Download TESOL-English Language Grammar

TESOL-English Language Grammar
Catherine Clemens – Ivy Durslag
Final Project – March 15, 2010
Gerunds and Infinitives
GERUNDS
Overview and Frequent Uses
 A gerund is the –ing form of a verb but it is not a verb tense. Instead, a gerund is
always used as a noun. Its most common uses are:

Subject: Sleeping is my favorite activity.

Object: I hate asking for help.

Object of a preposition: He doesn’t care about making money.

Subject complement: Her favorite exercise is swimming.
 Common preposition include: about, for, from, in, of, without, to. Note that ‘to’ is a
preposition, not a part of the infinitive. Therefore, ‘to’ is always followed by a noun,
so a gerund follows (noun = gerund).
Example: I am accustomed to speaking in public.
 Gerunds may be affirmative or negative. Negatives are formed by putting ‘not’
before the –ing form (gerund).
Example: I prefer not staying late.
What to Think About When Teaching Gerunds and ESL
 A gerund looks like a verb but it isn’t. So, students may confuse them with verbs.
 Students may be confused when using gerunds and infinitives.
Example: I enjoy playing cards. I enjoy to play cards.
 It is helpful to know that with some verbs, one can follow a verb with a gerund or an
infinitive without changing the meaning.
Example: I started believing in magic. I started to believe in magic.
 However, with certain verbs, following with a gerund or infinitive may have a different
meaning.
Example: I regret speeding in my car. (Regret something that happened in the
past.) I regret to tell you that your car is stolen. (Regret having to inform
someone of bad news.)
Some of the Ways We Use Gerunds
 Go + Gerund: Go is followed by a gerund in certain expressions mainly related to
recreational activities.
Example: You go fishing almost every weekend! They go skiing together as a
family.
 Special Expressions: There are special expressions followed by –ing, including:
Example: I sometimes have trouble sleeping. (‘have fun/a good time’, ‘have
trouble/difficulty’ + -ing)
Example: Dave likes to spend time playing with his dog. (spend + expression of
time or money + -ing)
Example: She sat in her easy chair reading her novel. (sit/stand/lie +
expressions of place + -ing)
 Past Forms of Gerunds: Events in the past that happen before the time of the main
verb require a past form of the gerund.
Example: I regret having said that. (past gerund: having + past participle)
 Possessives Used to Modify a Gerund: In formal English, a possessive adjective is
used to modify a gerund; in informal English, the object form of a pronoun is
frequently used.
Example: The homeowner thought about our painting his house. (formal)
Example: The homeowner thought about us painting his house. (informal)
 Different subjects: Sometimes the subject of the gerund and the subject of the
sentence are different. When this happens, the subject of the gerund is shown by
using a possessive form.
Example: I like his singing. (the subject of like is I, but the subject of singing is
he – which is changed to a possessive form)