Gerunds and Participles

Gerund Review and Participles

Open Ended

REVIEW: What is a gerund?

REVIEW: GERUNDS

• A gerund occurs when the -ing form of a verb functions as a noun in the sentence

• A gerund may be the subject of the sentence, a direct object, an indirect object, an object of a preposition, etc.

• Example: In class, I learned that swimming is good for your health.

REVIEW: GERUND PHRASES

• The whole phrase that includes the gerund and any modifying words

• Example: Sleeping for 8 hours a night is essential to your overall health.

Participles

• Formed when a verb functions as an adjective (modifying a noun)

• Most often ends with -ing, -ed, or -en

Examples of Participles

• The crying baby had a wet diaper.

• He walked away from the wrecked car.

• The burning log fell out of the fire.

Participle Phrase

• A group of words consisting of the participle and modifiers (and/or direct object(s), indirect object(s), prepositional phrase(s))

• Removing his coat, Jack rushed to the river.

• Delores noticed her cousin walking along the shoreline.

Dangling Participles

• When the participle phrase is not placed near the noun it modifies, making it unclear what is being modified

• Avoid!

• Make sure to always clearly state the noun

• Example: Carrying a heavy pile of books, his foot caught on a step.

• This does not make it clear who or what is being described.

• Correct: Carrying a heavy pile of books, he caught his foot on a step.

Participle Punctuation

• When a participle begins a sentence, it should be followed by a comma

• Example: Arriving at the store, I found that it was closed.

• If it is in the middle of the sentence, only set it off by commas if it is not essential to the meaning of the sentence

• Example: Sid, watching an old movie, drifted in and out of sleep.

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Difference Between Gerunds and Participles

• Gerunds act as nouns

• Participles act as adjectives and help modify a noun

• Gerund: Swimming is my favorite hobby.

• Participle: The boy swimming in the pond is my brother.

Multiple Choice

Is the underlined word in the following sentence a gerund or a participle?

I was irritated by Bill's interrupting.

• gerund

• participle

Multiple Choice

Is the underlined word in the following sentence a gerund or a participle?

The competing of the players did not impress me.

• gerund

• participle

Multiple Choice

Is the underlined word in the following sentence a gerund or a participle?

Having been on the road for days, the family was tired.

• gerund

• participle

Multiple Choice

Is the underlined word in the following sentence a gerund or a participle?

Climbing slowly, we approached the top of the hill.

• gerund

• participle