Mastering Gerunds: Unlocking the Power of Verbs

Mastering Gerunds: Unlocking the Power of Verbs

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to understand what gerunds are and how to use them in sentences.

What do you already know about gerunds?

Definition of Gerund

A gerund is a verb form that functions as a noun in a sentence. It is created by adding -ing to the base form of a verb.

Identifying Gerunds

Gerunds can be identified by their -ing ending and their ability to function as subjects, objects, or complements in sentences.

Subject Gerunds

When a gerund acts as the subject of a sentence, it performs the action of the verb.

Object Gerunds

Gerunds can also function as objects in sentences, receiving the action or being the target of the verb.

Complement Gerunds

Gerunds can act as complements, providing additional information or completing the meaning of a verb.

Gerunds vs. Present Participles

While gerunds and present participles both end in -ing, gerunds function as nouns, while present participles act as adjectives or parts of continuous verb forms.

Practice Exercise

Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct gerund form from the options provided.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.