Wednesday, July 20, 2011

After the Hiatus...Gerunds!

After a less-than-brief hiatus, I have returned!

I am going to fill you in on one of my best discoveries from my Grammar and Usage For Writers class, the gerund. Even some well-seasoned writers may not know what a gerund is or how it works. It's one of the best-kept secrets of English language. Well, I suppose it isn't a secret, but it is sort of fun. And at the very least, it's a new word for Scrabble...G-E-R-U-N-D. That's at least eight points!

What the Gerund Is
In English, gerund is a linguistic term that refers to a verb that is used as a noun. The gerund will have the same form as the present participle, which means it will end in "-ing". A gerund can serve as the subject or object of a sentence, can be modified by an adverb, and can be modified by an adjective.

Seeing It in Action
Eating is my favorite hobby. (Here, the gerund is the subject of the sentence)
I like reading. (The gerund is the object of the sentence)

Fun, right?

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