"Having gotten all A’s, the students are..." What's the function of the gerund?

[a_vee]

"Having gotten all A’s, the students are..." What's the function of the gerund?

Having gotten all A’s, the students are studying less.

I know that "having gotten" is a gerund in the perfect form, but what is the function in the sentence? Is it a subject complement?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Re: "Having gotten all A’s, the students are..." What's the function of the gerund?

It might be slightly idiomatic. The sentence could be phrased:

- Because they got all A's, the students are studying less.
- Now that they have all A's, the students are studying less.

Some other examples that might help give you the idea:

- Having just painted the house, they were eager to take pictures of it.
- Having grown up in France, he didn't need to read the French subtitles.
- Having already slept for ten hours, she didn't want a nap.
- Having marched all day, they were ready to rest.

Hope that helps!

 

[MikeNewYork]

Re: "Having gotten all A’s, the students are..." What's the function of the gerund?

In this sentence, "having gotten all A's" is a participial phrase. It acts as an adjective that modifies "students". "Having" is not a gerund there, it is a participle. The only way to tell one -ing from another is by its use. A gerund always acts as a noun. A participle can be part of a verb or it can be a modifier (adjective or adverb) and can introduce a modifying phrase.