Gerunds

Gerunds act like nouns. They are verbs that end in –ing.

Verbs:Run, think, act, throw

Gerunds:Running, thinking, acting, throwing

A verbal ending in “ing” used to name activities.

A “verbal” is a verb that also works like another part of speech. Gerunds show action , so they act like verbs, but they also name, so they act like nouns by naming activities.

To see how gerunds act like nouns, insert any of these phrases into any of the blanks: playing chess, learning new things, climbing mountains in distant lands, building sand castles on the beach, taking a computer apart to investigate its guts.

1.___________ is fun (subject)2. We like ______________. (direct object)3. They talked about _____________ (object of

preposition)4. A great leisure activity is __________. (predicate

noun)5. Their favorite pastime, ___________, is enjoyed

by many. (appositivie)

Gerunds cannot be removed from the sentence without destroying the sentence.

Feeling so much better after the nap, John dressed and went out.

Ricky, going down the staircase backward, was very unsteady.

The damaged landed poorly, skidding left and right with sparks flying everywhere.

Matching

1. building the railroad involved ^

2. God had not struck Wesley dead for ^.

3. ^ is literally an expression of your differences, or agreements of opinion, with the author.

4. In the process of ^ we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.

5. Getting old is just a matter of ^.

A. making notes in the margins of a book

B. getting easier to see through until all your failing insides are in plain view and everyone’s business

C. building a grade, laying ties, laying rails, spiking in rails, filling in ballast

D. gaining our rightful place

E. taking His name in vain or for lying in the temple

Gerunds can be single words, or they can occur in phrases

Throwing is hard for me.

the subject of this sentence is “throwing,” a verb that acts like a noun because of –ing.

Throwing a ball is hard for me.

the subject of this sentence is “throwing a ball.” It begins with the same gerund as above, but the entire phrase acts like the subject.

Nouns function as 5 things in a sentence. They can be: SubjectsDirect objectsObjects of the prepositionPredicate NominativesIndirect objects

Examples of nouns in sentences:Subject: (“does” the verb) Play Station 3 is one of my favorite

pastimes. 

Direct Object: (determine if there’s an action verb. If so, say the subject, then the verb, and ask who? or what? The answer will be your direct object.)

I really enjoy Playstation 3.

Object of the preposition: (locate the prepositions and find their objects. Remember, a preposition is anywhere a mouse can go)

Please keep your hands off my Playstation 3. 

Predicate Nominative: (determine if there’s a linking verb. If so, say the subject, then the verb, and ask who? or what? The answer will be your predicate nominative, and will rename the subject)

My favorite gaming system is Playstation 3.

Examples of single word gerunds:Subject: Running is one of my favorite pastimes. Direct Object:I really enjoy running.

Object of the preposition:I never get tired of running. Predicate Nominative:My favorite pastime is running.

Examples of gerund phrases:

Subject:Hanging out seems to be a popular thing for

most students these days. Direct Object:Most students like hanging out more than

playing basketball

Object of the preposition:Students never seem to get tired of hanging

out. Predicate Nominative:One of the hardest things we ever did was

running ten miles in the rain.

Your TurnWrite three sets of sentences with the following things correctly identified:NOUNS1. Subject 2. Direct object3. Object of the preposition4. Predicate nominative

Single word Gerund5. Subject6. Direct object7. Object of the preposition8. Predicate nominative

Gerund phrase9. Subject10. Direct object11. Object of the preposition12. Predicate nominative

Participial phrase A verbal ending in “ing” or “ed” used to describe.A verbal is a verb that also works like another part of

speech. Participles show action, so they act like verbs but they

also describe, so they act like adjectives.

Present participles always end in “ing.” Unlike “ing”main verbs, which cannot be removed from a sentence participles are removable.

Verb (not removable): He was clearing his throat loudly.

Present participle (verbal, removable) Clearing his throat loudly, he stepped out from behind the bookshelf.

Difference between present participles and GerundsLike present participles, gerunds are verbals that

also end in “ing.”It’s easy to tell the difference because present

participles are removable sentence parts; gerunds are not.

In each pair, the first contains a present participle, and the second contains a gerund. Notice that only the present participles can be removed.

1a. Feeling so much better after the nap, Gunster dressed and went out.

1b. Feeling so much better after the nap relieved Gunster.