion of Iraq began on...   
     b.  He considered invading Iraq as early as...   
     c.  The US army invaded Iraq.   
      
   In all three examples the action "invade" and the thing Iraq   
   are in the same relation.  I therefore think that in   
   attributing government to the "the V-ing of..." form B&S   
   have preferred substance to form.   
      
   Also note that the usage and meaning of "invasion" is   
   determined by its derivation from the verb, "to invade".   
   That said, I cannot consider it a simple noun,such as   
   "cloud" or "water".   
      
   However else can you describe the essential (qualitative)   
   difference in the role of "winding" in:   
      
     a.  The winding of the road led us...   
         [The roads winds -- subject-verb]   
      
     b.  The winding of the clock was neglected.   
         [I did not wind the clock -- verb-object]   
      
     c.  Current through the winding of the wire.   
         [Possession?]   
      
   As for verbs in disguise, compare:   
      
   a. The murder of Roger Acroyd and   
      [verb-object]   
      
   b. The fall of the Roman Empire   
      [subject-verb]   
      
   ---   
    * Origin: *** nntp://fidonews.mine.nu *** Finland *** (2:221/6.0)