GERUND
The gerund looks exactly the same as a present participle, but 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). Some uses of the gerund are covered on this page. A separate page deals with verbs that are followed by the gerund.THE GERUND AS THE SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE
EXAMPLES
- Eating people is wrong.
- Hunting tigers is dangerous.
- Flying makes me nervous.
- Brushing your teeth is important.
- Smoking causes lung cancer.
THE GERUND AS THE COMPLEMENT OF THE VERB 'TO BE'
EXAMPLES
- 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.
THE GERUND AFTER PREPOSITIONS
The gerund must be used when a verb comes after a preposition. This is also true of certain expressions ending in a preposition, for example the expressions in spite of & there's no point in.
EXAMPLES
- Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?
- She is good at painting.
- 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.
- There's no point in waiting.
- In spite of missing the train, we arrived on time.
THE GERUND AFTER PHRASAL VERBS
Phrasal verbs are composed of a verb + preposition or adverb.
EXAMPLES
- When will you give up smoking?
- She always puts off going to the dentist.
- He kept on asking for money.
- Jim ended up buying a new TV after his old one broke.
There are some phrasal verbs that include the word "to" as a preposition for example to look forward to, to take to, to be accustomed to, to get around to, & to be used to. It is important to recognise that the word "to" is a preposition in these cases because it must be followed by a gerund. It is not part of the infinitive form of the verb. You can check whether "to" is a preposition or part of the infinitive. If you can put the pronoun "it" after the word "to" and form a meaningful sentence, then the word "to" is a preposition and must be followed by a gerund.
EXAMPLES
- I look forward to hearing from you soon.
- I look forward to it.
- I am used to waiting for buses.
- I am used to it.
- She didn't really take to studying English.
- She didn't really take to it.
- When will you get around to mowing the grass?
- When will you get around to it?
THE GERUND IN COMPOUND NOUNS
In compound nouns using the gerund, it is clear that the meaning is that of a noun, not of a continuous verb. For example, with the word "swimming pool" it is a pool for swimming in, it is not a pool that is swimming.
EXAMPLES
- I am giving Sally a driving lesson.
- They have a swimming pool in their back yard.
- I bought some new running shoes.
THE GERUND AFTER SOME EXPRESSIONS
The gerund is necessary after the expressions can't help, can't stand, to be worth, & it's no use.
EXAMPLES
- She couldn't help falling in love with him.
- I can't stand being stuck in traffic jams.
- It's no use trying to escape.
- It might be worth phoning the station to check the time of the train.
