Page 86 - New Grammar with a Smile 7

Uses

We use the gerund

1. as the subject in a sentence. For example,

y Reading is fun.
y Brushing your teeth is important.

2. as the object of a verb. For example,
y Many people enjoy reading.

y I love watching TV.
3. as a complement to the verb to be. For example,

y My first love is swimming.
y My cat’s favourite activity is sleeping.

4. as the object of a preposition. For example,

y She is good at painting.
y He is fond of climbing.

Note
♦ A gerund is a verbal noun.

♦ We can use articles, possessive adjectives or words like ‘some’, ‘many’, etc.
before it. For example,
• The watering began at eight today.
• Do you mind my leaving a little early today?

♦ Gerunds can have their own adjectives. For example,
• His expressive reading of the play charmed everyone.
• Her loud singing disturbed everybody at night.

♦ Gerunds take their own objects. For example,
• She protested against stealing the old woman’s glasses.
• Telling lies is a fault for sure.

♦ Gerunds can be used after some verbs where the infinitive cannot be used.
For example,
• Hemant stopped to read when the teacher walked out. ✕
• Hemant stopped reading when the teacher walked out. ✓

♦ But the following sentence is correct:
• Hemant was going to school. On his way, he stopped to read the message on
a hoarding.

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