I think it's true that the gerund form is generally a more "active" form than the simple noun. Sometimes this makes a marked difference in meaning, and sometimes it doesn't.
In "loads of good thinking," I understand that the logic of the piece will be interesting... and the logic reflects not only the ideas but above all the (active) thought process of the author. In "load of good thoughts," I understand "loads of good ideas," without any suggestion of the active thought process.
In the 2nd half of your first example, you "DO some thinking," the action ("to do") is stated right there in the sentence - so of course you must use the active gerund form. If you wanted to avoid the gerund, you would have to rephrase the sentence to state the action entirely in the verb: "...stuff to make one think of (come up with) some good thoughts"
In your 2nd example, you could certainly say:
we're trying to come up with some completely fresh thinking on this subject.
"thinking" must be singular, the sentence is correct and means not just "new ideas/thoughts" but also "a new approach" (approach is more active than ideas).
For the car example, you could use either the gerund or the noun, depending on what was important in your intended meaning.
The sale of the car was finalized last Friday. (not the action of selling, but the legal agreement, which is a thing, so you use the noun)
Selling the car was easy because it was in great condition. (the process/action of selling is what is important, so you use the gerund)
The sale of the car was easy, because the buyer was in a hurry and he didn't even read all the fine print in the contract. (not the active process of selling, but the sale agreement, which is a thing)
to summarize, it's a question of nuance. when action/process is important to your meaning, you are more likely to use the gerund form. when the action/process is not important, you are more likely to use the noun.
is that at all helpful?
I think it's true that the gerund form is generally a more "active" form than the simple noun. Sometimes this makes a marked difference in meaning, and sometimes it doesn't. In "loads of good thinking," I understand that the logic of the piece will be interesting... and the logic reflects not only the ideas but above all the (active) thought process of the author. In "load of good thoughts," I understand "loads of good ideas," without any suggestion of the active thought process.In the 2nd half of your first example, you "DO some thinking," the action ("to do") is stated right there in the sentence - so of course you must use the active gerund form. If you wanted to avoid the gerund, you would have to rephrase the sentence to state the action entirely in the verb: "...stuff to make one think of (come up with) some good thoughts"In your 2nd example, you could certainly say:we're trying to come up with some completely fresh thinking on this subject. "thinking" must be singular, the sentence is correct and means not just "new ideas/thoughts" but also "a new approach" (approach is more active than ideas).For the car example, you could use either the gerund or the noun, depending on what was important in your intended meaning.The sale of the car was finalized last Friday. (not the action of selling, but the legal agreement, which is a thing, so you use the noun)Selling the car was easy because it was in great condition. (the process/action of selling is what is important, so you use the gerund)The sale of the car was easy, because the buyer was in a hurry and he didn't even read all the fine print in the contract. (not the active process of selling, but the sale agreement, which is a thing)to summarize, it's a question of nuance. when action/process is important to your meaning, you are more likely to use the gerund form. when the action/process is not important, you are more likely to use the noun.is that at all helpful?
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