# Glossary of Terms in This Guide

This glossary contains a list of terms in the GNOME Documentation Style Guide, for which contributors to the GNOME Documentation Project have requested clarification. If you find terms that are unfamiliar to you in this guide, ask Pat Costello docs@gnome.org to include a definition in the following list.

gerund

  The "-ing" form of a verb. You can use the gerund as part of a verb form, or as a noun.

  Example: The system is running at full power.

  The gerund running is part of the present continuous verb is running. An ambiguity arises when you use a gerund as a noun.

  Example: The running system requires power.

Saxon genitive

  A language construction that denotes possession, derived from Old Saxon. The construction is present in all languages that have a distinct Germanic influence, including English. The genitive form is not present in Latin-derived languages, or non-European languages, and can therefore cause difficulty for readers and translators. The genitive form is created by adding apostrophe s to the end of a proper noun. In the original form, the genitive was created by adding an -es suffix to a noun. The apostrophe in the English form of the genitive denotes the missing letter e.

  Example: The man's car = the car belonging to the man.