Grammar Level 2- Lesson Eighteen- Gerunds in English
In this grammar lesson, you learn about Gerunds in English and how to use it in your English conversation and writing. Just follow examples and write them down a few times to learn them very well. After finishing this lesson, you should work on its quiz.
Grammar Recap
In our previous lesson, we covered the Infinitives in English If you just landed on this page, we suggest that you complete our previous lesson including its quizzes before continuing on this lesson.
Requirement Lessons
There is no required lessons for working and learning this lesson.
Gerunds Examples
Gerunds, like infinitives, look like verbs, but they actually function as nouns. Consider the following sentences:
I like going to the beach. (“like” is the verb; “going” is the gerund.)
Playing volleyball at the beach is fun. (“Playing” is the gerund and functions as the subject.)
I like eating cold pizza. (“like” is the verb; “eating” is the gerund.)
Gerunds are often confused with verbs. Because gerunds take an “ing” ending, some students mistake them for verbs in the continuous form. If you don’t see the verb “be” in front of a word with an “ing” ending, it’s probably a gerund. For example, which sentence has a gerund?:
He thinks that learning English is important for his career.
This morning, they’re meeting their friends at the airport.
If you said the first sentence, you’re correct! The second sentence is in the present continuous tense.
Do you know the difference between gerunds and verbs that appear in continuous tenses?
Examples
I like listening to the radio.
(Gerunds are often used after the verb “like.”)
He likes eating popcorn when he goes to see a movie.
Playing in the snow is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
(Gerunds commonly appear at the beginning of a sentence. They are easier to use than infinitives in this position.)
Drinking coffee in the morning is one of my favorite things to do.
He finds playing the guitar to be relaxing.
Now do you understand the differences between
gerunds and infinitives?
If not, go back to the previous lesson to refresh your memory on infinitives,
Important: Don’t confuse gerunds with the present continuous tense!
To refresh your memory on present continuous tense, review below grammar lessons:
Quiz for Gerunds
Now that you learned your new lesson, it is time to go to the Gerunds page and finish your quiz. While working on your quiz, you can always go back to its lesson to refresh your memory.
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Next Grammar Lesson
In our next lesson, we will cover the Possessive Pronouns Grammar Before moving to the next lesson, we suggest that you complete this lesson including its quizzes.
Related Grammar Lessons
None
Grammar Level 2 Outline
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