What are gerunds and gerund phrases, English

Assignment Help:

What are gerunds and gerund phrases?

A gerund is a present participle used as a noun. A present participle is a verb formed by adding "-ing" to the infinitive of the verb.

A gerund phrase starts with a present participle and includes other words that work with the participle. The entire unit functions as noun in the sentence.

A gerund phrase can contain complements and modifiers.

Examples of gerund phrases

1. Studying marine life was Rachel Carson’s career.
"Studying" is the present participle; "marine life" is the direct object of the participle, telling us what is studied. The entire gerund phrase functions as the subject of the sentence.

2. She devoted herself to protecting the environment.
"Protecting" is the present participle; "the environment" is the direct object of the participle, telling us what is protected. The entire gerund phrase functions as the object of the preposition "to."

3. She loved informing the world about the need to protect endangered species.
"Informing" is the present participle; "the world" is the direct object of the participle, telling us who is informed; "about the need to protect endangered species" is a phrase modifying the participle. (Notice the adjectival infinitive phrase modifying "need.")

Confusing "-ing" words

  • Since a gerund is made from a present participle, it is easy to confuse it with other forms that use the present participle. A participial phrase that uses a present participle is always used as an adjective. Be careful not to mix it up with a gerund phrase, which is always used as a noun.
  • The present participle is also used in the progressive verb form. Be careful to look at how the present participle is being used in the sentence. If it is part of the verb phrase, it is not a gerund.

Related Discussions:- What are gerunds and gerund phrases

An inspector calls ending, i dont understnad the neding of the book. is the...

i dont understnad the neding of the book. is the inspector real?

Capture english language vowels and determine formants, Problem 1.  The obj...

Problem 1.  The objective is to capture English language vowels and determine the first and second formants of those vowels. Formants are bands of "intense" sound in sound spectrog

What are glossary of literary techniques, Glossary of Literary Techniques ...

Glossary of Literary Techniques Below is a list of literary techniques. It's not terribly important to memorize these terms--what is important is understanding what they can do.

Why are paragraphs important, Why are paragraphs important? Paragraphs ...

Why are paragraphs important? Paragraphs are the building blocks of almost all prose writing. Whether you're writing a novel, a magazine article, or a research paper, a solid u

Explain canadian and australian english, Question 1 Explain Canadian and A...

Question 1 Explain Canadian and Australian English Question 2 Explain the concepts of vocabulary building Question 3 What are Tenses? Explain the various types of tenses

1984 by George Orwell, Oxymoron is used in the paragraph that begins “Somet...

Oxymoron is used in the paragraph that begins “Sometimes he talked to her…” on page 154 to A. show the crucial nature of the evidence Winston had held. B. inject sarcasm into th

BEGE101, state the distinguishing features of literary writing by citing ex...

state the distinguishing features of literary writing by citing examples

Isang Bansa, Answers of the page 30 a only.

Answers of the page 30 a only.

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd