-INGggggggg............

(Gerunds and
Participle)
There are two forms of the -ING verbs
i. The present participle
- shows the continuous tense
ii. The gerund

The Participle
The -ing verb is used to make the continuous tenses.
Example: John is sitting John was sitting
(present)
(past)
It is used as an adjective to describe nouns.
Example: They played a losing game.
It may be a present participle phrase functioning as an adjective
Example: Leaping to his feet, he looked all around.

Present Participle
In the present continuous and past continuous, the verb be is followed by the present
participle of the main verb.
Example: He injured his leg while he was playing hockey. (Past Continuous Tense)
Jovian is dancing with Florna. (Present Continuous Tense)

The Gerund
The gerund behaves like a noun even though the form is verb + ing.
A gerund may be a subject or an object.
Examples:
Hunting is prohibited in the forest reserve
hunting is used as the subject of the sentence.
She loves reading.
reading is used as the object of the verb loves
He is fond of playing hockey ( Simple Present Tense)
playing is a gerund used as a complement of the preposition of
Dancing was one of my hobbies. ( Simple Past Tense)
dancing is the subject of the sentence.

The -ing clause

You should use verb + ing when you need a verb after a preposition.
Examples:
I am not interested in fishing
(Note fishing after the preposition in. The word fishing is derived from the verb
fish, is an activity, a hobby.)
I am not interested in golf
(here, golf is not a verb. Therefore there is no need to add -ing.)
Read an extract of a story below, then read the notes.
John was sitting one afternoon under his favourite apple tree, resting. He loved
reading in this spot, or pondering over a problem, as it was a quiet and peaceful here.
Suddenly, he was struck by the unusual silence around him. There was no sound of
tractor tilling the soil or workers chatting as they worked. It seemed to him as if even
birds had stopped chirping and the wind had stopped blowing--- everything was so still. A
profound air of suspense hung all around him.
Leaping to his feet, he saw a strange dark form taking shape in the distance and
slowly moving towards him, John turned and fled. His moments of dreaming were
over.......

Notes:

The present participle (underlined words) shows the continuous tense.

The gerunds is indicated by the circles.

Practice 1
Fill in the blanks with the participle from the box below. Each word from the box may be
used once only.
carrying
burning

showering
time-consuming

wrapping
knocking

thinking
shattering

pressing
rolling

1.

She was __________________________ when the tsunami hit her house.

2.

_____________________________ with fury, she strode towards the boys.

3.

Loudly ____________________ at the gate, Kino asked to see the doctor.

4.

A ________________________ stone gathers no moss.

5.

We saw a woman_____________________a basket of flowers.

6.

The child, ______________________the road was clear, decided to cross it.

7.

Education is the most ____________________________ matter now.

8.

Rita was awakened by the sound of ____________________________ glass

9.

Soo Leng found the filling up of those forms a _________________________ job.

10. ________________________the baby up warmly in the blanket, he went out for an

evening walk.
Practice 2
Distinguish the gerunds from the participles by underlining the gerunds and circling the
participles.
1.

Going up the stairs, the old man fell down.

2.

Playing cards is considered a vice.

3.

Walking is an excellent form of exercise.

4.

Dad was leaving his office when he received the message.

5.

Fighting for breath, he managed to kick the thief.

6.

The boys were excited at the idea of setting up camp there.

7.

Arthur relaxed, dreaming of his future home.

8.

He heard the sound of children screaming and playing happily.

9.

While he was standing at the gate, a beggar approached him.

10. Mala won an award for being the longest-serving employee.

11. He was punished for stealing the book from Su Yin.
12. I did not like him asking me personal questions.
13. We saw the hurricanes moving towards us.
14. He ruined his eyesight by watching too much television.
15. He was fighting on the streets when we found him.
Practice 3
Identify the errors in the use of the verbs and correct the errors by using the -ing form
appropriately.
Example : I tied up my hair before wear my blazer.
I tied up my hair before wearing my blazer.
1.

She was angry at Sarah for lie to her.

________________________________________________________________________
2.

After get to know him better, I realised he was a cheat.

________________________________________________________________________
3.

They found the kitten mew on the tree.

________________________________________________________________________
4.

Susan went to the tailors before go to the hairdresser.

________________________________________________________________________
5.

After cut her hair, the hairdresser washed it.

________________________________________________________________________
6.

Mani spent a lot of time loiter in video arcades.

________________________________________________________________________
7.

There is no benefit in waste time in such places.

________________________________________________________________________
8.

Im looking forward to have a few days of peace.

________________________________________________________________________
9.

There s no point in blame the boy. Advise the parents also serves no purpose. But

without do anything, we cannot put things right.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
10. Be careful of make hasty decisions. Discuss the problem with your parents will help.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
11. He was fond of swim but he was prevented from go to the pond by the rain.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
12.

We were prohibited from enter that area.

________________________________________________________________________
13.

He preferred play the guitar to revise for his examinations.

________________________________________________________________________
14.

I wanted to increase my income by give piano lessons.

________________________________________________________________________
15.

We spent the evening play chess.

________________________________________________________________________
Practice 4
Recreational activities may be expressed by gerunds. The picture below illustrates two
hobbies. Describe each hobby with the help of the questions beside the picture.

 What equipment is required for this

hobby?
Where can the hobby be done?
Who, among your family and friends,
have taken up this hobby?
What are the advantages and
disadvantages of the hobby? Give
two of each.

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