Download 8th Grade Grammar

Participles vs Gerunds
State whether the –ing forms given in the following sentences are participles or gerunds. In the
case of participles, name the noun or pronoun they qualify. In the case of gerunds, state what
function they serve in the sentence.
1.
Hearing a loud noise, we ran to the window.
2.
The motorcyclist was fatally injured in the accident and is now fighting for his life.
3.
He ruined his sight by watching TV all day.
4.
We saw a clown standing on his head.
5.
Asking questions is a whole lot easier than answering them.
6.
Waving their hands, the audience cheered the winner.
7.
Plucking flowers is forbidden.
8.
Jumping over the fence, the thief escaped.
9.
I was surprised at John’s being absent.
10.
We spent the whole day playing cards.
11.
A miser hates spending his money.
12.
John was angry at Alice trying to lie to her.
13.
Praising all alike is praising none.
14.
Are you afraid of speaking the truth?
15.
Singing to herself is her chief delight.
Notes
Both present participles and gerunds end in –ing. But they do not serve the same purposes in a
sentence. For example, a gerund is a noun derived from a verb. It can serve the following
purposes in a sentence:
As subject of a verb
Smoking is injurious to health. Trespassing is prohibited.
As object of a transitive verb
I like reading. She likes singing.
As object of a preposition
I am tired of waiting.
We were stopped from entering the compound.
As complement of a verb
What I most detest is smoking.
Participles vs Gerunds
A participle is a word which is partly a verb and partly and adjective. Participles are usually used
to qualify nouns.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Answers
1.
Hearing – participle, qualifying the pronoun we
2.
Fighting – participle, qualifying the noun motorcyclist.
3.
Watching – gerund, object of the preposition by
4.
Standing – participle, qualifying the noun clown
5.
Asking – gerund, subject of is; answering – gerund
6.
Waving – participle, qualifying the noun audience
7.
Plucking – gerund; subject of the verb is
8.
Jumping – participle, qualifying the noun thief
9.
Being – gerund, object of the participle at
10.
Playing – gerund, complement of the noun whole day
11.
Spending – gerund, object of the verb hates
12.
Trying – gerund, object of the preposition at
13.
Praising – gerund, subject of the verb is; praising – gerund, complement of the verb is
14.
Speaking – gerund, object of the preposition of
15.
Singing – gerund, subject of the verb is
Participles vs Gerunds
We can use –ing forms not only as verbs, but also like adjectives, adverbs or nouns.
You are talking too much. (Here the –ing form talking is part of the present continuous verb.)
A rolling stone gathers no moss. (Here the –ing form rolling acts as an adjective describing the
noun stone)
She walked out of the room talking on her phone. (Similar to an adverb)
Smoking is injurious to health. (Subject of the sentence)
When –ing forms are used as verbs, adjectives or adverbs, they are often called present
participles.
When they are used more like nouns they are called gerunds
The distinction between gerunds and participles is not very simple, and some grammarians
prefer to avoid using the terms altogether. Instead, the expression –ing form is used.
The –ing forms have perfect, passive and negative forms
Having worked for twelve hours, I felt awful. (Perfect)
She loves being looked at. (Passive)
Not knowing what to do, I went home. (Negative)
-ing forms used as modifiers
-ing forms can be used as modifiers before nouns. Both participles and gerunds can be used to
modify nouns. Examples are:
A waiting room (A room used for waiting)
A rolling stone
A sleeping pill
Working conditions
-ing forms can be combined with other words into clause-like structures.
She went running out of the room.
Who is the fat woman sitting next to James?
Smoking cigarettes is bad for health.