Unit 3 English 4

Gerunds
What is a gerund? Gerunds are nouns that look like verbs! To make a gerund, you just
add -ing to the end of a verb.

You might still be wondering how you would tell the difference between a gerund and
a verb, because they still look the same. The answer is that gerunds are nouns! They
are used differently in sentences. In this lesson, we'll look at two ways gerunds are
used: as subjects, and after verbs.

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Gerunds as subjects

Repairing a car costs a lot.

Repairing a car is costly.

Do you remember what a subject is? A subject is the noun that the sentence is about.
Gerunds can be the subject of the sentence.

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Gerunds after verbs

Gerunds can be used after verbs as well. These verbs are usually special words that
you have to memorize. Here is a list of some of the verbs that you might use before
gerunds:

Here are some examples of how you would use gerunds after verbs. The verb is
highlighted in green and the gerund is highlighted in blue.

Drivers should practice being cautious.

Experts advise driving cautiously.

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Infinitives
Infinitives are similar to gerunds in that they look like verbs, but also act as nouns. To
form an infinitive, you add "to" + verb.

"It" subject + infinitive

Infinitives are usually not used as subjects (to own a car is expensive). Instead, the
word "it" begins the sentence, and functions as a subject instead.

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Infinitives after verbs

Infinitives can also be used after verbs. They can appear in one of the following three
patterns:

Here are some common verbs that appear before infinitives:

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Remember that the "object" of the sentence is the noun that the verb is acting on.
Here are some common verbs that appear before the object + infinitive.

As you can see from the example above, the sentence is still grammatically correct if
you remove the object of the sentence. However, you may change the meaning of the
sentence if you do so.

Here is a list of verbs that can be followed by the infinitive or with or without an
object.

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When you want to express preferences, likes and dislikes, most of the time we use the
simple present tense with the verbs "love", "enjoy", "like" to express likes and "hate",
to express dislikes habitually.
These verbs are regularly accompanied by two types of words: nouns and verbs. Let’s
see the difference:

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Structure
The verbs love, enjoy, like and dislike follow the same structure of the simple present
tense.
Look at the following charts to remember the structure of the simple present tense.

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Affirmative form

Interrogative form

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Negative form

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ACTIVITIES
1. Complete the following sentences with the gerund form of the verbs in
parentheses.
1. She is good at (dance) dancing

2. He is crazy about (sing) _____________.

3. I don’t like (play) _____________ cards.

4. They are afraid of (swim) _____________ in the sea.

5. You should give up (smoke) _____________.

6. Sam dreams of (be) _____________ a popstar.

7. He is interested in (make) _____________ friends.

8. My uncle is afraid of (go) _____________ by plane.

9. We insist on (cook) _____________ the dinner by ourselves.

2. Rewrite the following opinions by changing the subject to “It” and the
gerund to an infinitive. Don’t forget to put the infinitive at the end of each
sentence.

1. Buying a house is expensive.

Eg. It is expensive to buy a house.

2. Learning a musical instrument can be difficult.

3. Teaching children requires a lot of patience.

4. Riding a bike without a helmet is dangerous.

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5. Driving to school is not a good idea.

6. Going on a vacation is relaxing.

3. Pretend that a few people are talking about a new cell phone. Finish each
sentence with buying it or to buy it.
1. I am planning to buy it.

2. She wants_____________.

3. I feel like _____________.

4. I’ve decided _____________.

5. Do you recommend _____________.

6. I would delay _____________.

7. I advise you not _____________.

8. You should consider _____________.

9. He is persuading me _____________.

10. I think I am _____________.

4. Mark with an “X” the correct answer.

1) Chrissie loves __________________ crisps.
[ ]eating [ ]eats [ ]eat
2) I hate __________________ to the dentist's.
[ ]seeing [ ]going [ ]go

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3) Patrick enjoys __________________ to school everyday.

[ ]walking [ ]walked [ ]walks

4) They don't mind __________________ fish.

[ ]eating [ ]ate [ ]eaten

5) Kate doesn't really like __________________ sport.

[ ]do [ ]practice [ ]practicing

6) The children love __________________ TV.

[ ]watches [ ]watching [ ]seeing

7) My mum doesn't like __________________ sodas at all.

[ ]drink [ ]drank [ ]drinking

8) We are crazy about __________________ football.

[ ]played [ ]playing [ ]plays

9) His brother really likes __________________.

[ ]swiming [ ]swimming [ ]swims

10) We hate __________________ early.

[ ]waking up [ ]walking [ ]wake up

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5. Write down the appropriate verb according to the table taking into consideration
the conjugation of each verb used.

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