ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR (UNIT #12) NOTES-PAGE 25 GERUND PHRASES DEFINITION: A GERUND is a verb ending in ing which is used as a noun. EXAMPLE: v or n lv adj n Walking is good exercise. Walking, which is usually thought of as a verb, is the subject of the above N-LV-N sentence. Walking is exercise good A gerund can do any job a noun can do: subject, direct object, predicate nominative, indirect object, or object of the preposition. But sometimes gerunds behave like verbs, too. They can, for example, take a direct object, etc. When they behave like verbs - as well as nouns - they are called GERUND PHRASES and must be diagramed in a special way. The gerund phrase goes on a little stilt up above the place in the sentence for the noun the gerund phrase is substituting. For example, if the gerund phrase is a subject, the stilt goes in the subject space; if it is a direct object, the stilt goes in the direct object space; etc. Here are some examples of various types of gerund phrases doing various types of jobs: A. GERUND PHRASE AS A SUBJECT v adj n adv lv adj n Walking your dog daily is good exercise. Walk ing daily dog your is exercise good B. GERUND PHRASE AS DIRECT OBJECT pn av v art n John loves walking the dog. walk ing dog the John loves (over) 137
ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR (UNIT #12) NOTES - PAGE 26 C. GERUND PHRASE AS PREDICATE NOMINATIVE adj adj n lv v art n John s favorite chore is walking the dog. walk ing dog John's chore favorite is the D. GERUND PHRASE AS OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION pn lv p- adj pp v art n John is crazy ( about walking the dog.) John is crazy about walk ing dog the E. GERUND PHRASE AS INDIRECT OBJECT pn av v art n adj adj n John calls walking the dog his favorite chore. John calls chore his favorite walk ing dog the 138
ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR (UNIT #12) EXERCISE #1 GERUND PHRASES: EXERCISE #1 NAME: DATE: DIRECTIONS: Parse the sentences below and put prepositional phrases in parentheses. Underline the gerund phrases. Diagram the sentences. 1. Writing essays is a major part of our course. 2. Playing the radio at night may disturb others. 3. I have always enjoyed playing chess. 4. The thief got in by telling the guard a lie. 5. His hobby has always been arguing politics heatedly with his friends. 6. The class gave me practice in speaking Spanish. 7. Mortimer gives playing the guitar a bad name. 8. Molly's rattling the dishes in the kitchen awakened the baby. 9. Her favorite pastime is telling everyone her troubles. 10. I dislike teasing the little boy. (over) 139
ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR (UNIT #12) EXERCISE #1 - PAGE 2 DIRECTIONS: Write what jobs the following words are doing. Choose your answers from among the following: SUBJECT PREDICATE NOMINATIVE DIRECT OBJECT INDIRECT OBJECT OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION PREDICATE ADJECTIVE MODIFIER VERB SENTENCE # WORD JOB 1 essays 1 part 2 others 3 I 4 guard 5 heatedly 6 me 7 guitar 8 Molly's rattling the dishes in the kitchen 9 pastime 9 everyone 10 boy 140
ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR (UNIT #12) EXERCISE #2 GERUND PHRASES: EXERCISE #2 NAME: DATE: DIRECTIONS: Parse the sentences below and put prepositional phrases in parentheses. Underline the participial phrases ONCE and the gerund phrases TWICE. Diagram the sentences. 1. Being a man with a big heart, Jim likes helping people. 2. Giving a dollar to the man begging in the street was the wealthy woman's act of charity for the day. 3. My counselor, carefully trained in psychology, considers sharing your troubles with a friend a good idea. 4. Being an incurable romantic, I love walking in the moonlight. 5. Crying in the movies usually embarrasses people caught in the act. 6. The last act of their day spent in the desert was watching the sunset from the mesa. (over) 141
ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR (UNIT #12) EXERCISE #2 - PAGE 2 SUBJECT PREDICATE NOMINATIVE DIRECT OBJECT INDIRECT OBJECT OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION PREDICATE ADJECTIVE MODIFIER VERB SENTENCE # WORD JOB 1 man 1 people 2 man 2 woman's 2 charity 3 idea 4 incurable 4 romantic 5 usually 5 act 6 desert 142
ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR (UNIT #12) EXERCISE #3 GERUND PHRASES: EXERCISE #3 NAME: DATE: DIRECTIONS: Parse the sentences below and put parentheses around the prepositional phrases. Underline the participial phrases ONCE and the gerund phrases TWICE. Diagram the sentences. 1. Flowers picked especially for the occasion were used for decorating the ballroom. 2. My hobby, developed over many years, is embroidering samplers on linen. 3. Mr. Gardner enjoys reading books written in the 18th century. 4. Fluently speaking a foreign language gives anyone interested in a diplomatic career a distinct advantage. 5. Many students attending college in the Thirties made swallowing goldfish a huge fad. 6. I helped Mrs. Willows by visiting her little boy cooped up in the hospital. (over) 143
ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR (UNIT #12) EXERCISE #3 - PAGE 2 DIRECTIONS: Write what jobs the following words are doing. Choose your answers from among the following: SUBJECT PREDICATE NOMINATIVE DIRECT OBJECT INDIRECT OBJECT OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION PREDICATE ADJECTIVE MODIFIER VERB SENTENCE # WORD JOB 1 occasion 1 ballroom 2 hobby 2 many 3 books 4 language 4 advantage 5 made 5 fad 6 boy 6 hospital 144
ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR (UNIT #12) TEST GERUND PHRASES: TEST NAME: DATE: (Raw Score: Grade: ) /398 DIRECTIONS: Parse the sentences below and put parentheses around the prepositional phrases. Underline the participial phrases once and the gerund phrases twice. Diagram the sentences. 1. Photographing big game in Africa is the profession of that man wearing the brown jacket. 2. The students seated in the auditorium hated hearing the bell for class. 3. Ringing the church bells is the danger signal chosen by the villagers. 4. His excuse for breaking the law sounded ridiculous to the officer writing the ticket. 5. I was sick of studying algebra, but I expected a good grade on the test given by Mr. Wolf. 6. My cousin going to boarding school makes playing tricks on people his major pastime. 7. The car, speeding down a narrow road, just missed hitting a child. 8. By ironing her dress, Jan helped her friend catching the early plane. 9. My horse, recently broken to the saddle, enjoys exploring the bridle paths with me. 10. Mother, accustomed to large groups of people, adores planning parties. (over) 145
ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR (UNIT #12) TEST - PAGE 2 PART II: DIRECTIONS: Write what jobs the following words are doing. Choose your answers from among the following: SUBJECT PREDICATE NOMINATIVE DIRECT OBJECT INDIRECT OBJECT OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION PREDICATE ADJECTIVE MODIFIER VERB SENTENCE # WORD JOB 1 game 1 Africa 1 profession 1 brown 2 hated 3 signal 4 excuse 4 law 4 ridiculous 5 sick 5 expected 5 grade 6 boarding 6 people 7 missed 7 child 8 Jan 9 horse 10 people 146