Gerund

Phrases
By: Group 1
-Silfiana (F1021171026)
-Natalia Sri Kurniati (F1021171022)
--Meilisa Chrisanti (F1021171032)
-Nursikin (F1021171012)
 1. What is Gerund Phrases?
A gerund phrase is created when a gerund – a verb that takes an –
ing form and functions as a noun – has a modifier, object or both.
Example:
Eating a slice of pie quickly is a recipe for disaster.

The gerund in the sentence is eating. (Remember, a gerund is a noun

that is formed by adding the -ing suffix to a verb.)
The Gerund phrase object in the sentence (the thing being acted
upon, in this case by eating) is a slice of pie.
The modifier in the sentence is quickly.
 2. How can we recognize gerund phrases?
Here are some rules of gerund phrases:
1. The phrase will always start with a gerund.
2. The gerund phrase will either have a modifier, an object or both.
3. The entire phrase will function as a noun.
4. The phrase will have singular agreement with a verb.

here are some examples with the gerund phrases used in different ways:
-Reading books quietly is my favorite pastime.
-My favorite pastime is reading books quietly
-I recommend reading books quietly to pass the time.

the purpose of a gerund phrase is to act like a noun, so we can check it by replacing it with a noun
and seeing if the sentence still makes grammatical sense:
- Television is my favorite pastime.
- -My favorite pastime is television.
- -I recommend television to pass the time.
 2. How can we recognize gerund phrases?
We should be careful not to confuse gerund phrases with participle phrases.
The differences are subtle, for example:
-Drinking beer heavily is bad for your health. (gerund phrase)
-Drinking beer heavily, Tom and Jim became more raucous. (not a gerund
phrase)
So, how do we know the second example is not a gerund phrase?
As we can see, it is not acting like a noun and thus does not satisfy the
four rules of gerund phrases. It is a participle phrase, which acts like an
adjective. We can see this by replacing the phrase with a noun and seeing
that it does not make sense:
-Alcohol is bad for your health. (sentence still makes sense)
- Alcohol, Tom and Jim became more raucous. (sentence no longer makes
sense)
 3. Example of Gerund Phrases
From the rules of gerund phrases before, we can
recognize gerund phrases in a sentence,
however, gerund phrases have various uses in a
sentence. They have a variety of roles in a
sentence and can be acted upon in varying
ways: as the subject, as the object or indirect
object, as the object of preposition, and also as
the predicate nominative.
 3. Examples of Gerund Phrases
Gerund Phrases as Subject
The subject is the thing or person that carries out the action of
the verb. Here are some examples of gerund phrases as
subject:
 Sleeping through the night is difficult for me.
 Making noise is what happy children and almost all teenagers
do best.
 Watching bad television defined my teenage years.
 Running with scissors on a slippery floor was a terrible idea.
 Travelling across France should be a rite of passage for all
writers.
 3. Examples of Gerund Phrases
Gerund Phrases as Direct Object
The direct object is the noun or pronoun that receives
the action of the main verb. Here are some examples of
gerund phrases as direct object:
- I love sleeping through the night.
- My parents prefer eating dinner alone.
- We would not recommend travelling without insurance.
- His daughter enjoys fixing broken bicycles.
- Do they like swimming with dolphins?
 3. Examples of Gerund Phrases
Gerund Phrases as Indirect Object
The indirect object is affected by the action of the verb, but it is
not its main object. Here are some examples of gerund phrases
as indirect object:
 As part of her new wellness regimen, Jenny made sleeping
through the night her priority.
Clinton gave running for president her best shot.
We make writing three poems a requirement to pass our course.
Men don’t always see raising children well as an
accomplishment.
Why don’t you make completing a marathon your main goal?
 3. Examples of Gerund Phrases
Gerund Phrases as Predicate Nominative
A predicate nominative completes the linking verb and renames
the subject. For example, in the examples below the gerund
phrases answer or define the first part of the sentence.
 -My biggest difficulty is sleeping through the night. (What is my
biggest difficulty? It is sleeping through the night.)
Our top priority was getting everyone on the plane.
The critical issue of his arrest wasn’t driving without a license.
Her favorite thing was listening to music.
A good career for her might be coaching soccer.
 3. Examples of Gerund Phrases
Gerund Phrases as preposition
The object of a preposition is simply a word or phrase that is
preceded by a preposition and completes its meaning. Here
are some examples of gerund phrases as a preposition:
 The doctor suggested drinking warm milk for sleeping
through the night. (For what? For sleeping through the night.)
By crying like a baby, you won’t get anywhere in life.
Exercise is futile without eating healthily.
He wanted to learn more about riding a bike.
Detectives were relieved after finding the evidence.