nouns - Difference between "measurement" and "measuring"


What is the difference between the nouns measurement and measuring? Can I say the measurement has stopped the same way I can say the measuring has stopped?



Answer



Syntactically, you have different complements available. The verb measuring simply takes a direct object. The noun measurement and the gerundial noun measuring take PP complements headed by of. Thus you have:



Measuring the elephant was dangerous. (verb)



but:



The measuring of the elephant was fraught with danger. (gerundial noun)


The measurement of the elephant went surprisingly well. (noun)



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