International TEFL InstituteGerunds and Infinitives
Gerunds and infinitives – every gerund, without exception, ends in ing. Gerunds are not, however, all that easy to identify.
Gerunds function as nouns. Thus, gerunds will be subjects, subject complements, direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions.
Read these examples of gerunds:
Since Francisco was five years old, swimming has been his passion.
Swimming = subject of the verb has been.
Francisco’s first love is swimming.
Swimming = subject complement of the verb is.
Francisco enjoys swimming more than spending time with his girlfriend Diana.
Swimming = direct object of the verb enjoys.
Gerunds vs Present Participles
Gerunds can also appear in compound nouns, such as:
- Swimming pool
- Shopping centre
- Racing pigeon
…and in phrases where there is no main verb, such as:
- How about giving me a lift?
- No smoking!
The gerund should not be confused with the present participle, which has the same form (verb-ing)
The –ing form is always present participle if it is preceded by the auxiliary verb be:
In the present tense:
- am
- are
- is
In the past tense:
- was
- were
If the –ing form is preceded by be, it is part of the continuous tense structure. Continuous tenses will be dealt with in detail in a future module. Here are some examples. Note that these sentences do not contain any gerunds, only present participles.
- We’re seeing a movie tonight. Would you like to come?
(Making arrangements with someone) - I’m watching TV at the moment.
(On the phone to a friend) - Charles was teaching in class when a student asked a question.
(Describing something that was in progress sometime in the past which was interrupted by something else) - Mark is running his own business at the moment.
(Describing a current state or situation) - We were playing squash yesterday.
(Describing an event that was in progress in the past)
Sometimes a present participle is not preceded by a form of ‘to be’. For example, in the sentence “I saw him dancing” “dancing” is a present participle as it doesn’t operate as a noun. As a test, try replacing it with “something”. You cannot say “I saw him something”, therefore it is neither a noun nor a gerund. On the other hand, you can say “I enjoy something”, therefore in the sentence “I enjoy dancing” “dancing” is a gerund.
Another example:
- He loves looking up at the clouds (“He loves something” – gerund)
- He lay looking up at the clouds (NOT “He lay something” – present participle)
These grammar points on the use of gerunds are by no means exhaustive. This area of grammar is quite complex, so a good read through the section on gerunds in a decent grammar book would not go amiss. In the meantime, have a look at the next exercise.
Links:
TEFL Courses & TEFL Training Programmes
TEFL Jobs & English Teaching Positions