The gerund can be used like a noun and like a verb.

The most common forms: - gerund (active form) - gerund (passive form) playing I like playing tennis. being sent I hate being sent shopping.
Other possible forms (but rarely used): - gerund (perfect form, active) having played I remember having played Cricket once last summer. having been sent I'm proud of having been sent there by my country.

- gerund (perfect form, passive)

1. The gerund as a noun - Swimming is healthy. - Travelling to foreign countries is a lot of fun. 2. The gerund after verbs without a preposition Like, enjoy, hate, suggest,start, stop etc. + gerund - I like going for walks in the mountains. - My brother enjoys playing tricks on me. - I hope you will stop talking about food all the time.

3. The gerund after prepositions a. after verb + prep. succeed in, dream of, look forward to, think of, complain about etc. + gerund - We are looking forward tomeeting you in summer. - I've always dreamed of playing in a famous rock group. - My friend insisted on paying the bill.

b. after adj. + prep. be fond of, be good at, be interested in, be afraid of, be tired of, be keen on + gerund

- I'm fond of visiting my relatives. - Peter is really interested in studying Physics. - Susan is afraid of walking on her own during the night.

c. after noun + prep. be in danger of, have difficulty in, a chance of + gerund

- We were in danger of falling off the rock. - They had difficulty in buying enough food in for the weekend.

4. Gerund constructions as adverbials (als adverbiale Bestimmung) a. after certain prep. on, in spite of, after, before + gerund - On arriving in York, he phoned his friend. As soon as he arrived ... - In spite of setting off early, he was late for tea. Although he set off early... - After spending a fortnight in London, he decided he had had enough. After he had spent... !!! 'After' is also used as a conjunction. Therefore the underlined word of the last example 'spending' can also be seen as a participle. b. instead of, apart from, by, without + gerund !!! No adverbial clauses possible in English - Instead of going home, we went for a walk. - Apart from being hungry, they were also tired. - By working hard he made alot of money.

5. The gerund after certain expressions it's no use, there is no, it's no good, it's worth + gerund - It's no use ringing the bell. no one is at home. - It's no good asking me. I haven't got a clue. - It's worth saving these stamps. They might be very valuable in a few years.

6. The gerund or infinitive after certain verbs

Certain verbs have different meanings, depending on whether a gerund or an infinitive follows.

- Why don't you stop talking about school? - Let's stop to have a drink at this pub. - Yes , I remember seeing you last week. - Please remember to post this letter - I regret eating this chocolate. - We regret to tell you that we have none of the trousers left.

Definition: A Gerund is the form of a verb when it acts as a noun; a gerund (often known as an -ing word) is a noun formed from a verb by adding -ing. For example: Studying is good for you.

Formation: Base Form + ING Gerunds can act as the subject or object of a main verb. For example:

Going to parties is fun. Hunting elephants is dangerous. Flying makes me nervous.

* Here, gerunds are subjects I enjoy reading. * Here, gerund is object

Use Certain words like adjectives, prepositions, verbs, nouns are followed by an Ing-Form. Use after certain adjectives Adjectives (with Prepositions) followed by the Gerund afraid of angry about / at bad at busy clever at interested in proud of For example: Hes afraid of going by plane. I am interested in visiting the museum. He is clever at skateboarding. The girl is crazy about playing tennis. I'm worried about making mistakes. crazy about disappointed about excited about famous for fond of sorry about worried about

Use after certain prepositions Prepositions followed by the Gerund about after apart from because of before For example: Before going to bed he turned off the lights. She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road. We arrived in Madrid after driving all night. He told the joke without laughing. by in instead of on without

Use after certain verbs Verbs followed by the Gerund admit advise allow appreciate consider delay deny dislike

avoid suggest understand miss reject For example:

enjoy resist imagine permit practise

I enjoy cooking. He admitted having driven too fast. Ralph is considering buying a new house. I delayed telling Max the news. They miss playing with their friends.

Use after certain nouns Nouns with Prepositions followed by the Gerund advantage of alternative of chance of choice between danger of doubt about experience in fun hope of point in For example: Rules: If a verb ends with -e, it loses the last letter before adding the -ing suffix. Gerunds in Passive Sense We had problems finding our way back home. There's no point in waiting any longer. What is the advantage of farming over hunting? He is in doubt about buying the correct software for his computer system. There's a real reason for winning the contest. idea of interest in opportunity of pleasure in problem reason for trouble in use waste of money waste of time

We often use a gerund after the verbs need, require and want. In this case, the gerund has a passive sense. I have three shirts that need washing. (need to be washed) This letter requires signing. (needs to be signed) The house wants repainting. (needs to be repainted)

Gerunds, Passive Voice

being + past participle

1. She enjoys being photographed. (Note: "enjoys" is the main verb. "Being photographed" is a gerund )

2. He hates being photographed. He doesn't like to have his picture taken.

3. Her baby loves being held.

4. Being served quickly is important for customers in a restaurant.