2/9/2020 Lesson | Smrt English

6-1 Verb Patterns #1 

What are Gerunds?

Gerunds are verbs that end in ing and function as a noun in a sentence. They are found in places where usually we use
a noun:

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Soccer is an enjoyable activity. He is thinking about sports.

Watching soccer is an enjoyable activity. He is thinking about playing sports.

My hobby is photography. Her habit is annoying.

Her hobby is taking photos. Her biting her nails is annoying.

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We can make negative gerunds by using not + gerund :

She asked about not paying tax.

Not sleeping every night is unhealthy.

In this level, we will focus on three main ways to use nouns and gerunds: subjects, objects of prepositions and objects of
verbs.

Gerunds as Subjects

The subject of the sentence is usually a noun, and so a gerund is also common:

Skates are necessary in ice hockey. Cricket can take a long time.

Wearing skates is necessary in ice hockey. Playing cricket can take a long time.

Gerunds as Objects
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Objects of Prepositions

Objects of prepositions (usually the words after prepositions) are also usually nouns, so gerunds are also possible:

The medal is for the race.

The medal is for winning the race.

This book is about retirement.

This book is about retiring .

Objects of Verbs

Objects of verbs are also usually nouns, and so gerunds are also possible:

I love this country.

I love being in this country.

They started the competition.

They started competing .

There are many verbs in English that can be followed by gerunds. In this level we will focus on the following:

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admit dislike miss regret

can't stand hate* recommend try*

discuss mind suggest begin*

forget* quit avoid deny

love* stop* delay nish

prefer* allow enjoy like*

start* continue* keep practice

advise don't mind postpone remember*

consider imagine

*See Grammar 6-2 also

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Review - Gerunds

Geo explains how to use gerunds

Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.

Exercise

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 6-1 Verb Patterns #1
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