Is ''imagining'' a real word? I can't find it in any dictionary. our imagining(It is a noun)
This single farm of ours would
support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep — and all
of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost
beyond our imagining.
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 5
5
Yes it’s a real word, and used correctly. All verbs (except defective ones) can be made into verbal nouns by adding -ing (after removing any silent “e”). This is called the gerund. As an inflected form, it will not necessarily have its own dictionary entry.
1
As Phil said, it's a real word and it's used correctly.
We have the preposition "beyond" and prepositions take noun or gerund phrases. Imagining is a gerund and gerund phrases can include a determiner and an object.
beyond [noun or gerund]
beyond imagining [correct]
beyond our imagining [correct]
0
I think that you're right that "beyond our imagination(s)", or "beyond our ability to imagine" are more common terms than "beyond our imagining". However it can be used this way.
A quick search brings up a quote from one of Cormac McCarthy's screenplays.
"But nothing is crueler than a coward, and the slaughter to come is probably beyond our imagining".
0
I think.... "our imagining" is incorrect, you have to say "our imagination".
Imagining is a verb. It is mostly used when talking about objects. For example:
If Donna saw a ghost or a person walk past but John didn't see it he would say, "You are imagining things, Donna!".
Hope this helps! :)
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