Basic Grammar Step by Step Second Edition
Mary W. Ng
Chapter 57
Gerunds and Gerund Phrases
The present participle is the ing form of a verb.
| Base Form | Present Participle |
|---|---|
| play | playing |
| work | working |
57.1 Gerunds
When we use the present participle of verbs as nouns, we call them gerunds.
Gerunds can be the subject of a sentence. The subject is the who or what we talk about in a sentence.
| Writing is her hobby. | (what is her hobby) |
| Weeding is hard work. | (what is hard work) |
Gerunds can be the direct object of a sentence. The direct object names whom or what after the action verb.
| They like swimming. | (like what) |
| She loves dancing. | (loves what) |
Gerunds can be the subject complement of a sentence. The subject complement tells something about the subject. We place the gerund after the linking verb.
| Her hobby is writing. |
| His flaw was bragging. |
Gerunds can also be the object of a preposition. We place the gerund after the preposition.
| She is good at sewing. |
| That book is about camping. |
We can use a gerund after the following verbs: avoid, consider, dislike, dread, enjoy, finish, go, hate, keep, mind, miss, quit, start, stop.
| He quit smoking. |
| The baby kept crying. |
271