Transcript Gerunds - Westfield Washington Schools

Monday, April 18, 2011
Diagramming with prepositions
 Gerunds
 Gerund Phrases
 Novel Discussion Questions
 Novel Information and Video Clips
 Novel – Read Chapter 6
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
Homework: Finish reading chapter 6
Prepositions

PrePOSITIONs show “where”.
ON the box
 OVER the box
 NEXT to the box
 BESIDE the box
 UNDER the box
 INSIDE the box
 AGAINST the box

Diagramming Practice

A baby boy cried down the hall in a crib.

Several students studied for the preposition test.
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Yesterday he danced insanely to the music.

The little girl sat on the couch in the family room.
Gerunds
A gerund is a verb form ending in ing
that is used as a noun.
 It answers the question “what”.
 Examples:

Skiing down the slope was fun.
 We enjoyed hiking.
 Please sweep the front sidewalk after
mowing.

Be careful!

Do not confuse a gerund with a present
participle used as part of a verb phrase or
adjective.
 Example:

Pausing, the deer was sniffing the wind before
stepping into the meadow.
- Pausing is a participle modifying deer, and sniffing
is part of the verb phrase was sniffing. Stepping is
a gerund that serves as the object of the
preposition before….Stepping answers ‘what’.
Class Practice: Find the gerund.
1. Keeping a light on in the house helps discourage robbers.
2. Mrs. Norman enjoys playing bridge.
3. I remember promising Steve my old bike.
4. Standing during a two-hour train trip is not my idea of fun.
5. Do you like sailing on the lake?
6. Volunteering at the hospital is just one of Helen's activities.
Gerund Phrases
Remember:
S/V line
Nearest comma
End of the sentence
A gerund phrase consists of a gerund and
any modifiers or complements the gerund
has. The entire phrase is used as a noun.
 Examples:




Having a part-time job may interfere with your
homework.
The townspeople heard the loud clanging of the fire
bell.
We crossed the stream by stepping carefully from
stone to stone.
Class Practice: Find the gerund phrase.
7. Mrs. Brent enjoys watching quiz shows on television.
8. Allow twenty minutes a pound for roasting the turkey.
9. Taking out the garbage is not my favorite job around the
house.
10. Understanding a foreign language and speaking it well are
two different things.
11. Acting in high school and college plays helped prepare Tim
for Broadway.
12. Collecting stamps is a popular hobby.