Uses of Gerund in English Grammar
What is GERUND
This looks exactly the same
as a present participle, and for this reason it is now common to call both
forms 'the -ing form'. However it is useful to understand
the difference between the two. The gerund always has the same function as a
noun (although it looks like a verb), so it can be used:
RULES:
·
Eating people is
wrong.
·
Hunting tigers is
dangerous.
·
Flying makes me nervous.
Rule 2:
As the complement of the verb 'to be':
·
One of his duties is attending meetings.
·
The hardest thing about learning English is
understanding the gerund.
·
One of life's pleasures is having breakfast in
bed.
Rule 3:
after prepositions. The gerund must be used when a verb comes after a preposition:
Can you sneeze without opening your
mouth?
·
She is good at painting.
·
They're keen on windsurfing.
·
She avoided him by walking on the opposite side
of the road.
·
We arrived in Madrid after driving all
night.
·
My father decided against postponing his trip to
Hungary.
Note : This is also true of
certain expressions ending in a preposition, e.g. in spite of, there's no
point in..:
·
There's no point in waiting.
·
In spite of missing the train, we arrived on
time.
Rule 4: .
After a number of 'phrasal verbs' which are composed of a verb + preposition/adverb
Example: to look forward to,
to give up, to be for/against, to take to, to put off, to keep on:
·
I look forward to hearing from you soon. (at the
end of a letter)
·
When are you going to give up smoking?
·
She always puts off going to the dentist.
·
He kept on asking for money.
NOTE: There are some phrasal verbs and
other expressions that include the word 'to' as a
preposition, not as part of a to-infinitive: - to
look forward to, to take to, to be accustomed to, to be used to. It is
important to recognise that 'to' is a preposition in these
cases, as it must be followed by a gerund:
·
We are looking forward to seeing you.
·
I am used to waiting for buses.
·
She didn't really take to studying English.
Note : It is possible to check
whether 'to is a preposition or part of
a to-infinitive: if you can put a noun or the pronoun 'it' after
it, then it is a preposition and must be followed by a gerund:
à I am accustomed to it (the
cold).
à I am accustomed to being cold.
Rule 5 :
in compound nouns
Example: a driving lesson,
a swimming pool, bird-watching, train-spotting
It is clear that the meaning is that of
a noun, not of a continuous verb.
Example: the pool is not
swimming, it is a pool for swimming in.
Rule 6 :
After the expressions:
can't help, can't stand, it's no
use/good, and the adjective worth:
Examples :
·
She couldn't help falling in love with him.
·
I can't stand being stuck in traffic jams.
·
It's no use/good trying to escape.
·
It might be worth phoning the station to check
the time of the train.
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