About Lesson
USES OF THE GERUND
A Gerund may be used as :-
1. Subject Of A Verb
e.g.
Giving is better than receiving |
Hunting is a favourite sport in this country |
Advising others is easy |
2. Object Of A Transitive Verb
e.g.
I love writing letters |
Stop talking |
He enjoys watching T.V. |
3. Object Of A Transitive Verb Object Of A Preposition
e.g.
He is found of eating |
I am tried of waiting |
Hendry has no intention of leaving the country now |
4. Complement Of A Verb
e.g.
Seeing is believing |
What I most detest is drinking |
Some verbs must always be followed by the gerund
e.g.
admit | appreciate | avoid | consider |
deny | enjoy | finish | mind |
miss | postpone | practise | quit |
recall | report | resent | resume |
e.g.
He admitted having stolen the car |
Why have they delayed opening the school? |
The goalkeeper just missed stopping the ball |
Journalists reported being tired |
He suggested taking children to the zoo |
They appreciated being invited |
She denied knowing anything about it |
Let’s postpone making a decision until we have more information |
Does she resent my being cat |
She enjoys playing tennis |
He practised reversing the car into the garage |
Peter couldn’t resist making jokes about his baldness |
We can’t help thinking he’s still alive |
He has quit smoking |
The two sides have resumed fighting |
He was considering buying a car until the prices went up |
Do you mind my closing the window? |
I recall her giving me the key |
You should not talk marrying unless you are absolutely sure about it |
Some Verbs + Prepositions are followed by the gerund
e.g.
approve of | insist on | think about | give up |
succeed in | put off | rely on | count on |
think of | postpone | practise | quit |
recall | worry about | keep on |
e.g.
I approve of your trying to earn more money |
David has given up smoking |
John relied on your supporting him |
Sarah is not worried about passing the examination |
The manager insisted on his coming to the office on time |
He succeeded in passing the examination |
You cann’t count on his helping you |
Don’t keep on talking |
She’s thinking about changing her job |
He keeps putting off going to the dentist |
They’re thinking of moving to America |
Some Verb + Preposition expressions must also be followed by the gerund
e.g.
Object to | look forward to | confess to |
e.g.
I strongly object to your talking like this |
We’re really looking forward to seeing you again |
She finally confessed to having stolen the money |
Some adjectives + Preposition are also followed by the gerund
e.g.
accustomed to | capable of | interested in | intent to |
successful in | afraid of | tired of | fond of |
e.g.
We are accustomed to getting up early in the morning |
He’s intent on getting promoted |
I was afraid of hurting his feelings |
The company is interested in selling its products overseas |
I’m sure he is capable of running a mile in four minutes |
He was successful in running the business |
She is fond of cooking |
You soon get tired of eating the same thing every day |
Passive Gerund
Definition :
The gerund form can have both active voice and passive voice like infinitives.
e.g.
I like teaching English (present active voice) |
I like English being taught (Present passive voice) |