Download Gerunds - Old Tappan School

Gerunds
Gerunds always end in –ing
They are used in the sentence as nouns and in every way that
any other noun can be used:
 Swimming is a good exercise. (subject)
 Jane does not enjoy cooking. (direct object)
 After eating, relax for a while. (object of preposition)
Gerunds can be:
1.Direct objects
2.Indirect objects
3.Objects of the prepositions
4.Subjects
5.Predicate nominatives
Gerund Phrases-DO
 To find out whether or not the gerund has a direct
object, begin with the gerund and ask the following
question:
 Gerund + whom/what? = direct object
 Always follows an action verb
Gerund Phrases
 Example:
 Giving the money proved a mistake.
 Giving + What? = money
 Money is the direct object of the gerund.
Gerund Phrases- IDO
 Gerund phrases can also have indirect objects:
 To find out whether or not the gerund phrase has
an indirect object, begin with the gerund, locate the
direct object, then ask the question to/for
whom/what?
 Always follows an action verb. Must have DO
Gerund PhraseExample:
Giving Jerry the money proved a mistake.
Giving + what = money (direct object)
Giving money to/for whom? = Jerry
Jerry is the indirect object of the gerund phrase.
Gerund Phrases- Object of Prep.
 Preposition + Gerund Phrase
Joe takes pleasure in running three miles each day.
OP
 In= Preposition + Running three mile each day=
Gerund Phrase= Object of Preposition.
Gerunds- Subject
 Gerunds end in –ing
 Gerunds are nouns.
 To find out how they function as a subject,
 Isolate the gerund or gerund phrase
 Locate the main verb in the sentence and the main
direct object (if there is one)
 Ask the following question:
 What? + Main verb= Subject
Gerunds - Subject
 What? + the main verb = subject
 Example:
Giving Jerry the money on Friday night proved a major
mistake.
 Proved is the main verb. Mistake is the direct object.
 What? + Proved a mistake= Giving Jerry the money
 The gerund phrase is the subject of the main
sentence.
Gerunds- Predicate Nominative
Also called the Subject Complement
Subject + Linking verb + what? = Predicate nominative
His hobby is collecting stamps.
His mother is driving a car.
Note: since the subject hobby cannot do the action of
the verb (collect), collecting is a gerund.
Collecting stamps becomes the gerund phrase and it
functions as predicate nominative.
Linking verb acts as =
Key Questions to Determine
Noun Functions in Gerunds
 Subject + verb + what? = direct object
We can’t afford making the same mistake.
 We + can’t afford + What? = direct object
 Answer: Making the same mistake is the direct
object of the sentence.
 We is the Subject
Key Questions to Determine
Noun Functions in Gerunds
 Subject + verb + direct object + to/for what? = indirect
object
The tribe gave naming their children extreme importance.
 Tribe gave importance to what? = naming their
children
 Naming their children functions as the indirect object
of the sentence.
Key Questions to Determine
Noun Functions in Gerunds
 Preposition + gerund phrase = Object of the
Preposition
 Example:
After waiting patiently for an hour Bill left the
office.
 Waiting patiently for an hour functions as
the object of the preposition.
Summary of Noun Functions
 What? + main verb = subject
 Subject + verb + what = direct object
 Subject + Linking verb + what = predicate nominative
 Subject + verb + Direct Object + to/for what? = indirect
object
 Preposition + gerund phrase = object of the preposition.