THE GERUND

 

 A  verb ( stem + ing ) besides being Present Participle (verbal adjective), may be a Gerund (verbal noun).

 

 A Gerund may be used as a noun with verbal meaning.

 

 Uses:

 

1. A Gerund may be used as a subject of the verb.

 

 Example : 

 Walking is a good exercise

 

2. A Gerund may be used as object of verb.

 Example: 

Stop shouting. ( ask ‘what’ “ to stop”, then the answer is ‘shouting’ )

 

3. A Gerund maybe used as a complement of a verb.

 

Example:

 Seeing  is  believing. [ giving more information of the Verb ‘is’]

 

 His chief hobby is  singing.[ auxiliary verb ‘is’ is needed  to be the complement of the verb]

 

4. A Gerund may be used as an object of a preposition. 

 

Example: 

They are fond of climbing. .( ask ‘fond of what’, then the answer is ‘climbing’, object of the preposition)

 

 

5. A Gerund, like a noun  may be preceded by an Articles, a  Possessive or Demonstrative Adjective and it may have a plural form.

 

 Examples: 

 

1.   He decided to give the girl a thrashing.

 

2.   He was woken up by continuous tapping on the window pane.

 

3.   The findings of the court had now been made ( plural) public.