Gerund examples

• Devon Balwit • April 5, 2017 • How can I improve my English? When someone asks a how question, the easiest way to answer is with the preposition by + a gerund. For example: How can I stay in shape? You can do it ______________________________ • by walking places instead of driving. • by eating healthy food. • by going to the gym. To make your answer negative, just but the word NOT in front of the gerund: You can stay in shape by NOT driving everywhere. You can stay in shape by NOT eating junk food. You can stay in shape by NOT being a couch potato. Let’s try another example: How can I be an interesting conversation partner? You can do it by being a good listener. You can do it by asking your partner good questions. You can do it by not talking too much. Using by + a gerund is a quick way to give an opinion or make a suggestion. Get good at using this form by practicing!

Summary: This handout provides a detailed overview (including descriptions and examples) of gerunds, participles, and infinitives. Comparing Gerunds and Participles Look at the pair of sentences below. In the first, the use of a gerund (functioning as a noun) allows the meaning to be expressed more precisely than in the second. In the first sentence, the interrupting, a specific behavior, is precisely indicated as the cause of the speaker's irritation. In the second, the cause of the irritation is identified less precisely as Bill, who just happens to have been interrupting. (In the second sentence, interrupting is actually a participle, not a gerund, since it functions as an adjective modifying Bill.) I was irritated by Bill's constant interrupting. I was irritated by Bill, constantly interrupting. The same pattern is shown in these other example pairs below: in the first of each pair, a gerund (noun-function) is used; in the second, a participle (adjective-function). Notice the subtle change in meaning between the two sentences in each pair. Examples: The guitarist's finger-picking was extraordinary. (The technique was extraordinary.) The guitarist, finger-picking, was extraordinary. (The person was extraordinary, demonstrating the technique.) He was not impressed with their competing. (The competing did not impress him.) He was not impressed with them competing. ( They did not impress him as they competed.) Grandpa enjoyed his grandchildren's running and laughing. Grand...

• Going to college is expensive. • " Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." -William Arthur Ward • Binx Bolling, the hero of Walker Percy's The Moviegoer, enjoys riding the bus that runs from Gentilly down Elysian Fields and into the French Quarter of New Orleans. • "I never believe nor disbelieve. If you will excuse my speaking frankly, I mean to observe you closely, and to decide for myself," (Collins 1877). • "They cut down elms to build asylums for people driven mad by the cutting down of elms," (Barker 1950). • " Shooting paintballs is not an art form," (Cartwright "The Joy of Sect"). • "Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it." -Langston Hughes • "All talk of winning the people by appealing to their intelligence, of conquering them by impeccable syllogism, is so much moonshine." -H. L. Mencken • "There are times when parenthood seems nothing but feeding the mouth that bites you," (De Vries 1982). • "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy," (Shaw 1905). How a Gerund Is Formed and Used Gerunds are formed from verbs and result in verbs, but they function as nouns. R.L. Trask does a great job of explain...

• Afrikaans • العربية • Asturianu • Azərbaycanca • Беларуская • Български • Brezhoneg • Català • Dansk • Deutsch • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Estremeñu • فارسی • Français • Galego • 한국어 • Italiano • Қазақша • Latina • Lietuvių • Malagasy • മലയാളം • Nederlands • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Occitan • Polski • Português • Română • Русский • Simple English • Slovenščina • Suomi • Svenska • Türkçe • Українська • Vèneto • 粵語 • 中文 This section does not Please help ( July 2016) ( The Latin gerund, in a restricted set of syntactic contexts, denotes the sense of the verb in isolation after certain prepositions, and in certain uses of the Thus, English grammar uses gerund to mean an -ing form used in playing on computers. This is not a normal use for a Latin gerund. Moreover, the clause may function within a sentence as • Playing on computers is fun. (-ing clause as Subject) • I like playing on computers (-ing clause as Object) The contrast with the Latin gerund is also clear when the clause consists of a single word. • Computing is fun. ("gerund" as Subject) • I like computing ("gerund" as Object) Latin never uses the gerund in this way, since the Traditional English grammar distinguishes non-finite clauses used as above from • Playing on computers, they whiled the day away. • The boys playing on computers are my nephews. • They are always playing on computers. In these uses playing is traditionally labelled a Traditional grammar also distinguishes -ing forms with exclusively I work ...

Read the following sentence and categorize the words underlined under the heading verb or Gerund. • Walking is a good exercise. • They are walking • The children are studying early in the morning. • Robert turned off his phone and shut the door so he could focus on • Sleeping in the afternoon is not healthy at all. • They were sleeping under the tree. Here Are the Answers!!! VERBS • They are walking • The children are studying early in the morning. • They were sleeping under the tree. GERUND (=VERB+ NOUN) • Walking is a good exercise. • Robert turned off his phone and shut the door so he could focus on • Sleeping in the afternoon is not healthy at all. Study the following example: • He hopes to set a new record in swimming. • They love playing. Both sentences end with the words – swimming and Playing- but those aren’t the only verbs. Then what other function do the words perform in the sentences? They also perform the function of a noun in the sentences. • He hopes to set a new record in swimming. • They love playing. Therefore, the words swimming and playing are gerunds in the above sentences. Now, let us define a gerund: A gerund is a word that partakes the function of a verb and a noun. The words like “biking,” “thinking,” “running,” or “speaking” though in – ing become nouns. Look at the following examples. • Playing cards is not allowed here. • I like reading • He is fond of hoarding Let’s take each of the sentences and discuss them in detail. • Playing cards is not a...

Dancing in front of an audience is what Gina likes best. Daily exercising keeps Terry fit. Raymond’s hula hooping skills are unmatched. Gerunds as Subject Complements to be (e.g., is, was, am, are) – and describe or define the subject. You use gerunds in subject complements when they refer to any kind of activity: Building site Dining room Drinking water Sleeping pill Steering wheel Washing machine Wrapping paper Stepping stones Walking boots Mixing bowl Coloring book Running shoes Training wheels Hearing aid Swimming pool Shopping bag Operating table Dressing gown Although the first word in each of these examples is a verb, it functions as a noun in the compound noun. The site is for building, but it doesn’t build. The water doesn’t drink, the pool doesn’t swim, etc.! Summary: The Many Uses of Gerunds Gerunds can be confusing, especially if English isn’t your first language. This is because they’re spelled exactly like the present participle form of a verb, but they act like nouns (or parts of compound nouns). Hopefully, you now feel more confident about using gerunds in your writing. If there’s an area of grammar that you’re not sure about, check out our

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • You • • • into Introductory Phrase • to Join Independent Clauses • • • • • • • • • Wh– Questions • of Wh– Questions • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • It • There • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • an Infinitive after Certain Verbs • • • • • • • • • • • • • Effective Communication • • • • • • • Satisfy your interests!• • Noun • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Pronoun • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Verbs • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Modal Verbs • Can/Could • Dare • May/Might • Must & Have to • Need • Shall • Should • Should/Ought to/Had better • Will/Would & Used to • Tense • Simple Tense • Simple Present • Simple Past • Simple Future • Progressive Tense • Present Progressive • Past Progressive • Future Progressive • Perfect Tense • Present Perfect • Past Perfect • Future Perfect • Perfect Progressive Tense • Present Perfect Progressive • Past Perfect Progressive • Future Perfect Progressive • Present Tense • Past Tense • Future Tense • Sequence of Tenses • Other Uses of Present Progressive Tense • Stative Verbs in the Progre...

Summary: This handout provides a detailed overview (including descriptions and examples) of gerunds, participles, and infinitives. A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun. The term verbal indicates that a gerund, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being. However, since a gerund functions as a noun, it occupies some positions in a sentence that a noun ordinarily would, for example: subject, direct object, subject complement, and object of preposition. Gerund as subject: • Traveling might satisfy your desire for new experiences. ( Traveling is the gerund.) • The study abroad program might satisfy your desire for new experiences. (The gerund has been removed.) Gerund as direct object: • They do not appreciate my singing. (The gerund is singing.) • They do not appreciate my assistance. (The gerund has been removed) Gerund as subject complement: • My cat's favorite activity is sleeping. (The gerund is sleeping.) • My cat's favorite food is salmon. (The gerund has been removed.) Gerund as object of preposition: • The police arrested him for speeding. (The gerund is speeding.) • The police arrested him for criminal activity. (The gerund has been removed.) A gerund phrase is a group of words consisting of a gerund and the modifier(s) and/or (pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the direct object(s), indirect object(s), or complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the gerund, ...