ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: about the "gerund"

Marius Hancu — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:38:20 GMT

Think about the gerund as reflecting an action related to the verb. An action is a noun.

Re: about the "gerund"

Goodman — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:06:53 GMT

In addition to GGâs post, I will throw in my 2 cents.

A week in Hawaii will be a dream vacation for me â A week is a noun. If you use an âIngâ form of a verb to replace a noun, that âis a gerund. i.e. Vacationing in Hawaii will be a dreamâ¦

YOGA - is good exercise â YOGA is a noun.

Swimming is good exercise â Swimming is a gerund.

I saw Mary shopping at the market yesterday. â shopping is a participle, although some argue that itâs a gerund.

I saw Mary- this is a complete sentence. âShopping at the marketâ is a participle clause describing what she was doing. Thus, âshoppingâ is a participle in this usage.

Re: about the "gerund"

Grammar Geek — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:40:51 GMT

Well, here's one approach.

Think of the roles that nouns play in a sentence.

As a subject: Chocolate is great. Dogs are great.

As an object: I like dogs. I like chocolate.

Sometimes what you like, or what you want to say is great isn't a normal noun, one that you can touch, like chocolate or dogs. It's not even an abstract noun like "happiness." It's a verb-thing. It relates to the activity of doing what verb. That's when you need a gerund.

A geurnd is a "verb-thing" that can serve in a sentence where you need a noun.

Swimming is fun. Having you over for dinner would be our pleasure. I don't like riding the bus.

about the "gerund"

ganesh77 — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:22:58 GMT

A gerund is an -ing verb form used as a noun. Ok. Can someone please explain this concept in an entirely unconventional way so that I can once and for all grasp in what way it is being "used as a noun". Many thanks!!