GERUND The gerund can be used like a noun and like a verb (Verbalsubstantiv).

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) - gerund (perfect form, passive) having played I remember having played Cricket once last summer. having been sent I'm proud of having been sent there by my country.

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 b. after adj. + prep. be fond of, be good at, be interested in, be afraid of, be tired of, be keen on + gerund c. after noun + prep. be in danger of, have difficulty in, a chance of + 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. - 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. - 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 home. - It's no good asking me. clue. - It's worth saving these be very valuable in a few bell. No one is at I haven't got a stamps. They might years.

Possessive adjectives precede a gerund: Her working late is making her sick. A Gerund will follow a preposition: Thank you for helping me. The negation NOT is always placed in front of the gerund or the infinitive. I enjoy not having to do study today. Gerunds are used after the following expressions: -worth, -rather than, -instead of -This situation is worth looking into -Rather than studying Chemistry we decided to study Anatomy -Instead of talking to her boss directly, she sent a message with her secretary. I dont mind him being here.