the taking

[mil]

Hi
Christams season has brought this query upon me:
there's this song by cliff richard and its lines go as follows:
"love and laughter and joy ever after, ours for the taking, just follow the master"
and my doubt is related to the part "ours for the taking",
I' m not sure how to understand it and what's the grammatical explanation to "the" before gerund.
Please, enlighten me
mil
and feel free to correct any mistakes that occur in my post

[Rusty]

Hi
Christams season has brought this query upon me:
there's this song by cliff richard and its lines go as follows:
"love and laughter and joy ever after, ours for the taking, just follow the master"
and my doubt is related to the part "ours for the taking",
I' m not sure how to understand it and what's the grammatical explanation to "the" before gerund.
Please, enlighten me
mil
and feel free to correct any mistakes that occur in my post
Hello Mil. Welcome to Englishpage.
...for the taking is a common expression. It means "for the acceptance and carrying away." The is used instead of a because it is the taking of a particular thing that has already been mentioned: love, laughter, etc...
Here's another example:
In January there will be mulch from chipped Christmas trees, free for the taking, at the recycle center. A similar expression is for the asking.

[Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim]

Examples – for the asking
If you want it, it is yours for the asking.
Plastic watches are to be had for the asking.
The job was hers for the asking.