Though
the term might sound a bit intimidating, it really is simple. Here, we’ll take
a close look at gerund phrases and provide several examples so you can easily
recognize them and use them to create interesting sentences.
Decoding
the Gerund Phrase
Time
for a quick refresher: A gerund is a noun formed with a verb ending in ing.
Words like swimming, tying, dreaming, eating, fishing, and drinking can all be
used as gerunds.
Now
that we’ve refreshed your memory, let’s take a look at the gerund phrase. A
gerund phrase always follows these rules:
Gerund
phrases always start with gerunds
Gerund
phrases always include modifiers and often include other objects
A
gerund phrase always functions as a noun
Gerund
phrases are always subjects, objects, or subject complements in sentences.
EXAMPLES:
In
the following gerund phrase examples, the gerund is highlighted in bold and the
entire gerund phrase is underlined. A brief explanation of the function of the
gerund phrase follows each example.
·Blowing bubbles on a
windy day is a fun activity for children.
Blowing
bubbles on a windy day is the subject of the verb is.
·Piling too much
laundry into a washing machine will cause it to malfunction.
Piling
too much laundry into a washing machine is the subject of the verb will cause.
·Ethan narrowly
avoided driving off the cliff.
Driving
off the cliff is the direct object of the verb avoided.
·Eating ice cream on a
hot day can be a good way to cool off.
Eating
ice cream on a hot day is the subject of the verb can be.
·Jessica really enjoys
bothering the neighbors with loud music.
Bothering
the neighbors with loud music is the direct object of the verb enjoys.
Como
regla general, recuerda que los verbos que expresan tus preferencias (like,
love, dislike, etc) solo admiten dos opciones gramaticales en lo que al verbo
se refiere:
Infinitivo + to
Forma –ing
Puedes decir I like to play o I like playing, pero nunca I like play. La diferencia es prácticamente
inexistente sobre todo a este nivel, así que ambas opciones son válidas.
Algunos de los verbos que necesitarás para expresar tus gustos en inglés son
(de mayor a menor grado):
Example:
·I love reading – me encanta leer
·I quite like singing – cantar me gusta bastante
·I like doing sport – me gusta hacer deporte
·I don’t mind cooking – no me importa cocinar
·I don’t like cleaning – no me gusta limpiar
·I hate running – odio correr
A la hora
de preguntar a alguien por sus gustos, usamos distintas preguntas, siempre
teniendo en cuenta lo dicho arriba sobre el verbo. Algunas de ellas pueden ser Do you like…? What do you think of….? Do you
enjoy…?, en las que necesitaremos un verbo, o una segunda opción son What do you like to do in your free time?,What are your hobbies?
·Do you like playing chess?
·What do you think of
cooking?
·Do you enjoy making plans?
EXPRESS WISHES
The phrase I wish I
had… is the most common structure used to talk about our wishes. Here are some common wishes people have.
EXAMPLE:
·I wish I had
more money.
·I wish I had
more friends.
·I wish I had
a bigger house.
·I wish I was
taller.
·I wish I was
more beautiful.
·I wish I had
curly hair.
·I wish I had
blue eyes.
·I wish I had
a caring husband.
·I wish I had
a cute daughter.
·I wish I had
a better memory.
Note the use of past tense
verbs in this structure.
In the phrase I
wish I had… ‘had’ is the simple past form of the verb ‘have’. Instead
of had, you can use the simple past form of other verbs as
well.
EXAMPLE:
·I wish I
spoke French.
·I wish I knew
Italian.
·I wish I
looked smarter.
·I wish I
drove a Ferrari.
·I wish I
lived in Shanghai.
·I wish I had
a golden voice.
·I wish I knew
more people.
·I wish I played
the piano.
Although we use past tense
forms in this structure, we are not referring to the past in these sentences.
Instead, we are merely expressing our wishes in the present.
To talk about past wishes,
we can use the structure I wish I had had… Note that the
second had in this structure is the past participle form
of have. Past participle forms of other verbs are also possible in
this case.
EXAMPLE:
·I wish I had
had more money.
·I wish I had
worked harder. (= I didn’t work harder, but now I regret it.)
·I wish I had
had more time on my business trip last week.
·I wish I
hadn’t trusted him.
·I wish I had
listened to his advice.
EXPRESS PREFERENCES
There
are many ways to talk about your preferences in English. You can use some
common phrases and expressions below to express your preferences::00
Questions
about preferences:
Which do you prefer, football or
volleyball?
Which do you like better, tea or coffee?
Do you prefer hot coffee or
ice coffee?
Would you prefer to go for a walk
or see a movie?
Would you rather have dinner
with me?
Expressing
Preferences:
I prefer tea to coffee.
I’d prefer to have some
water.
I like tea better than coffee.
I prefer reading books.
I prefer jogging to running.
I’d prefer living in a city to living in the
country.
Se utiliza siempre después de los adjetivos o
adverbios que modifica.
I arrived early enough. Llegué lo suficientemente temprano.
TOO
Too equivale al español "demasiado".
Se utiliza siempre delante de los adjetivos o
adverbios que modifica.
This exercise is too easy. Este ejercicio es demasiado fácil.
He arrived too late. El llegó demasiado tarde.
Luego del adjetivo, puede agregarse "to" más un verbo.
He's too young to drive. Es demasiado joven para conducir. He's too weak to lift that
ball. Es demasiado débil para levantar esa bola.
Si se usa con sustantivos, significa "demasiado/a/os/as" y va
siempre seguido de many o much, dependiendo del
tipo de sustantivo contable o incontable.
There are too many people. Hay demasiada gente.
There is too much shadow. Hay demasiada sombra.
También puede ser seguido de "to" más un verbo.
NOT ENOUGH
He isn't old enough to drive. No es lo suficientemente viejo como para manejar. He isn't strong enough to lift it. No es lo suficientemente fuerte como para levantarlo.
Si se usa con sustantivos, significa "suficiente/s" y va
siempre antes.
There aren't enough chairs for everyone. No hay suficientes sillas para todos.
