Hi guys, I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and
welcome to this lesson on gerunds. Now, in this lesson, we're going to look at all the
various functions that a gerund can have in a sentence. So before we begin that, we should
understand what a gerund is and how a gerund is formed. If you look at the title, you can
see that a gerund is basically a verb plus "ing". So, what is it? Is it a verb? Is it a noun?
Well, it's actually a verbal noun which means that while it looks like a verb
- like for example: in the first sentence we have: "running" -, it can perform the same
functions as a noun. So think of it as a verbal noun, leaning more towards the noun part. Okay?
So let's look at the six ways that we can use a gerund. The top one says: "Running is good for your heart." Now, as
we've identified, "running" is the gerund. And in this situation, "running" is clearly the
subject of the sentence. Right? So a gerund can be the subject of a sentence. Just like a noun.
Right? So "running", "running" is what you're talking about; the activity of running.
You follow it with a verb: "is", "good for your heart". Okay?
So in the second one we say: "He hates waking up early." Now, what is the gerund?
The gerund is "waking", it's actually a complete thought here: "waking up". In which
position of the sentence is the gerund in this sentence? So we have "he" which is the
subject, we have "hates" which is the verb, and then he has to hate something. Right?
So, in this situation, what he hates is the object, just like a noun; it can be "pizza"
or anything else here. Think of it as a noun. Okay, number three: "What I hate
most is repeating myself." So what is the subject of this sentence? Is it:
"What I", is it: "What I hate", "What I hate most", "What I hate most is"? Well, the complete
subject is: "What I hate most" and "is", and we have the gerund here: "repeating myself",
so saying the same thing again and again. Now, in this situation, the gerund is not
actually an object because the subject is not doing anything to the gerund. You're just
giving more information about the subject. So: "What I hate most" and then you're actually
telling me what you hate most; you're giving more information about it. So what you're doing
is providing a subject complement. Okay? Okay. Now, the next one: "I saw Jim riding his bike." So you're probably
getting the idea of a pattern developing here. First, let's identify the gerund. The gerund is: "riding".
Okay, now let's look at the sentence. We have "I" which is the subject,
"saw" -- the verb, "Jim". "I saw Jim", okay, "Jim" is the object. Okay, now you're giving
more information about Jim's actions here though. "I saw Jim": what was he doing? He
was: "riding his bike". So in this situation, the gerund is giving more information about
the object's action. So in this situation it's an object complement. Okay?
Sorry for my writing there. And number five - a very, very common way
to use gerunds and a very important rule, especially for intermediate and advanced speakers:
"I'm interested in improving myself." In getting better. So we have: "improving" as the gerund.
Now, why are we using the gerund? Why can't we say: "I am interested in improve" or: "I
am interested in to improve"? Well, any time you have a preposition - and normally we have
lots and lots of adjective and proposition combinations - after the preposition, always use a gerund.
So a gerund can be the object of a preposition. Now, more examples of this
are: "I am excited about doing something.", "I am used to doing something." Okay? So
it can be the object of a preposition. And finally, this is a rule which is often
forgotten and you can actually check out a deeper explanation of it on www.engvid.com:
"She doesn't like your bossing her around." So we have "bossing", this means telling a
person what to do. Okay? So: "She doesn't like your bossing her around." Here we're
using "your", we're using a possessive. So in this situation, a gerund is actually the
object of a possessive pronoun. Okay? So it can be the object of a possessive.
There we go. So, as you can see, there are numerous ways
that we can use a gerund. It's not just a simple type of word with only one function;
it has a variety of functions in a variety of ways we can use it in
different parts of a sentence. Now, do not confuse, never confuse a gerund
with a continuous verb. So if I say: "She is running." Okay, I am describing her action
in the moment. "Running" is not a gerund. "Running" is a continuous verb in this situation. Okay?
So that is really the most common confusion. Don't confuse a gerund for a continuous verb.
Remember: it's a verbal noun. It can perform the same functions as any noun like:
"pizza", "table", "car", etc. So once more: a gerund can be the subject of a sentence.
For example: "Smoking is bad for you." "Smoking" is the subject. It can
be the object of the sentence like we have here: "He hates..." what does he hate? "Waking
up early." It can be a subject complement. "What I hate most is repeating myself." Another
example of this might be: "My favourite activity is hiking", for example. "I saw Jim riding his
bike." Object complement. "I'm interested in improving myself." So it can be the object
of a preposition. Right? So any time you have a preposition like: "in", "at", "on", "by",
"against", "with". Okay? "ing", "ing", "ing". And finally, it can be the object of a possessive.
So: "She doesn't like your bossing her around." Or this can even be something simple like:
"I don't like her cooking." Okay? So you're not describing her activity, you're describing
the thing, her cooking. Or I can say: "Your speaking", or: "Your listening",
"Your writing needs to improve." Okay guys, to test your understanding of this
knowledge, as always, you can check out the quiz on www.engvid.com. Take care, and good luck.
And don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. See ya.
