Types of Gerund Phrases

Types of Gerund Phrases

Basic Info about Gerunds and Gerund Phrases

• Gerunds - words that look like verbs and act like a nouns.
• You can spot a gerund by looking for a verb + ing that is acting as a noun.
• Swimming is fun.
• Swim is a verb. Swimming is a verb with ing. In this sentence swimming is acting as a noun.
• Gerund Phrases- contains a gerund and words that modify and complement it.
• Running marathons is my favorite activity.

Types of gerunds

• There are 4 types of gerund phrases
• Subjects
• Predicate Nominative
• Direct object
• Object of preposition

Gerunds as Subjects

• A gerund (or gerund phrase) can be the subject of a sentence.
• Gardening is my favorite leisure activity.
• The gerund Gardening is the subject of the sentence.
• Decorating our house has been a family tradition at Christmas for years.
• Decorating our house is the gerund phrase that is the subject of the sentence.
• Roaring filled the air at the track.
• Roaring is a gerund used as the subject.
• Usually found at the beginning of the sentence.

Gerunds as Predicate Nominative

• Most of it was cheering.
• Cheering is a gerund used as the predicate nominative.
• Gerund as a predicate nominative is a noun found in the predicate.
• A predicate nominative completes the meaning of a linking verb.

Gerunds as Direct Objects

• Mary hates biting her fingernails.
• Biting her finger nails is the gerund phrase. It is a direct object in this sentence.
• Remember direct objects can be found by: subject +verb+ who or what (direct object)?
• Mary=subject, hates= verb, Mary hates what? = biting her fingernails (direct object).
• We could hear thundering.
• Thundering is a gerund used as a direct object.
• Receives the action of the verb.

Gerunds as Objects of Preposition

• When the cars entered the track, we turned our attention toward racing.
• Racing is the gerund used as the object of the preposition.
• Make sure it is in a prepositional phrase by finding the preposition.

Practice: Find the gerund phrase and determine the type.

• Hours of editing the newspaper ruined their day.
• Hanging pictures on the wall was more difficult than she had anticipated.
• Try to slip away without telling your friends about it.
• Each afternoon Tom enjoyed swimming a few laps.
• Winning at poker makes Matt feel important.
• I am demoting the officer for disobeying orders.
• Without studying for the test, you are taking a big risk.
• Abby is enjoying listening to Rolling Stones’ music.

Practice

• Partner Work:
• Write sentences using the following gerunds.
• Be sure to write one sentence for each type of gerund phrase: Subject, Predicate Nominative, Direct Objects, Objects of Preposition.

• Asking
• Diving
• Flying
• Leaping
• Marching
• Skipping
• Swinging
• Tumbling
• Twirling