1. Meet the Imposters: Gerunds by Jan b. Sheldon and Jean B. schumaker
Kansas Writing System
Fundamentals in the Sentence Writing Strategy

2. WHAT ARE IMPOSTERS?
Imposters like to play tricks on you. They are words that look like one part of speech but behave like another.
Imposters are PIGs:
Prepositions
Infinitives
Gerunds

3. NOW LETS LOOK AT GERUNDS:
Gerunds aren’t as creepy and spooky as you think. To turn a verb into a gerund just add “ing”.
When verbs become
gerunds they pretend to
be nouns.

4. NOW LETS LOOK AT GERUNDS:
When gerunds pretend to be nouns they can do anything a noun can do.
That means they can be:
subjects
subject complements
direct objects
indirect objects, and
objects of prepositions.

5. DOH! THAT SOUNDS CONFUSING
Don’t worry Homer. We are going to practice with all the things a gerund can pretend to be.
Let’s start with the verb swim. To turn it into a gerund add “ing”.
Now we have the gerund swimming.

6. A gerund can be the subject of a sentence.
Swimming
Swimming is one of the Simpson family’s favorite activities.
Swimming is a gerund because it is a verb with “ing” pretending to be a noun.
It replaces a noun as the subject of the verb is.

7. A gerund can be the subject complement of a sentence.
One of baby Maggie’s first sports is swimming.
Swimming replaces a noun as the subject complement of the subject sports.
swimming.

8. A gerund can be the direct object of a sentence.
swimming
Bart enjoys swimming as much as skateboarding.
Swimming replaces a noun as the direct object of the verb “enjoys”.

9. A gerund can be the indirect object of a sentence.
Lisa gives swimming a lot of time and energy.
Swimming is the indirect object of the verb gives.
swimming

10. A gerund can be the object of a preposition.
Homer uses an inner tube for swimming.
Swimming is the object of the preposition “for”.
swimming.

11. D’OH! This is confusing!
Don’t worry Homer. Just remember the two rules for a gerund:
A gerund ALWAYS ends in “ing”
A gerund is ALWAYS a verb that is pretending to be a noun.
Lets practice:

12. Find the gerund in each sentence and mark it with G.V
G-DO
Lisa likes playing the saxaphone.
“playing” is the direct object
of the verb “likes”
She is skilled at reading music.
“reading” is the object of the preposition “at” S V SC Pr
G-PrO

13. Find the gerund in each sentence and mark it with G.V
G-SC
Inf
----S-----
Bart and Lisa are pretending to be dogs.
“pretending” is the subject complement of the verb “are”.
Their barking sounds silly.
“barking” is the subject of the sentence V SC
G-S