How to Study Gerund and Gerund Phrase

Grammar Lesson: The Gerund and Gerund Phrase

·         A gerund, the second type of verbal, ends in -ing and functions as a noun. A gerund's uses are many subject, direct object, subject complement (predicate nominative), appositive, and object of the preposition. If a gerund or the entire gerund phrase is removed from the sentence, the remaining words will not form a complete, logical sentence.

The underlined word in each sentence is a gerund. Its use is within the parentheses that follow the sentence.

Learning is fun for Kate and Moe. (subject)

Marcia loves sewing. (direct object)

A fun time for Rachel is reading. (predicate nominative)

His passion, traveling, inspired him in many ways. (appositive)

Geraldine has a love for traveling. (object of the preposition)

·         A gerund phrase includes the gerund, its modifiers, and the words that complete the idea begun by the gerund. In each sentence, the gerund is italicized, and the gerund phrase is underlined.

Shopping for new dresses excites Terry Anne. (subject)

The orchestra members enjoy rehearsing for long periods of time. (direct object)

Tommy's passion is running long distances. (predicate nominative)

Joanna's love, running, kept her very fit. (appositive)

Can you pass the test by studying very hard this month?(object of the preposition)

Note: Remember that the same phrase can have several uses.

The man signaling to you is my grandfather. (participial phrase)

Signaling to you was not difficult. (gerund phrase)

The player passing the soccer ball is James. (participial phrase)

Passing the soccer ball was hard for that man. (gerund phrase)

·         4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases

The four types of gerunds and gerund phrases follow:

1.      Subject

Gardening is my favorite hobby. (Gardening is normally a verb, but here it is the name of an activity.)

Gardening in the summertime is a challenge because of the heat. (The gerund is followed by a modifying adverbial phrase, forming a gerund phrase.)

2.      Direct Object

My neighbors admire my gardening. (The admiration is not for the action of gardening, but for the results of the action.)

I am enjoying my gardening this year. (The direct object of the subject is “my gardening this year.”)

3.      Object of Preposition

I have received several awards for my gardening. (The awards have been given for the results of the activity.)

Some people consider my interest in gardening an obsession. (The gerund phrase is “gardening an obsession.”)

4.      Subject Complement

My favorite hobby is gardening. (Again, gardening is described as something done, not the act of doing it. The statement is the inverse of the first sentence in this group; here “My favorite hobby” is the subject, and gardening is its complement.)

I do my gardening in the morning. (The phrase “gardening in the morning” is the subject complement.)

·         Using Gerunds

Gerunds and infinitives are verb forms that can take the place of a noun in a sentence. The following guidelines and lists will help you figure out whether a gerund or infinitive is needed.

Following a verb (gerund)

Both gerunds and infinitives can replace a noun as the object of a verb. Whether you use a gerund or an infinitive depends on the main verb in the sentence. Consult the lists below to find out which form to use following which verbs.

I anticipate having the report done by Friday.	[GERUND]

Some common verbs followed by a gerund (note that phrasal verbs, marked here with *, always fall into this category):

acknowledge	She acknowledged receiving assistance.
* accuse of	He was accused of smuggling contraband goods.
admit	They admitted falsifying the data.
advise	The author advises undertaking further study.
anticipate	He anticipates having trouble with his supervisor.
appreciate	I appreciated having a chance to read your draft.
avoid	He avoided answering my question.
complete	I finally completed writing my thesis.
consider	They will consider granting you money.
defer	She deferred writing her report.
delay	We delayed reporting the results until we were sure.
deny	They denied copying the information.
discuss	They discussed running the experiments again.
entail	This review procedure entails repeating the test.
* look after	He will look after mailing the tickets.
* insist on	He insisted on proofreading the article again.
involve	This procedure involves testing each sample twice.
justify	My results justify taking drastic action.
mention	The author mentions seeing this event.
* plan on	They had planned on attending the conference.
postpone	The committee has postponed writing the report.
recall	I cannot recall getting those results before.
resent	He resented spending so much time on the project.
recommend	She recommends reading Marx.
resist	The writer resists giving any easy answers.
risk	She risks losing her viewing time.
sanction	They will not sanction copying without permission.
suggest	I suggest repeating the experiment.
* take care of	He will take care of sending it to you.
tolerate	She can't tolerate waiting for results.

Following a preposition (gerund)

Gerunds can follow a preposition;

Can you touch your toes without bending your knees?

He was fined for driving over the speed limit.

She got the money by selling the car.

A corkscrew is a tool for taking corks out of bottles.

Note: Take care not to confuse the preposition "to" with an infinitive form, or with an auxiliary form such as have to, used to, going to

He went back to writing his paper.	[PREPOSITION + GERUND]
I used to live in Mexico.	[AUXILIARY + VERB]
I want to go home.	[VERB + INFINITIVE]

Following an indirect object (infinitive only)

Some verbs are followed by a pronoun or noun referring to a person, and then an infinitive. Gerunds cannot be used in this position.

Some common verbs followed by an indirect object plus an infinitive:

ask	I must ask you to reconsider your statement.
beg	They begged her to stay for another term.
cause	His findings caused him to investigate further.
challenge	Wilkins challenged Watson to continue the research.
convince	Can we convince them to fund our study?
encourage	She encouraged him to look beyond the obvious.
expect	They did not expect us to win an award.
forbid	The author forbade me to change his wording.
force	They cannot force her to reveal her sources.
hire	Did the department hire him to teach the new course?
instruct	I will instruct her to prepare a handout.
invite	We invite you to attend the ceremony.
need	They need her to show the slides.
order	He ordered the group to leave the building.
persuade	Can we persuade you to contribute again?
remind	Please remind him to check the references.
require	They will require you to submit an outline.
teach	We should teach them to follow standard procedures.
tell	Did she tell him to make three copies?
urge	I urge you to read the instructions before you begin.
want	I do not want you to have an accident.
warn	Why didn't they warn me to turn down the heat?

Sources :

-          http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/english-as-a-second-language/gerunds

-          http://www.education.com/reference/article/gerund-gerund-phrase/

-          http://www.dailywritingtips.com/4-types-of-gerunds-and-gerund-phrases/