23. GERUND

What is a gerund?

The gerund always ends in ing.

Example:

· Swimming is my hobby

· Writing is more difficult than reading

However, it should be noted that the present participle also ends in ing.

Example:

· They were watching TV when I arrived.

· John will be teaching in that school for the next two years.

What is the difference between a gerund and the present participle?

You can differentiate between the gerund and the present participle as follows:

· Gerunds function as nouns.

· Gerunds can be a subject, direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions.

· Present participles, on the other hand, complete progressive verbs or act as modifiers.

Examples of gerund:

· Cycling is fun. (subject)

· I like cycling. (direct object)

· He gives fishing all his time.( indirect object)

· He has devoted all his life to fishing. (object of the preposition to)

Examples of present participle:

· They were eating when the bell rang. (eating is a present participle which is part of the past progressive tense "were eating")

· I bought a fishing book. (writing is a present participle modifying book)

Some verbs can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund:

One of the difficulties of the English language is that some verbs are followed by the gerund (ex : doing) and others are followed by theinfinitive (ex : to do). Other verbs, however, can be followed by both.

Generally speaking we can use the following rules:

These rules are helpful but DO NOT always explain all uses of gerunds and infinitives.

Verbs that can be followed by a gerund (ex: doing)

1- After verbs that express likes/dislikes :

• like

• love

• enjoy

• dislike

• hate

• don't mind

• can't stand

• can't bear

Example:

" I like playing soccer but I hate boxing."

2- After certain other verbs, such as :

• admit

• appreciate

• allow

• avoid

• advise

• consider

• deny

• delay

• understand

• finish

• fancy

• go (in go swimming)

• involve

• keep

• mention

• mind

• stop

• waste time/money

• imagine

• involve

• keep (on)

• mention

• miss

• postpone

• permit

• practice

• suggest

• resist

• reject

• risk

• can't help

• can't stand

Example:

" I suggest going to the theater."

3- After prepositions :

interested in ...

instead of ...

good at ...

before ...

after ...

Example:

"I am interested in collecting stamps."

"After playing football I drank an orange juice".

4- After certain expressions :

it's no use ...

it's no good ...

there's no point in ...

I can't help...

I don't mind...

I can't stand/bear...

Example:

" It's no use convincing him to revise his lessons. He's so stubborn."

Verbs that can be followed by an infinitive ( ex : to do)

1- After verbs that refer to a future event:

• want

• hope

• aim

• intend

• arrange

• attempt

• promise

• be determined

• plan

• consent

• decide

• demand

• deserve

• determine

• endeavor

• expect

• offer

• proceed

• promise

• threaten

• swear

• volunteer

• want

• would like

• would hate

• would love

Example:

" I want to finish my work early.

2- After certain other verbs, such as:

• afford

• agree

• help

• choose

• fail

• happen

• refuse

• manage

• need

• seem

• learn

• choose

• pretend

Example:

"She refused to forgive him."

3- After adjectives :

• glad

• pleased

• disappointed

Example:

"I'm glad to know that you passed the exam."

"I'm pleased to meet you."

"I'm disappointed to hear that you flunked maths."

4- After "too" & "enough":

too difficult

easy enough

Example:

"It's too difficult to convince him to be helpful."

" But it's easy enough to fool him to get what you want."

Verbs that can be followed by both an infinitive and a gerund:

Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive. Here are some examples:

• start

• begin

• stop

• remember...

Example:

"I started smoking when I was young."

"I started to smoke when I left the office."