Gerund

Still more often, when you should use one, you hesitate and end up using an infinitive...

Wrongly...  Its form can deceive you and lead you to think it's a verb...  

It's a NOUN.  

These reminders will help you, I hope, to use it more easily...

GERUND is used to describe an ACTIVITY, which means a set of actions, or a single action 

being done as we are speaking. In French, it's often expressed with a verb in the infinitive. 

Mostly, it can be replaced by a noun and acts like one! 

- Reading is my favourite occupation. ('reading' : 'the action of reading' )

1) Gerund can be either a SUBJECT or a complement. 

- For me, running is very tiring. (subject)

- My brother practises swimming every week: (complement)

2) We use gerund after verbs expressing a permanent taste: 

- She likes singing.  

- Paul can't stand waiting.

 when used in the conditionals, these verbs are followed by an INFINITIVE.

- I wouldn't like to wait for him for too long. 

3) It's used after PREPOSITIONS: ( OF, WITH, ABOUT, FOR, IN, ON, etc. )

Prepositions are followed by nouns; gerund being similar to a noun, it's used after 

prepositions. 

- He's not interested in reading, but he loves watching films.

  TO (a part of complete infinitive) can also be a PREPOSITION and is thus followed by a gerund. 

- He isn't used to going to the gym every day. 

TO is a preposition (and is consequently followed by -ing) with the following verbs:  

- To be used to/ to get used to

- To devote oneself/ one's time to

- To object to

- To take to doing something

4) Gerund is also used after some expressions: 

- To be busy doing something

- He can't help + V ing

- To spend one's time doing something

- To go on doing something

- Do you mind...?

- To give up doing something

- It's no use doing something

- It's worth doing something

5)   Some verbs accept both constructions (but the meaning is then different) :

To like/ to love / to hate/ to start/ to remember. 

- I must remember to post this letter:

There you go!  This test can be a trial run for you! I'm sure it will be a success! 

Go for it!   

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1. 'I hope this noise will stop soon! I can't bear hearingbear hearbear to hearI don't know it any longer!'



2. 'He doesn't mind wash upmind washing upmind to wash upI don't know on a regular basis to help his sick Mum.'



3. 'I'm not used goingused to goingused to goI don't know to bed so early... I won't be able to fall asleep... I think I'll read for an hour or two...'



4. 'I hope you won't object to drivingobject to driveobject drivingI don't know me to the station. It would be a real help for me!'



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7. It isn't worth cheatworth cheatingworth to cheatI don't know, you know! You'll be caught and punished if you do



8. Peter spends hours to playto playingplayingI don't know with his video games and hasn't done his homework yet.



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