Can a gerund come at the end of a phrase? Like When you reach the crossing, try to avoid stepping on the stones in the pathway.
I am thinking crossing is a gerund in the phrase. Stepping used as a verb.
Yes. Crossing is a gerund, the direct object of the verb reach.
Stepping is also a gerund, the direct object of the verb to avoid.
No, "crossing" is not a gerund in the sentence "When you reach the crossing, try to avoid stepping on the stones in the pathway." In this sentence, "crossing" is actually a noun acting as the object of the preposition "the." It is a noun formed from the verb "to cross."
A gerund, on the other hand, is a verb form that functions as a noun. It ends in "-ing" and is used to express an action or a state. In the given sentence, the word "stepping" is actually a gerund, as it is a verb form (-ing) that acts as a noun. It functions as the object of the verb "avoid."
To identify whether a word is functioning as a gerund or a different part of speech, you can follow these steps:
1. Look for the "-ing" form of the verb.
2. Determine how the word is being used in the sentence; if it acts as a noun, it is a gerund.
In this case, "stepping" is used as a noun, which makes it a gerund.