040 FOUR WAYS OF USING A VERB

We can use a verb in four ways. 1: as verb. 2: as noun (also called "verbal noun or gerund" ). 3: as an adjective in present tense, called "present participle". 4: as an adjective in past tense + passive voice, called "past participle".

When a verb with 'ing' is used as a 'noun', it has four applications:

1: using as subject.
2: using as object.
3: using as a preposition's object.

Examples:
Smoking is bad for health. ("Smoking" is used as a noun, and subject.)
Another example, a proverb:
"The moon does not heed the barking of dogs."

The moon- is the subject; does not heed- is the verb. Heed- is a transitive verb. Heed what? Heed the barking- is the answer. It is the object. Hence barking is the object and noun here. It is gerund.

VERBS AS ADJECTIVES.

Let sleeping dogs lie.

The word 'sleeping' describes the condition of the dogs. Hence is is adjective. The act of sleeping is continuing (dogs which sleep or which are sleeping) i.e. present. Hence, sleeping- here is a present participle.

Past Participles- need greater discussion. We shall take them up in a separate post.

WHY DOES ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEED GERUNDS AND PRESENT PARTICIPLES?

Some users may experience difficulties in identifying a right noun, while making sentences. Adding 'ing' to a verb and using it as a noun, might have led to the evolution of gerunds.

Eg: Smoking is injurious. What other alternative noun is available if we do not use 'smoking' as gerund?

Some users may experience hardships in in identifying a right adjective while describing nouns. Adding 'ing' to a verb and using it as an adjective is practically convenient.

Eg: a moving train (the train which is moving/in motion).


Now, here is the quiz part- a list of ten verbs, with the suffix 'ing'. Fill up the blanks in the Question Box, selecting a suitable word. The sentences are proverbs. Click 'show ANS' button to see suggested answers. Please also determine for yourself whether the verb is used as a gerund (verbal noun) or as a prssent participle (verbal adjective) or as simply a verb.

SELECTION BOX:
beginning ,
being ,
borrowing ,
falling ,
fishing ,
going ,
growing ,
killing ,
reading ,
speaking.

QUESTION BOX:
1- An honest tale speeds best, ___ plainly told.
2- It is good ___ in troubled waters.
3- Nothing must be done hastily but ___ of fleas.
4- He who likes ___ dislikes paying.
5- The camel ___ to seek horns, lost his ears.
6- Be not afraid of ___ slowly, be afraid only of standing still(Chinese Proverb).
7- A bad ____ makes a bad ending.
8- The ____ out of lovers is the renewing of love.
9- He that has a great nose thinks everybody is ___ of it.
10- Drink nothing without seeing it; sign nothing without ___ it(Spanish Proverb).

SUGGESTED ANSWERS: 1- being (present participle, describes the honest tale),2- fishing (gerund) ,3- killing (gerund) ,4- borrowing (gerund) ,5- going (describes the camel, hence present participle).,6- growing (Preposition's object i.e. noun/gerund) ,7- beginning (gerund) ,8- falling (gerund) ,9- speaking (verb) ,10- reading (preposition's object i.e. noun).