Introduction to Gerunds

Introduction to Gerunds

Definition

Gerunds are verbs that act as nouns!

How do they end?

Always with "ing"

What do they look like in a sentence?

Activities and not actions

Example: Running is a good form of exercise.

Multiple Choice

What is the gerund in this sentence?

I hurt my back while shoveling the driveway.

• hurt

• shoveling

• driveway

• while

Multiple Choice

What is the gerund in this sentence?

I love baking delicious desserts containing chocolate.

• love

• baking

• containing

• delicious

Multiple Choice

What is the gerund in this sentence?

She is improving her grades by studying for tests.

• improving

• grades

• studying

• tests

Gerund vs. Verb

Gerunds are activities and not actions. They are NEVER the verb of the sentence.

Gerund: Sunbathing can be dangerous for your skin.

Verb: I was sunbathing when I fell asleep.

Verbs: Will have a helping verb attached

-is, am, are, was, were, has, have, be, been, will, would...

Multiple Choice

Gerund or Verb:

She is chewing gum, so I can't understand her very well.

• Gerund

• Verb

Multiple Choice

Gerund or Verb:

I will be writing my birthday wish list soon.

• Gerund

• Verb

Multiple Choice

Gerund or Verb

He almost vomited after eating an entire gallon of ice cream.

• gerund

• verb

Gerunds are nouns so they act like nouns

1. Subjects

2. Objects

3. Predicate nouns

4. Objects of a preposition

Subject Example

Vaping is a popular habit among young people.

Subject generally come at the beginning of a sentence.

Open Ended

You try: Write an 8th grade appropriate sentence with a gerund as the subject.

Object Example

I like watching movies whenever I have a free weekend.

Objects come after an action verb.

​Example action verbs: like, hate, love, enjoy, prefer, pretend, feel, know

Open Ended

Fill in the blank to make this an object:

I enjoy __________ whenever I have a day off of school.

Multiple Choice

Subject or Object Gerund?

Juggling seems like it would be tough to learn.

• Subject

• Object

Multiple Choice

Subject or Object Gerund?

Listening to the birds makes it difficult to fall back to sleep.

• Subject

• Object

Multiple Choice

Subject or Object Gerund?

She loves sewing her own clothes to sell on Etsy.

• Subject

• Object

Gerunds can be Predicate Nouns

Example: His favorite activity is collecting rare baseball cards.

Predicate Nouns follow linking verbs

​Example linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were, will be

Open Ended

Fill in the blank with a gerund to make it a predicate noun.

Her least favorite chore is _____________ which she has to do almost every day.

Gerunds can be Objects of a Preposition.

Example: Tyler got into the accident by speeding through a red light.

Objects of a Preposition follow prepositions

​Example prepositions: in, at, by, for, from

Open Ended

Fill in the blank with a gerund to make it an object of a preposition.

Myra received an award for _______ the piano the best in her class.

Multiple Choice

Predicate Noun or Object of a Preposition?

The best part of the wedding is toasting to the bride and groom.

• Predicate Noun

• Object of a Preposition

Multiple Choice

Predicate Noun or Object of a Preposition?

His is famous for screaming the lyrics to his songs.

• Predicate Noun

• Object of a Preposition

Multiple Choice

Predicate Noun or Object of a Preposition?

He learned to ski by practicing on the hill in his backyard.

• Predicate Noun

• Object

• Object of a Preposition

• Predicate Noun

Multiple Choice

What is the job of the gerund? Subject, Object, Object of a Preposition, Predicate Noun

Writing a book can take years for an author.

• Subject

• Object

• Object of a Preposition

• Predicate Noun

Multiple Choice

What is the job of the gerund? Subject, Object, Object of a Preposition, Predicate Noun

His least favorite PE activity is sprinting from one side of the gym to the other.

• Subject

• Object

• Object of a Preposition

• Predicate Noun

Multiple Choice

What is the job of the gerund? Subject, Object, Object of a Preposition, Predicate Noun

I heard running can affect your joints.

• Subject

• Object

• Object of a Preposition

• Predicate Noun