Gerund I

THE GERUND

This looks exactly the same as a present participle, and for this reason it is now common to call both forms 'the -ing form'. However it is useful to understand the difference between the two. The gerund always has the same function as a noun (although it looks like a verb), so it can be used:

A. As the subject of the sentence:

- Eating people is wrong.

- Hunting tigers is dangerous.

- Flying makes me nervous.

B. As the complement of the verb 'to be':

- One of his duties is attending meetings.

- The hardest thing about learning English is understanding the gerund.

- One of life's pleasures is having breakfast in bed.

C. After prepositions. The gerund must be used when a verb comes after a preposition:

- Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?

- She is good at painting.

- They're keen on windsurfing.

- She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.

- We arrived in Madrid after driving all night.

- My father decided against postponing his trip to Hungary.

This is also true of certain expressions ending in a preposition, e.g. in spite of, there's no point in..:

- There's no point in waiting.

- In spite of missing the train, we arrived on time.

D. After a number of 'phrasal verbs' which are composed of a verb + preposition/adverb

Example:

To look forward to, to give up, to be for/against, to take to, to put off, to keep on:

-          I look forward to hearing from you soon. (at the end of a letter)

-          When are you going to give up smoking?

-          She always puts off going to the dentist.

-          He kept on asking for money.

NOTE:

 There are some phrasal verbs and other expressions that include the word 'to' as a preposition, not as part of a to-infinitive: - to look forward to, to take to, to be accustomed to, to be used to. It is important to recognise that 'to' is a preposition in these cases, as it must be followed by a gerund:

-          We are looking forward to seeing you.

-          I am used to waiting for buses.

-          She didn't really take to studying English.

It is possible to check whether 'to� is a preposition or part of a to-infinitive: if you can put a noun or the pronoun 'it' after it, then it is a preposition and must be followed by a gerund:

-          I am accustomed to it (the cold).

-          I am accustomed to being cold.

E. In compound nouns

Example:

-          A driving lesson, a swimming pool, bird-watching, train-spotting

-          It is clear that the meaning is that of a noun, not of a continuous verb.

Example:

-  The pool is not swimming, it is a pool for swimming in.

G. After the expressions:

Can't help, can't stand, it's no use/good, and the adjective worth:

-          She couldn't help falling in love with him.

-          I can't stand being stuck in traffic jams.

-          It's no use/good trying to escape.

-          It might be worth phoning the station to check the time of the train.