A gerund is a noun made form a verb. To form a gerund add -ing to the base form of avberb and make any necessary spelling changes.
Reading, at 2.8 hours a weeks, ranks munmbe four.(The gerund reading is made by adding -ing to the verb read)
1. Gerunds perform the same functions as nouns.
Gerund act as subjects
- Watching television, at 15.0 hours a week, is by far the most popular. (Watching is the subject of the verb is.)
Gerund act as direct objects
- Do you really enjoy being a couch potato?.(Being is the direct object of the verb enjoy.)
Gerund act as objects of prepositions
Many preposition caombinations ar followed by gerunds.Verb+preposition; adjective+preposition and expressions
- Participants have to follow the clues by hiking in certain sections of the Englisch countryside.(Hiking is the object of the preposition by)
Gerund act as subject complements
- Number two on the list is socializing. (Socializing explains the subject, munmber two on the list.)
Gerund act as appositives
- An number five on the list, engaging in hobbies, comes in ata 2.7 hours a week.(The appositive engaging in hobbies explains and is equivalent to the phrase number five on the list)
Add not before a gerund to make a negative statement
- Not calling my was a big mistake.
2. Gerund can be used in perfect form (having + past participle)
This form suggests the past in relation to some other time.
- Hours later, after having fallen aslleep,they wake up and stumble off to bed. (They fell asllep.Hours later, they woke up an stumbled off to bed.)
3. Gerund can occur in passive form with being or getting + past participle or having been or gotten+ past participle.
- Then they sit down on the couch for an evening of being mesmerized by TV set.
4. Use a possessive noun or pronoun berfor a gerund.
- It was not until the 1950s, with Walt Disney's opening of the first Disneyland, that roller coasters began to make a comeback.
- They stamp a card that validates their having completed that part of the game.(more formal)
- They stamp a card that validates them having completed taht part of the game. (more informal)
5. Don't forget that some verbs can be followed by gerunds or infinitves.
- Some verbs and verb phrases are followed only by gerunds. Examples of these are avoid, consider, enjoy, feel, like, have trouble, keep, mind, miss and spend time.
Do you really enjoy being a couch potato?
- Some verbs are followed only by infitives. These include decide, expect, manage, learn, need, seem, want, and would like.
I need to study for my finale exam.
- Some verbs are followed by gerunds or infinitives with no significant meaning change. For example begin, can't stand, continue, hate, like, love, prefer and start.
In fact, each day they continue to do the same thing.
In fact, each day they continue doing the same thing.
- Some verbs are follwed by gerund or infinitives with a significant meaning change. These include forget, go on, quit, regret, remember, stop and try.
Marie says she'll never stop riding until she's in her grave.
(stop the activity of riding)
Marie would stop doing any other thing to ride a roller coaster.
( stop doing something else in order to ride a roller coaster)
Saby Chachi
AO6
