Skip to main content

GERUND

Gerund has the same form as present participle. Both of them are the -ing form verb or Verb + Ing.
e.g. Speaking, walking, teaching, studying, listening, climbing, going, helping, searching, etc. However, Gerund is different of present participle.

KEY : Gerund is a noun. It is because gerund doesn't contain an activity. Present participle is a real verb because present participle contains an activity which is being done or still going on. It is also called "Continuous verb form" because it is usually used in continuous or progressive tenses.




Study this follows carefully!

Gerund

1.My hobby is reading a novel.
2.I like hiking.
3.I am bored of playing badminton.

Present participle

4.Wina is helping her mother in the kitchen.
5.My father is working in the garden.
6.I am listening to the song.

in sentence 1, /reading/ is a gerund. the word /reading/ in the sentence doesn't contain an activitiy. Let me say that the sentence only gives us an information or a news or a statement that /my hobby is reading something/. It means that, when the statement is expressed to someone, The subject is not doing something. In sentence 4, /helping/ is a present participle because the sentence contains an activity, that is, /helping.

Gerund is often used in two ways, they are:

1. In a phrase.




For examples:

walking stick
cooking tools
fishing equipment
planting machine,
etc.

In the phrases above, the existance of /walking/, /cooking/, /fishing/ and /planting/ talks about the use or function of something. we also can say ...

this stick is for walking.
the tools are for cooking.
the equipment is for fishing.
the machine is for planting.

2. In sentences

When gerund is used in sentences, gerund will place some positions in sentences, they are:

a).gerund as a complement

For examples:

My hobby is reading

b).gerund as a subject

For examples:

Reading is my hobby.
Talking about the story makes me sad.

c).gerund as an object

For examples:

I like reading.
I enjoy watching the film.

d).gerund after preposition

For examples:

I am tired of working.
She is talking about resolving the problem.
You're not good at painting.

e).gerund after certain verbs

Certain verbs here are:

Go, quit, enjoy, start

For examples:

I go fishing.
they quit working.

f).Gerund after the certain expressions, they are:

- After /no/
- After /no use/

For examples:

no smoking!
It's no use crying!

g).Gerund after conjunctions

For examples:

After going back from school, he takes a nap.
Before doing the homework, he drinks a lot of water.

h).Gerund after Appostrophe /s/


For example:

e.g. This book is about Andi's travelling around the world.

i).Gerund after Possessive Adjective (see 1st and 2nd)




For example:

e.g. Thanks for your coming.