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From here we can watch the ________ of the sun

Options given are A.rise / B.rising / C.risen / D.rose

The given answer is rising.

Why is this gerund given as the answer?

I checked the catenative verbs followed by a gerund list in Wiktionary, and watch is not included.

So I am under the assumption that a noun should come after article the. Therefore gerund fits here. Is this correct?

jbn
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    "From here we can watch the rising of the sun" is a more poetic way of saying "From here we can watch the sun rise". The meaning is essentially identical. – Peter Jennings Jul 26 '21 at 15:07

1 Answers1

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There is no catenation here. Watch is being used in its ordinary sense. Consider this:

We can watch the sun.

I'm sure you see that the sun is the object of watch. So whatever follows watch will normally be a noun phrase of some kind.

That is why rising is used. To be a noun phrase, a verb must be transformed into a gerund.

And because rising is a pretty concrete idea, an article is required. Thus, the rising of the sun.

Jeffrey Carney
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