The Gerund Phrase

4. Pulling my hand back a little,Itugged gently on her curved paw,
and she stepped forward.
5. Praising my clever cat,Iimmediately gave her two treats.
6. The next time I held a treat up high, Chops, puzzled but eager,
repeated the grab-and-step movement.
7. Soon Chops was taking steps toward treats held out of.her reach.
8. I now have an educated cat who can walk on two legs.
9. Grabbing the treats and gobbling them down, she has learned that
certain moves always get her a snack.
10. Sometimes after Chops has had her treat, she just sits and looks at
me, no doubt thinking that humans are truly a strange bunch!
The Gerund
3h. A gerund is a verb form ending in –ing that is used as a
noun.
Like other nouns, gerunds are used as subjects, predicate nominatives,
direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions.
EXAMPLES The dancing was fun. [subject]
My favorite part of the show was his juggling. [predicate
nominative]
Shauna tried climbing faster. [direct object]
Give winning the game your best. [indirect object]
We worked better after resting. [object of a preposition]
Like other nouns, gerunds may be modified by adjectives and
adjective phrases.
EXAMPLES We listened to the beautiful singing of the famous
soprano. [The article the, the adjective beautiful, and the
adjective phrase of the famous soprano modify the gerund
singing. Singing is used as the object of the preposition to.]
The Mallorys enjoy talking about their vacation. [The
adjective phrase about their vacation modifies the gerund
talking, which is the direct object of the verb enjoy.]
The harsh clacking of the tappets alerted us to a serious
problem in the car’s engine. [The article The, the adjective
harsh, and the adjective phrase of the tappets modify the
gerund clacking.]
Identify and use gerunds
and gerund phrases
correctly.
3
h
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128 Chapter 3 The Phrase
Like verbs, gerunds may also be modified by adverbs and adverb
phrases.
EXAMPLES Reading widely is one way to acquire judgment, maturity,
and a good education. [The gerund Reading is the subject of
the verb is. The adverb widely modifies the gerund Reading.]
Floating lazily in the pool is my favorite summer pastime.
[The gerund Floating is used as the subject of the sentence.
It is modified by the adverb lazily (telling how) and also by
the adverb phrase in the pool (telling where).]
Brandywine likes galloping briskly on a cold morning.
[The gerund galloping is the direct object of the verb likes.
The adverb briskly (telling how) and the adverb phrase on a
cold morning (telling when) both modify galloping.]
Gerunds, like present participles, end in –ing. To be a gerund, a
verbal must be used as a noun. In the following sentence, three words
end in –ing, but only one of them is a gerund.
EXAMPLE Circling the runway, the pilot was preparing for landing.
[Circling is a present participle modifying pilot. Preparing is
part of the verb phrase was preparing. Only landing, used as
the object of the preposition for, is a gerund.]
Exercise 7
Identifying and Classifying Gerunds
Identify each gerund in the following sentences. Then, write how each
is used: as a subject, a predicate nominative, a direct object, or an object
of a preposition.
EXAMPLE 1. Instead of driving, let’s walk.
1. driving—object of a preposition
1. Her laughing attracted my attention.
2. By studying, you can improve your grades.
3. Why did the birds stop chirping?
4. Writing in my journal has helped me understand myself better.
5. Smiling, Dad said that we would all go to a movie when we had
finished the cleaning.
6. What Joseph liked best was hiking to the peak.
7. Before leaving the beach, we sat and watched the fading light.
8. Yesterday, Mrs. Jacobs was discussing having a garage sale.
9. One of Alvin’s bad habits is boasting.
10. Without knocking, the crying child threw open the door.

The Gerund Phrase
3i. A gerund phrase consists of a gerund and any modifiers or
complements the gerund has. The entire phrase is used as a noun.
EXAMPLES The gentle pattering of the rain was a welcome sound.
[The gerund phrase is the subject of the sentence. The
gerund pattering is modified by the article The, the adjective
gentle, and the prepositional phrase of the rain. Notice
that the modifiers preceding the gerund are included in
the gerund phrase.]
I feared skiing down the mountain alone. [The gerund
phrase is used as the object of the verb feared. The gerund
skiing is modified by the prepositional phrase down the
mountain and by the adverb alone.]
My dog’s favorite game is bringing me the newspaper.
[The gerund phrase is used as a predicate nominative. The
gerund bringing has a direct object, newspaper, and an
indirect object, me.]
Evelyn Ashford won a gold medal for running the
100-meter dash. [The gerund phrase is the object of the
preposition for. The gerund running has a direct object,
dash.]
Exercise 8 Identifying and Classifying Gerund
Phrases
Find the gerund phrases in the following sentences. Then, tell how
each phrase is used: as a subject, a predicate nominative,a direct object,
or an object of a preposition.
EXAMPLE 1. My favorite hunting trophies are the ones I get by
photographing wild animals.
1. photographing wild animals—object of a preposition
1. Exciting and challenging, wildlife photography is surprisingly
similar to pursuing prey on a hunt.
2. In both activities, knowing the animals’.habits.and habitats is vital
to success.
3. Scouting out locations is important to both the hunter and the
nature photographer.
4. This preparation gives you time for figuring out the best natural
light for photography.
HELP
Sentences in
Exercise 8 may contain
more than one
gerund phrase.
3
i
A noun or a pronoun that
comes before a gerund
should be in the possessive
form.
EXAMPLES
My playing the radio
loudly is a bad habit.
Ed’s constant TV watching
interferes with our
studying.
Identify and use gerunds
and gerund phrases
correctly.
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130 Chapter 3 The Phrase
5. Other important skills are being quiet and keeping your aim
very steady.
6. In photography, you must also consider choosing the correct film.
7. Photographers often like taking pictures of.animals feeding near
ponds and rivers.
8. Setting up a tripod and camera in underbrush nearby is a way to
be ready when the animals come.
9. Advance preparation often makes the difference between getting
good pictures and getting great ones.
10. Your patience and skill are rewarded when you “capture” a wild
creature without killing it.
Review E
Identifying and Classifying Gerunds
and Gerund Phrases
Identify the gerunds or gerund phrases in the following sentences.
Then, tell how each is used: as a subject, a predicate nominative, a
direct object, or an object of a preposition.
EXAMPLE 1. Drawing a good caricature is hard to do.
1. Drawing a good caricature—subject
1. A caricature is a picture, usually of a person, that draws attention
to key features by emphasizing them.
2. Usually, caricature artists enjoy poking fun at famous people.
3. Looking at caricatures is an entertaining way to capture the “feel”
of a historical period.
4. No one looking at this sketch of Teddy Roosevelt can help smiling.
5. The artist began by simplifying the shape of.his subject’s head.
6. Then he started outlining the temples and round cheeks with bold
strokes of.his pen.
7. As you probably realize, magnifying reality is very important to
good caricature.
8. By enlarging Roosevelt’s engaging grin and bristly mustache, the
artist emphasizes these features and suggests Roosevelt’s energetic,
outgoing personality.
9. The artist also uses his subject’s narrowed eyes and oval glasses for
comic effect by drawing them closer together than they really were.
10. Exaggerating Roosevelt’s features has resulted in an amusing but
unmistakable likeness.