Litterature
(GETTING AHEAD IN THE U.S)
Gerunds are formed by adding-ing to verbs, and they function as nouns. They differ from present participles, which are used as adjectives but look exactly like gerunds. Gerunds may be used as the subject, direct object of the verb, object of a preposition, or any other function of nouns. Here are some examples of gerunds used as subjects:
Swimming is my favorite sport. Partying is a way of life for some people. Belching is vulgar!
And here are some examples of gerunds used as direct objects of verbs:
I like swimming. Gretchen hates too much partying. Stop that disgusting belching!
Gerunds can also be used as indirect objects, objects of prepositions, or predicate nouns:
Give hiking a chance; you might like it! Many people relax by telling jokes and laughing. Marilyn’s favorite form of exercise is swimming.
Here is a list of some of the most common verbs that take gerunds as objects. The ones marked with an asterisk (*) can take either gerunds or infinitives:
admit defend *forget practice adore delay *hate *prefer advise deny can’t help propose anticipate describe imagine put off appreciate discuss keep (on) quit avoid dislike *like recall
*begin enjoy *love recollect complete escape mind recommend confess excuse miss regret consider finish permit *remember
*continue forbid postpone resent resist *start *try resume stop understand risk suggest
*can’t stand tolerate
Bill admitted lying about the money. I really miss coming over to your place! They continued dancing and talking into the night.
It’s possible to modify a gerund with a possessive like my, her, or John’s:
She hates my asking to borrow money. We really appreciate their coming over early to help. How can you defend him bringing up that vulgar topic at dinner?
In relaxed speech, you’ll often hear the possessives replaced by direct object pronouns (or