The Gerund

Or the –ing

Comparing the verb, the gerund and the participle.

1. Edna is a working woman.participle

2. I enjoy working for this company.gerund

3. Laura is working on her homework.Present progressive

1. Eric is walking with his dogs right now.Present progressive

2. Eric uses a walking stick to walk in the woods.

participle3. Walking everyday is good for your health.

gerund

Gerund’s characteristics• Ending in –ing. • Verbal form functioning as a

noun.• It does not serve a verb in a

sentence.• It can hold different roles and

places in the sentence.• For examples: as a subject,

as a direct object, as a subject complement, as an object of preposition and so on…

Illustrating the gerund and its different functions in a sentence.

As a subject:- Swimming is good for the

health.As an object:-I enjoy swimming. As a subject complement:-One of the best hobbies is

swimming.

Object of preposition -After a preposition you

often need to use a Gerund.

Common prepositions• About, after, against,

around, at, before, beyond, but, by, despite, during, for, from, in, inside, into, on, onto, outside, over, since, through, toward, under, upon, until...

 

Examples

1. Eric always complains about losing his keys.  2. Peter insists on giving me his horse.3.To apologize for being disrespectful towards

Johnny isn’t enough!4. Leopold wins at Scrabble by cheating.5. Upon hearing this news, Lola started

laughing.

Difference between a gerund and a participle

1. We both call the gerund and the participle verbals.

2. A participle is a verb used as an adjective that modifies a noun.

3. A gerund is a noun form of a verb.

Exercise no.1

• In groups of two, write 6 sentences: 3 using the participle and 3 using the gerund.

• After you’re done, compare your answers with another team.

• Finally, choose two sentences (one gerund+ one participle)

We are going to compare your answers with the whole group.

Participles can be used as compound words, (adjective modifying a noun):

-He bought a sleeping bag. (If we remove the participle sleeping, the

sentence becomes much more vague). -My looking-glass reflects a beautiful image

right now.(If we remove the participle looking, it can be

any types of glass).

• Thus, when we use the participle as a compound word, it is to be much more specific.

Exercise no.2: Find what each image represents…think

participle…

Find what each image represents… think

participle…

The « gérondif » compared

1. The French gérondif is sometimes a gerund if you say en dansant, en chantant… while dancing, while singing…

2. Other times, « le gérondif » can be a participle… thus an adjective that modifies a noun ( un soleil levant… a rising sun, un film épeurant… a frightening movie).

Le « Gérondif » compared…Gerund or participles?

• The provoking words (les mots provoquants)• An intriguing enigma (Une énigme intrigante)• A suffocating gaz (un gaz suffocant)

Unfortunately, these previous examples are not gerunds, but participles, because they areadjectives that modify the nouns.

Comparing the infinitive with the Gerund

1. Infinitive is a verbal too and it holds different roles in the sentence such as a noun or a modifier (adverb or adjective).

2. Infinitive can be used with or without the “to”.

Infinitive with the word "to" can function as either the SUBJECT or the OBJECT of a verb.

3. When you use the infinitive or the gerund the meaning of your sentence can change.

4. Other times, it does not make any differences in the meaning of the sentence.

Exercise no.3: comparing the infinitive with the gerund

• Compare what the differences are between each set of two given examples.

• Try to guess how the context changes depending if we use the gerund or the infinitive.

Are you ready?

GO!

• A few examples where the meaning of your sentence can change.

What is the difference between these two sentences?

Ex.1: Infinitive: You should stop to think about your

future.Gerund: You should stop thinking about your

future.

Ex.1: Infinitive: You should stop to think about your

future.(Meaning: person never thinks about it but

should).Gerund: You should stop thinking about your

future. (Meaning: person always thinks about it).

What is the difference between these two sentences?

Ex.2: Infinitive:She remembers to feed the

cat.Gerund: She remembers feeding

the cat.

Ex.2: Infinitive:She remembers to feed the

cat.(Meaning: it is a habit, she

always does it).Gerund: She remembers feeding

the cat.(Meaning: She recalls

having fed the cat).

What is the difference between these two sentences?

• Ex.3 Infinitive: He went on to talk about his trip to Paris.Gerund: He went on talking about his trip to Paris.

• Ex.3 Infinitive: He went on to talk about his trip to Paris.(Meaning: change of subject-logical step

during a conversation).Gerund: He went on talking about his trip to Paris. (Meaning: He kept on talking about it and

would not stop).

What is the difference between these two sentences ?

Ex.4Infinitives: I tried to yell.

Gerund: I tried yelling.

Ex.4Infinitives: I tried to yell.(Meaning: no sound came

out).Gerund: I tried yelling.(Meaning or purpose: in

order to get their attention).

What is the difference between these two sentences?

Ex.5 Infinitive: -I found someone to paint the house.

Gerund: -I found someone painting the house.

Ex.5 Infinitive: -I found someone to paint the house.(Meaning: She hired him).Gerund: -I found someone painting the house.(Meaning: He is not supposed to do so.She caught him in the actand probably ran after him).

• What is the difference between these two sentences?

Ex.6 Infinitive: It’s too hot to sit in the sun.Gerund: It’s too hot sitting in the

sun.

Ex.6 Infinitive: It’s too hot to sit in the sun.(Meaning: They are inside).Gerund: It’s too hot sitting in the

sun. (Meaning: They are

presently sitting outside).

A few examples of sentences

where the meaning does not change if you

use either the infinitive or the

gerund.

1.-He began to run. = He began running.

-He started to run.= He started running. -He continued to run. = He continued running.

2.-I like to read. = I like reading.

-I love to read.= I love reading. 3.

-I hate to wait. = I hate waiting. -I can’t stand to wait. = I can’t stand waiting.

-I can’t bear to wait.= I can’t bear waiting.

Thus, in these previous cases, the meanings

stay the same either if you use the gerund or

the infinitive!

Activity 4

Exercises on the Gerund, infinitive and participle and

reviews.

Recap

• What is the function of the gerund?It functions as a noun.• What is the difference between a gerund and

a participle?A participle functions as an adjective that

modifies the noun.• How does the infinitive and the gerund differ

from one another ?• The meaning of your sentence can sometimes

change if you use the gerund or the infinitive.

Activity 5

• Clickers Game!

Comparing the infinitives with the gerunds.

References

• http://dictionary.reference.com• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

resource/627/01/• http://www.englishgrammar.org/

gerunds-simple-nouns/• http://www.really-learn-english.com/

gerunds-and-infinitives.html• http://www.sonnerct.com/

English_Rules/LR10_Gerunds_Infinitives.htm