Gerund & Participle difference (with examples) | Super grammar tips | Language with Ease/Exercises

This rare video shows you nature of gerunds and participles and their difference and how to use the 'finger' rule when they begin sentences.

It will also show you the forms of 4 types of gerunds and their phrases in the active and passive voice. Lots of examples are given to understand it better. Watch the video several times, make notes and do the exercises given below. You will be unbeatable.
If your basic understanding is weak please watch our video Gerunds Infinitives Participles first. You will get excellent grounding on this concept, which is considered the most difficult one in English grammar.

Do buy Language with Ease grade 6 & 7 to practice advanced grammar exercises on Amazon or our website www.mindsprings.in Answer keys are available on kindle.

Exercises: (Please scroll down after you attempt the questions to check answers)
The answers will also get you to learn more. It will take time, so practice is the only way. Once learnt, the light from the learning will be amazing.

A. Underline/ Indentify the gerunds and participles (and their phrases) in the following sentences. State if the gerunds are subject, object, complement, object of preposition or following a possessive adjective. State which of the 4 types of gerund they are. State if the participles are adverbial or adjectival.

1. Apologising for your faults makes you stronger not weaker.
2. Watching the sunset, Sneha thought about her caring grandmother.
3. Having quit chain smoking, Mr. Mehta began telling his friends to stop smoking.
4. Standing on the porch Samir wondered how to reject the distressing proposal.
5. Salman was proud of having donated all his property, staggering in its size, to charity.
6. The cows having grazed in the fields all day, were being readied for rest.
7. Being the class monitor was not as exciting as he thought it would be.
8. Rustom entered, having had his lunch, to start the urgent meeting.
9. Being taken to jail, the convict tried to hang himself.
10. After studying for law, Sukwinder decided to sit for the IAS exams.
11. Having been told many times, and yet disobeying orders seems to have become a habit with the inmates.
12. Indumati gave cooking exotic dishes a try that summer.
13. The teacher taught us writing in various genres.
14. Being spanked constantly in the past made the students resentful and resistent.
15. His picking of fights with the neighbours, earned Sam a terrible reputation.
16. He regretted having applied for the job in the village.

B. The following stems can be used as subjects, objects, complements, or objects of prepostions. You can use them at the beginning, middle or end of the sentences you make. Please use the same stems to make gerunds and participles. Please put your answers in the comments section.

1. Quitting your job.....
2. Barking at the stranger....
3. Gardening all day in the sun....
4. Being alert at night....
5. Having been punished before.....
6. Being found in the tunnel.......

Answers to A. given below (scroll)
1. Apologising for your faults - gerund phrase (subject of the verb 'makes')
2. Watching the sunset - participle phrase (reduction from: Sneha who was watching...)
caring (adjective)
3. Having quit chain smoking - perfect participle (Mr. Mehta who had quit smoking)
telling his friend - gerund phrase (object of the verb 'began')
to stop smoking - gerund (object of the infinitive 'to stop')
4. Standing on the porch - participle phrase (reduction Samir who was standing....)
distressing (adjective)
5. of having donated - perfect gerund (object of preposition 'of')
staggering in its size (adjective phrase describing the noun 'property' - reduction of 'which was staggering.....)
6. Having grazed in the fields all day - perfect participle phrase (reduction - which had grazed in the fields all day )
7. Being the class monitor - gerund phrase (subject of the verb 'was')
exciting - complement of the verb 'was'
8. having had his lunch - perfect participle phrase (reduced adverbial - after he had had his lunch)
9. Being taken (by)- participle passive (reduced from - the convict who was taken to jail by)
10. After studying law - participle phrase (reduced from the adverbial 'after he had studied law)
11. Having been told many times (by) - perfect gerund phrase passive (subject of the verb 'seems')
and disobeying orders - gerund within the perfect gerund phrase) Here the word disobeying is not an adjective.
12. cooking exotic dishes - gerund phrase (indirect object of the verb 'gave') gave what? a try. gave a try to what? cooking.....
13. writing in various genres - gerund (direct object of the verb 'taught')
14. Being spanked constantly in the past (by) - gerund phrase passive (subject of the verb 'made')
15. picking of fights - gerund phrase - noun to the possessive adjective 'his' (subject of the verb 'earned')
16. having applied for the job - perfect gerund (object of the verb 'regretted')