The gerund is the -ing form of a verb that is used as a noun, such as singing, dancing, looking, or sleeping. A gerund can be used as the subject of a sentence:
Smoking is prohibited.
Walking is good exercise.
A gerund can also function as the object of a verb:
We hate waiting in line.
My son loves playing video games.
A gerund can also function as the object of a preposition.
We spoke about moving to Chicago.
They're responsible for paying the bill on time.
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In this section we're going to take a closer look at three other important uses of gerunds.
TOPIC 1: Verbs Followed by Gerunds
In Lesson 14 we looked at verbs that are followed by infinitives, such as want to go, forget to do, and start to rain. In this section we'll look at other verbs that are followed not by the infinitive, but by a gerund.
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Terry denied taking the money off of Jack's desk.
Once again, there isn't any easy rule to explain which verbs are followed by gerunds instead of infinitives. They just have to be memorized, and of course practiced. Here's a list of some of the more common ones:
admit, advise, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, begin, consider, continue, delay, deny, discuss, dislike, enjoy, finish, forget, hate, can't help, can't stand, keep, like, love, mind, miss, postpone, practice, prefer, quit, recall, recollect, recommend, regret, remember, resent, resist, risk, start, stop, suggest, tolerate, try, understand.
Harry forgot leaving his keys in the car.
I can't stand waiting in line!
Did you try talking to your boss about your concerns?
PRACTICE EXERCISE 1: Choose from the following list to fill in the blank with the best gerund.
be, smoke, give, pull, call, jog, watch, travel, meet, study I tried _________ for exercise, but it hurts my knees.
We prefer _________ our mother "Mom."
Terry regrets _________ out her phone number to so many guys she meets.
Quit _________ on my shirt! You're going to rip it!
Do you enjoy__________ movies?
Have you finished __________ for the exam?
You have to resolve to quit _________ this New Year.
To avoid __________ late, set your clock ahead ten minutes.
The Smythes anticipate __________ to Europe this summer.
We'll have to postpone _________ on the project until next week.
TOPIC 2: Verbs Followed by Prepositions Plus Gerunds
Some common verbs are followed not just by a gerund, but by a preposition and a gerund.
She complained about standing in line.
We stopped the thief from stealing the woman's purse.
Again, there's no easy rule for determining which verbs are followed by prepositions
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and gerunds. Here is a list of some of the most common and important ones. Notice that several of these expressions consist of to be plus an adjective. It's really the adjective in these cases that calls for the preposition plus gerund, but they're listed here for convenience.
to be excited about, to be concerned about, to be worried about, to complain about, to dream about/of, to talk about/of, to think about/of, to apologize for, to blame someone for, to forgive someone for, to be responsible for, to thank someone for, to keep someone from, to prevent someone from, to stop someone from, to believe in, to be interested in, to take part in, to succeed in, to insist on, to look forward to, to be opposed to, to be accustomed to, to be capable of
The children are excited about leaving on vacation next week.
I apologized to my colleague for submitting the reports late.
We're not accustomed to eating so late.
He kept his friend from learning the truth.
PRACTICE EXERCISE 2: Fill in each blank with the most appropriate verb plus preposition.
insist on, dissuade from, apologize for, concerned about, plan on, thank for, believe in, accustomed to, excited about, complain about
1. Jim's father tried to _________ him __________ buying such an expensive house.
2. Many people _________ praying even if they don't practice a religion.
3. Is it too late to _________ breaking your favorite doll when we were children?
4. Does she _________ having a two-week vacation?
5. I'm sorry. I'm not _________ eating so late at night.
6. Is anyone else _________ graduating from college?
7. If you _________ having your way, I guess I'll let you pay for dinner.
8. The boys are _________ leaving their puppy alone at night.
9. Could you please __________ Mary again __________ fixing such a lovely dinner?
10. It must be tiring for you to hear me ___________ having a headache all the time.
TOPIC 3: Go Plus Gerunds
The verb go can be followed by certain gerunds in idiomatic expressions used to describe some kind of an activity, usually pleasurable or recreational.
go dancing, go swimming, go sailing, go shopping, go camping The verb go can be in any tense, or with modals.
Let's go dancing.
We went swimming yesterday, but we should have gone sailing.
The Parkers have never gone camping before.
PRACTICE EXERCISE 3: Fill in the sentences with go plus an appropriate gerund.
ski, sightsee, grocery shop, run, sail, hike, whale watch, camp
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1. If you like the snow you can _________ .
2. When visiting a new city, most people like to __________ to see new things.
3. If you need food, it's time to __________.
4. A great way to lose weight and get in shape is to __________ . 5. Rich and Kathy _________ in their new boat last weekend.
6. Have you ever _________ on the trails in these mountains?
7. If you think whales are interesting, you can __________ in the bay.
8. Should we _________ in the new tent we just bought?