WREN & MARTIN's -10 MCQs on the Gerund — Usage of the Gerund and Its Uses

 

10 MCQs on the Gerund — Usage of the Gerund and Its Uses

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1. "Swimming in the open sea requires a great deal of physical strength and mental courage." — Identify the use of the gerund "swimming" in this sentence.

• A) The gerund functions as the object of the verb "requires"
• B) The gerund functions as an adverb modifying the verb "requires"
• C) The gerund functions as the subject of the sentence
• D) The gerund functions as an adjective modifying the noun "strength"

Answer: C) The gerund functions as the subject of the sentence ("Swimming" is a gerund — a verb form ending in "-ing" that functions as a noun — here it functions as the subject of the verb "requires" — when a gerund is placed at the beginning of a sentence and performs the action of the verb it is functioning as the subject — this is one of the primary uses of the gerund in English.)

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2. "She finally stopped worrying about things that were completely beyond her control." — Identify the use of the gerund "worrying."

• A) The gerund functions as the subject of the sentence
• B) The gerund functions as the object of the verb "stopped"
• C) The gerund functions as an adverb modifying the verb "stopped"
• D) The gerund functions as an adjective modifying the subject "she"

Answer: B) The gerund functions as the object of the verb "stopped" ("Worrying" is a gerund functioning as the direct object of the verb "stopped" — certain verbs in English are always followed by a gerund and not by an infinitive — verbs such as "stop" "avoid" "enjoy" "finish" "consider" "deny" "suggest" "postpone" and "practise" must be followed by a gerund when a verbal noun is required.)

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3. "His greatest passion in life is travelling to remote and unexplored corners of the world." — Identify the use of the gerund "travelling."

• A) The gerund functions as the subject of the sentence
• B) The gerund functions as an adverb modifying the adjective "greatest"
• C) The gerund functions as the predicative complement after the linking verb "is"
• D) The gerund functions as an adjective modifying the noun "passion"

Answer: C) The gerund functions as the predicative complement after the linking verb "is" ("Travelling" is a gerund functioning as the predicative complement or subject complement after the linking verb "is" — it completes the meaning of the subject "his greatest passion" by identifying what the passion actually involves — when a gerund follows a linking verb and completes the subject it functions as a noun serving as the predicative complement.)

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4. "She is very fond of reading classical literature and poetry in her leisure time." — Identify the use of the gerund "reading."

• A) The gerund functions as the subject of the sentence
• B) The gerund functions as an adverb modifying the adjective "fond"
• C) The gerund functions as the object of the preposition "of"
• D) The gerund functions as an adjective modifying the noun "literature"

Answer: C) The gerund functions as the object of the preposition "of" ("Reading" is a gerund functioning as the object of the preposition "of" — when a verbal noun follows a preposition it must be in the gerund form — prepositions must always be followed by nouns or noun equivalents and since a gerund functions as a noun it correctly follows the preposition "of" in the phrase "fond of reading.")

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5. "There is absolutely no point in arguing about a matter that has already been decided." — Identify the use of the gerund "arguing."

• A) The gerund functions as the subject of the sentence
• B) The gerund functions as an adjective modifying "no point"
• C) The gerund functions as the object of the preposition "in"
• D) The gerund functions as an adverb modifying the verb "is"

Answer: C) The gerund functions as the object of the preposition "in" ("Arguing" is a gerund functioning as the object of the preposition "in" in the phrase "no point in arguing" — the preposition "in" requires a noun or noun equivalent as its object and the gerund "arguing" fulfils this function — the structure "there is no point in + gerund" is a fixed expression commonly used to indicate the futility of an action.)

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6. "Her singing of the national anthem at the opening ceremony moved everyone to tears." — Identify the use of the possessive adjective before the gerund.

• A) "Her" is incorrect and should be replaced by the objective form "her singing"
• B) "Her" is the correct possessive form used before the gerund to show whose singing it was
• C) "Her" is an adjective modifying the noun "ceremony"
• D) "Her" should be replaced by the reflexive pronoun "herself"

Answer: B) "Her" is the correct possessive form used before the gerund to show whose singing it was (When a pronoun precedes a gerund the possessive form must be used — "her singing" correctly uses the possessive adjective "her" before the gerund "singing" — this rule requires the use of the possessive form "my" "your" "his" "her" "its" "our" and "their" before a gerund to indicate the performer of the action expressed by the gerund.)

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7. "Would you mind closing the window as there is a strong draught coming into the room?" — Identify the use of the gerund "closing."

• A) The gerund functions as the subject of the sentence
• B) The gerund functions as the object of the verb "mind"
• C) The gerund functions as an adverb modifying the adjective "strong"
• D) The gerund functions as an adjective modifying the noun "window"

Answer: B) The gerund functions as the object of the verb "mind" ("Closing" is a gerund functioning as the direct object of the verb "mind" — "mind" is one of the verbs that must always be followed by a gerund — the structure "would you mind + gerund" is a polite way of making a request in English — other verbs that must be followed by a gerund include "enjoy" "avoid" "finish" "suggest" and "consider.")

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8. "She devoted all her time and energy to helping the underprivileged children in the community." — Identify the use of the gerund "helping."

• A) The gerund functions as the subject of the sentence
• B) The gerund functions as an adjective modifying the noun "time"
• C) The gerund functions as an adverb modifying the verb "devoted"
• D) The gerund functions as the object of the preposition "to"

Answer: D) The gerund functions as the object of the preposition "to" ("Helping" is a gerund functioning as the object of the preposition "to" in the phrase "devoted to helping" — "to" here is a preposition not an infinitive marker and must therefore be followed by a gerund — common expressions using "to" as a preposition that require a gerund include "devoted to" "committed to" "accustomed to" "look forward to" and "object to.")

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9. "Which of the following sentences correctly uses a gerund as the subject of the sentence?"

• A) She enjoys reading novels during her summer vacation.
• B) He is interested in learning a new language this year.
• C) Smoking in public places has been strictly prohibited by law.
• D) They suggested postponing the meeting to the following week.

Answer: C) Smoking in public places has been strictly prohibited by law. ("Smoking" is correctly used as a gerund functioning as the subject of the sentence — the gerund phrase "smoking in public places" is the subject of the verb "has been prohibited" — options A and D use gerunds as objects of the verbs "enjoys" and "suggested" and option B uses a gerund as the object of the preposition "in.")

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10. "Which of the following sentences correctly illustrates the difference between the gerund and the present participle?"

• A) Swimming is her favourite hobby — Swimming gracefully, she reached the other end.
• B) She is reading a book — Reading is an important skill for all students.
• C) Running shoes are expensive — He is running in the park every morning.
• D) Writing clearly helps communication — She is writing a letter to her friend.

Answer: A) Swimming is her favourite hobby — Swimming gracefully, she reached the other end. (In the first sentence "swimming" is a gerund functioning as the subject of the sentence — in the second sentence "swimming gracefully" is a present participle functioning as an adverbial modifier describing how she reached the other end — the gerund functions as a noun while the present participle functions as an adjective or adverb and the distinction is clearly illustrated in option A.)