I have 2 questions about gerunds. The first question I'm pretty sure I know the answer but I need the most help with the second:
1.Which word or words from the following sentence is used as a gerund:
"By stealing a summerstick, Gluskabe was able to defeat Old Man Winter and bring back summer for a short time."
1.stealing***
2.was able
3.to defeat
4.bring
(second question)
How is the gerund you identified from the previous question used in the sentence?
1.as the subject of the sentence
2.as the direct object of the sentence
3. as a predicate adjective in the sentence
4. as the object of a preposition
(No idea what the answer is for this one)
I was also wondering if someone wouldn't mind explaining to me why the answer is the answer for the second question. Thx!
Your first answer is right.
Here's a hint for the second question.
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/preposition.htm
So the answer to question 2 would be d, number 4
Right.
Thank you so much! And thank you for taking time out of your day to help us students!
You are very welcome. It's a pleasure.
For the first question, you correctly identified the gerund in the sentence as "stealing."
Now, let's move on to the second question and determine how the gerund is used in the sentence. To do that, we need to understand the different roles a gerund can play in a sentence.
1. As the subject of the sentence: The gerund functions as the main subject of the sentence, indicating what the sentence is about.
2. As the direct object of the sentence: The gerund functions as the receiver of the action performed by the verb.
3. As a predicate adjective in the sentence: The gerund describes or modifies the subject of the sentence, usually linked to the subject by a linking verb.
4. As the object of a preposition: The gerund follows a preposition and acts as its object, showing the relationship between the verb and the other parts of the sentence.
In our given sentence, "By stealing a summerstick, Gluskabe was able to defeat Old Man Winter and bring back summer for a short time," the gerund "stealing" is used as the object of the preposition "by." It shows the means or method by which Gluskabe was able to accomplish something.
Therefore, the answer to the second question is 4. "as the object of a preposition."
I hope this explanation helps you understand why the answer to the second question is the object of a preposition. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!