AboutRosemary Lenc Expertise I am a retired Middle School teacher. I am an expert in grammar (structure of the English
language) and writing. I have been a volunteer with AOL Ask A Teacher and have
submitted many articles and special collections (one on diagramming sentences and one
with worksheets and answers so students can check their own practice on grammar skills)
to their knowledge database. I still am with them but would like other work where I can
help students with their English study. I have time to help you with this, if you want me. I
can help with grade school, middle school and high school grammar & writing and can
also look up information on literature (reading) for students and help them with it.
Please let me know if I can be of help in these areas. Thank you.
Rosemary Lenc
Experience
Past/Present clients Have helped many, many students in grade school language arts, middle school and high
school grammar and writing in both the chat rooms (live help that AOL use to have) and
message board answers plus the many students i have taught as a teacher.
Question What is the difference between gerund and present participial phrases. I can easily identify everything else except the difference between those two
Answer Dear Jasmine,
A gerund is the -ing or -ed or -d form of the verb used as a noun in a sentence. Therefore, a gerund would be used in these positions in a sentence: as a subject, predicate noun, direct object, object of preposition.
A participle is the - ing, -ed, -d form of the verb used as an adjective. Therefore it would always be modifying a noun/pronoun.
Examples: Running is good exercise. Running is a gerund used as the subject in the sentence.
The running water came from the loose pipe in the basement.
Running in this sentence is a participle used as an adjective modifying water.
Gerund phrases start with the gerund and include any words that go with that gerund. What words modify a gerund. An adjective can modify a noun; and because it is a form of a verb, it can be modified by a prepositional phrase.
Participial phrases will include the participle plus the words that modify the participle. What words can modify a participle? Because it is an adjective, it can be modified by an adverb. Because it is also a verb, it can be modified also by a prepositional phrase.
Check out these sentences:
Running swiftly down the street, the boy won the race.
Running swiftly down the street is a participial phrase modifying the subject, boy. It tells which boy you are talking about. The one running swiftly down the street.
Running in the rain and snow is not a good idea.
Running in the rain and snow is the gerund phrase and the subject of the sentence. (Running is the subject and the prepositional phrase: in the rain and snow, describes the type of running. (adj. prepositional phrase)
There is more help on gerunds, participles and infinitives at my website http://members.cox.net/teachro/
Click on grammar and then click on Verbals. Go to the right and you will see Gerund Recognition and gerund phrase practice. When you get to the sites, you will see an explanation, examples and practice. You can then click on the answer button and that will give you the answers to the exercise, so you can check yourself.
Likewise if you go back and click on Verbals again, you will see participle and participial phrases and will find the same thing there, when you click on them.
There are other sites on the internet that can help you also.
This is a very good explanation, gives examples of the gerund as a subject, direct object, predicate noun (subject complement), etc.
Same with participles, showing them as adjectives.
