Gerunds

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Gerunds
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Gerunds

• Gerunds always end in ing
• They are used in the sentence as nouns and in
  every way that any other noun can be used
• Swimming is a good exercise. (subject)
• Jane does not enjoy cooking. (direct object)
• After eating, relax for a while. (object of
  preposition)

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Gerund Phrases

• Like participles, gerunds can have a direct
  object.
• To find out whether or not the gerund has a
  direct object, begin with the gerund and ask the
  following question
• Gerund whom/what? direct object

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Gerund Phrases

• Example
• Giving the money proved a mistake.
• Giving What? money
• Money is the direct object of the gerund.

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Gerund Phrases

• Gerund phrases can also have indirect objects
• To find out whether or not the gerund phrase has
  an indirect object, begin with the gerund, locate
  the direct object, then ask the question to/for
  whom/what?

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Gerund Phrase

• Example
• Giving Jerry the money proved a mistake.
• Giving what money (direct object)
• Giving money to/for whom? Jerry
• Jerry is the indirect object of the gerund
  phrase.

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Gerund Phrases

• Gerund phrases can also have prepositional
  phrases in them
• Giving Jerry the money on Friday night proved a
  major mistake.
• Since on Friday night tells when? The
  prepositional phrase functions as an adverb. It
  completes the gerund phrase.

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Gerunds

• Gerunds end in ing
• Gerunds are nouns.
• To find out how they function as a noun, isolate
  the gerund or gerund phrase, locate the main verb
  in the sentence and the main direct object (if
  there is one). Ask the following question

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Key Questions to Determine Noun Functions in
Gerunds

• What? the main verb subject
• Example
• Giving Jerry the money on Friday night proved a
  major mistake.
• Proved is the main verb. Mistake is the direct
  object.
• What? Proved a mistakeGiving Jerry the money
• The gerund phrase is the subject of the main
  sentence.

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Key Questions to Determine Noun Functions in
Gerunds

• Subject verb what? direct object
• We cant afford making the same mistake.
• We can afford What? direct object
• Answer
• Making the same mistake is the direct object of
  the sentence.

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Key Questions to Determine Noun Functions in
Gerunds

• Preposition gerund phrase Object of the
  Preposition
• Example
• After waiting patiently for an hour Bill left the
  office.
• Waiting patiently for an hour functions as the
  object of the preposition.

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Key Questions to Determine Noun Functions in
Gerunds

• Subject verb direct object to/for what?
  indirect object
• The tribe gave naming their children extreme
  importance.
• Tribe gave importance to what? naming their
  children
• Naming their children functions as the indirect
  object of the sentence.

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Key Questions to Determine Noun Functions in
Gerunds

• Subject Linking verb what? Predicate
  nominative
• His hobby is collecting stamps.
• His mother is driving a car.
• Note since the subject hobby cannot do the
  action of the verb (collect), collecting is a
  gerund.
• Collecting stamps becomes the gerund phrase and
  it functions as predicate nominative.

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Summary of Noun Functions

• What? main verb subject
• Subject verb what direct object
• Subject Linking verb what predicate
  nominative
• Subject verb Direct Object to/for what?
  indirect object
• Preposition gerund phrase object of the
  preposition.

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Summary

• Gerunds always end with ing
• Gerunds are always nouns
• Gerunds can be
• Subjects
• Direct objects
• Indirect objects
• Objects of the prepositions
• Predicate nominatives

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Note

• Ask the key questions
• What the verb subject
• Subject verb what Direct object
• Subject linking verb what Predicate
  nominative
• Subject verb direct object to/for what
  indirect object
• Preposition gerund object of the
  preposition