420 / Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics
GERUNDS
A gerund is a verb-like word that functions as a noun and is characterized by its
–ing ending.
Identifying birds is his forte.
(Identifying looks like a verb but acts like a noun as subject of the sentence.)A gerund can take objects and modifiers; together these words make up the gerund
phrase.
Paul’s hobby is identifying migrating birds in southern Indiana.
(Birds is the direct object of the gerund identifying; in southern Indiana is a
prepositional phrase modifying birds.)A gerund phrase functions as a single word; thus, in the preceding example, the
gerund phrase is the predicate noun after the linking verb is, renaming the subject,
hobby.
Not all words ending in –ing are gerunds, so always check the word’s function. A
gerund or gerund phrase always functions as a noun; thus, it can be a subject, predi-
cate word, direct object, object of the preposition, or appositive.
Not a gerund: Marilyn is cutting the grass. (Is cutting functions as the verb.)
Not a gerund: Barry, hoping for a scholarship, kept up his grades. (Hoping
functions as an adjective and modifies Barry.)
Gerund: Marilyn loves cutting the grass. (Cutting the grass functions as the
direct object of loves; and direct objects are nouns.)Hint: If you can substitute the word to and the root word form for the –ing word and
have a sentence that makes sense, the –ing word is a gerund:
Marilyn loves cutting the grass.
Marilyn loves to cut the grass. (The sentence makes sense; cutting is a gerund.)
Mary is cutting the grass.
Mary is to cut the grass. (The sentence does not make sense; cutting is not a
gerund.)PARTICIPLES
Participles are verb-like words that take two forms, past participles and present
participles.
Past participles are usually characterized by their –ed endings (the form of the
verb you would use with helping words such as have or has, as in have spoken or has
rained.