Gerund (-ing form) in English
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This chapter discusses the gerund in English. The gerund is a verb used as a noun.
The gerund in English looks the same as the present participle. The gerund functions as a noun in the sentence.
The table below will show the situations when the gerund is used.
Situation | Example |
---|---|
The gerund as subject in the sentence. |
|
The gerund as additional function of the verb 'to be'. |
|
The gerund after prepositions. |
|
The gerund after phrasal verbs. |
|
The gerund in compound nouns. |
|
The gerund after infinitive verbs. |
|
Take a look at the following chapters for a detailed explanation about the gerund after infinitive verbs, the gerund after prepositions, and the gerund after phrases.
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To form the gerund from English verbs the following rule is applied:
verb + ing
However, there are some extra rules to keep in mind for certain verbs.
Verb | Rule | Example |
---|---|---|
Verbs with a single syllable. | Where a vowel is between two consonants, the last consonant must be duplicated. |
|
Verbs with two syllables. | Which ends in a vowel followed by a consonant. If the last consonant is stressed, it must be duplicated. |
|
Verbs ending in '-ie'. | The '-ie' must be changed to '-y'. |
|
Verbs ending in '-l', | The '-l' must be duplicated. The '-l' has to sounds like 'el' to be able to duplicate it. |
|
Verbs ending in '-e'. | The '-e' must be changed to '-ing'. |
|
Verbs ending in '-e' must be changed to '-ing'. Except for the verb 'to be', this will be 'being'.
Train your skills by doing the exercises below!
Fill in the gerund in the sentence.
Remember:
verb + ing
Keep the extra rules in mind for certain verbs.
The hardest thing to do is up early. (to wake up)
your teeth is important. (to brush)
She wears shoes. (to run)
They enjoy to Asia. (to travel)
We should stop . (to smoke)
They have a pool in the garden. (to swim)
about personal information is not allowed when talking to a police officer. (to lie)
You enjoy in the city centre. (to live)
The best thing is movies in bed. (to watch)
He always has a reason for late. (to be)
Fill in the gerund in the sentence.
Remember: verb + ing
Keep the extra rules in mind for certain verbs.
She insists on the dinner for her friends. (to cook)
I should give up , because it is very unhealthy. (to smoke)
Patrick admitted on his exam in the end. (to cheat)
You do not like games. (to play)
I avoided to him last week. (talking)
She continued her series after her mother came in. (to watch)
We started to pop music and we really like it. (to listen)
They tried in the sea, but it was very cold. (to swim)
I recommended a bus, but they did not listen to me. (to take)
Martha misses in the city centre. (to live)
Fill in the gerund in the sentence.
Remember:
verb + ing
Keep the extra rules in mind for certain verbs.
The hardest thing to do is up early. (to wake up)
your teeth is important. (to brush)
She wears shoes. (to run)
They enjoy to Asia. (to travel)
We should stop . (to smoke)
They have a pool in the garden. (to swim)
about personal information is not allowed when talking to a police officer. (to lie)
You enjoy in the city centre. (to live)
The best thing is movies in bed. (to watch)
He always has a reason for late. (to be)
Fill in the gerund in the sentence.
Remember: verb + ing
Keep the extra rules in mind for certain verbs.
She insists on the dinner for her friends. (to cook)
I should give up , because it is very unhealthy. (to smoke)
Patrick admitted on his exam in the end. (to cheat)
You do not like games. (to play)
I avoided to him last week. (talking)
She continued her series after her mother came in. (to watch)
We started to pop music and we really like it. (to listen)
They tried in the sea, but it was very cold. (to swim)
I recommended a bus, but they did not listen to me. (to take)
Martha misses in the city centre. (to live)
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Hi, my name is Veronika.
I am a native Russian language speaker who is certified in teaching Russian as a foreign language. I am a member of Association for Language Learning and I hold a degree in Journalism as well as a Master’s in Philological Sciences.
I have lived in the UK since 2012 and have taught Russian at different levels both face to face and online. I understand the challenges of learning a language and the importance of classes that are both enjoyable and enable good progress. All my lessons are therefore planned according to individual needs using textbooks as well as my own materials and authentic Russian language sources.
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Veronika has over 9 years of teaching experience. She is very patient and adjust her classes to the needs of each individual student of hers. She is kind, and you'll surely feel comfortable in her classes.
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My name is Yora Atanasova. I have been a tutor of English and Bulgarian online since 2013, in-person in non-formal language schools, and then solo online.
I have also worked as a staff training and qualification expert within the Bulgarian career guidance system in education. For a decade, I have been an independent EU expert in the fields of vocational training and guidance and non-formal education mainly.
Writing short stories and blogging is my hobby. Currently, eco skills have also become of prior importance to me; as I have moved to live in symbiosis (commensalism) with nature.
MY EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
First of my Master's degrees is in Pedagogy, the second one is in Cultural and Historical Heritage.
I have obtained an IELTS certificate, band 7.5,, and also a 50-hour TESOL certificate through a MOOC .
METHODS
Facilitating natural learning through creative solo activity and in-group interaction and communication, with some flavor of art.
Methods used are largely based on Suggestopedia and "democratic education" under the school models of Sudbury Valley (USA) and Summerhill (UK), plus ICT.
This creative language learning in small groups through reading/writing and communication includes:
- TWO GROUP EVENTS a week: a webinar and a presentation event;
- DAILY TASKS between the group events: SOLO ones - on individual creative projects, and peer project reviews IN MICRO GROUPS of 3÷4 people.
There is much solo work of creative character to be done and enjoyed, as well as feedback e-forms to be filled in.
The two group activities take place on:
✓ Monday and Wednesday;
or
✓ Tuesday and Thursday.
The weekly project produce can be:
- A written text, original or translation;
- An audio story / video with the text display;
- A combination of both.
THIS FORMAT WILL SUIT:
✓ Creative people;,
✓ Active freedom lovers, who'd rather co-build their course;
✓ Those who like learning like in a hobby club.
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*I graduted from Marmara University (Top university in Turkey for Turkish language and literature teaching).
*I'm native Turkish language teacher.
*I worked at international colleges, language courses and online teaching platforms since 2005.
**I'm writing doctorate thesis about teaching Turkish to foreigners.
*I wrote many Turkish language course books and story books for foreigners.
*I use many effecting teaching methods in my lesson.
*I can understand your needs and create lessons.
*I had more than 2500 foreign students (65+ nationalities) before.
*You can learn all language skills (speaking, reading, writing, listening), grammar and vocabulary.
*Personalized lesson for your needs.
*Sending lesson note end of each lesson (Word or pdf)
*Special videos, presentations, activities, overwievs for all topics
*Sending free materials (Books, exercises, videos, lesson notes)
*Writing online level exam
*Having certificate end of the course (optional)
*Speak and write fluently in a short time. You understand well what you read and listen.
*Homework after each lesson
*I can create the course content according to your request.
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It is useful if you take a quick online test to establish a starting point: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/ Please let me know the results A1/2 B1/2 C1/2.
If you need to reschedule, please do so 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged.
NB If you are writing a test like IELTS or TOEFL 'in a month or two' and you need to obtain a minimum score to enter a university, remember that according to education bodies like British Council and Cambridge English, it takes an average of 120-130 lesson hours to move from one level or band to the next. So with 'one or two' months, you need to already be at B2 or Upper Intermediate level to start preparing.
For B2-C2 level students who enjoy photography: Would you would like to improve your English conversation and your photography? In a typical lesson, you will show me your latest photos and describe how and why you took them. Then we will discuss how photos are assessed in photographic competitions and, if necessary, we can go over the essentials of using a digital camera (although it's perfectly fine if you use your mobile phone to take photos).
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Let me help you improve your English for any purpose. I am a native English speaker with a Master's degree in English, a Bachelor of Science degree and a CELTA teaching qualification.
I have been teaching for four years. As a copy-editor, I have been helping people improve their written English for over ten years (so yes, I can edit documents for you). Interviews: send me your CV and the job description and I will help you prepare.
Ready for certification? I will help you get ready for English language proficiency exams (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, OET, C1 (CAE), C2 (CPE).)
We CAN meet free of charge (just book a FREE CHAT for 20 minutes) to discuss your learning needs/my teaching methods and to start talking.
It is useful if you take a quick online test to establish a starting point: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/ Please let me know the results A1/2 B1/2 C1/2.
If you need to reschedule, please do so 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged.
NB If you are writing a test like IELTS or TOEFL 'in a month or two' and you need to obtain a minimum score to enter a university, remember that according to education bodies like British Council and Cambridge English, it takes an average of 120-130 lesson hours to move from one level or band to the next. So with 'one or two' months, you need to already be at B2 or Upper Intermediate level to start preparing.
For B2-C2 level students who enjoy photography: Would you would like to improve your English conversation and your photography? In a typical lesson, you will show me your latest photos and describe how and why you took them. Then we will discuss how photos are assessed in photographic competitions and, if necessary, we can go over the essentials of using a digital camera (although it's perfectly fine if you use your mobile phone to take photos).
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Hi, my name is Veronika.
I am a native Russian language speaker who is certified in teaching Russian as a foreign language. I am a member of Association for Language Learning and I hold a degree in Journalism as well as a Master’s in Philological Sciences.
I have lived in the UK since 2012 and have taught Russian at different levels both face to face and online. I understand the challenges of learning a language and the importance of classes that are both enjoyable and enable good progress. All my lessons are therefore planned according to individual needs using textbooks as well as my own materials and authentic Russian language sources.
I have always been interested in language acquisition, passionate about teaching and highly focused upon helping learners achieve their language goals.
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This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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My name is Yora Atanasova. I have been a tutor of English and Bulgarian online since 2013, in-person in non-formal language schools, and then solo online.
I have also worked as a staff training and qualification expert within the Bulgarian career guidance system in education. For a decade, I have been an independent EU expert in the fields of vocational training and guidance and non-formal education mainly.
Writing short stories and blogging is my hobby. Currently, eco skills have also become of prior importance to me; as I have moved to live in symbiosis (commensalism) with nature.
MY EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
First of my Master's degrees is in Pedagogy, the second one is in Cultural and Historical Heritage.
I have obtained an IELTS certificate, band 7.5,, and also a 50-hour TESOL certificate through a MOOC .
METHODS
Facilitating natural learning through creative solo activity and in-group interaction and communication, with some flavor of art.
Methods used are largely based on Suggestopedia and "democratic education" under the school models of Sudbury Valley (USA) and Summerhill (UK), plus ICT.
This creative language learning in small groups through reading/writing and communication includes:
- TWO GROUP EVENTS a week: a webinar and a presentation event;
- DAILY TASKS between the group events: SOLO ones - on individual creative projects, and peer project reviews IN MICRO GROUPS of 3÷4 people.
There is much solo work of creative character to be done and enjoyed, as well as feedback e-forms to be filled in.
The two group activities take place on:
✓ Monday and Wednesday;
or
✓ Tuesday and Thursday.
The weekly project produce can be:
- A written text, original or translation;
- An audio story / video with the text display;
- A combination of both.
THIS FORMAT WILL SUIT:
✓ Creative people;,
✓ Active freedom lovers, who'd rather co-build their course;
✓ Those who like learning like in a hobby club.
Reviews
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Punctuality
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The lesson was again very useful for me but at the same time difficult. We used different learning materials that make it easier for us.
Review
Teaching methodology
Communication
Punctuality
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Learning materials
*I graduted from Marmara University (Top university in Turkey for Turkish language and literature teaching).
*I'm native Turkish language teacher.
*I worked at international colleges, language courses and online teaching platforms since 2005.
**I'm writing doctorate thesis about teaching Turkish to foreigners.
*I wrote many Turkish language course books and story books for foreigners.
*I use many effecting teaching methods in my lesson.
*I can understand your needs and create lessons.
*I had more than 2500 foreign students (65+ nationalities) before.
*You can learn all language skills (speaking, reading, writing, listening), grammar and vocabulary.
*Personalized lesson for your needs.
*Sending lesson note end of each lesson (Word or pdf)
*Special videos, presentations, activities, overwievs for all topics
*Sending free materials (Books, exercises, videos, lesson notes)
*Writing online level exam
*Having certificate end of the course (optional)
*Speak and write fluently in a short time. You understand well what you read and listen.
*Homework after each lesson
*I can create the course content according to your request.
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This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Valerie has over 17 years of teaching experience. She is also a DEFL examinator. This makes her the perfect person to help you prepare for an exam. She is very kind and patient, and you will surely learn a lot from her!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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1 Gerunds and infinitives in English | Learn all about the gerunds that follow a verb. |
2 Gerund after prepositions in English | Learn all about when a gerund follows a preposition. |
3 Gerund phrases in English | Learn all about how the gerund is used in sentences! |