Gerunds as Subjects and Objects

A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a

noun.
Gerunds as Subjects.
- Swimming is excellent exercise.
- Drinking too much coffee gives him a headache.
- Eating too quickly gave him an upset stomach.
- Not doing his homework caused him to fail the test.
- Not having an answering machine causes him to miss
many calls
.
Gerunds as an Objects.
He dislikes doing homework.
She's worried about missing her bus.
She's depressed about not passing the test.
He's nervous because of not being on time.
He's tired from not getting enough sleep.

There are a lot of verbs with preposition can be
followed by gerund. Here are the verbs and their
prepositions.
succeed in
dream of
think of
think about
approve of
disapprove of
insist on
apologise for
Let's see the following examples :
Have you succeeded in finding a good job?
I always dream of being rich.
Examples
I dislike _________to the movies by myself.
going
We started __________dinner without you.
eating
I can't imagine _________ my own house.
buying
When do you practice___________ the piano?
playing
My grandmother prefers __________ science fiction books.
reading
I am used to___________ her in a bad mood.
seeing
Have you talked to the dentist about _________ your teeth?
cleaning
seeing, reading, playing, buying, eating, going. cleaning

Examples
________ is one of her hobbies.
Cooking
_________ is fun.
Cycling
Getting a good job is not easy.
Getting
No _________ in this area.
Smoking
__________ overtime is quite common in this company.
Working
_________ fruits and vegetables is good for your health.
Eating
____________ about other cultures makes people more tolerant
Learning

Learning, cooking, working, smoking, cycling, eating, getting

Modals of Possibility
We use may, might, and could to talk about
possibilities, when we are not sure about
something.
For example:
- They might come later.
- They may come by car.
- If we dont hurry we could be late.
The are followed by the base form of the verb.

We can use may, might and could to talk
about possibility in the present.
Examples:
Its ten oclock. They might have arrived now
I might have a pen in my bag
We can use may, might and could to talk
about possibility in the future.
One day, he might break his own world record
She may arrive tomorrow.

In negative statements:
May not, Might not we dont use contractions.
We do not use could not.
Examples:
She might not be on the bus. She might be
walking home.
Even if I entered the contest, I may not win.
To ask questions about present possibility we
usually use could.
Example:
Could I bury my cat in your back yard?
Could it be that you don't want to leave?




In questions like Do you think? The answer
will be might or may following the verb be.
Example:
Do you think he is guilty? He may be
Do you think she is a good mother? She might
Do you think they are soldiers? They may be


Reflexive Pronouns
We use a reflexive pronoun when the subject an the object of a sentence
refer to the same person.
Example:
I hurt myself.
The band call themselves Dire Straits.
He shot himself.
Reflexive pronouns end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).

Personal Pronoun Reflexive Pronoun
I myself
you (singular) yourself ( refers one person)
you (plural) yourselves ( refers more than one person)
he himself
she herself
it itself
We (plural) ourselves
They (plural) themselves
We use by plus a reflexive pronouns to mean
alone or without any help.
Examples:
- She did it by herself.
- He lived by himself in an enormous house.
- She walked home by herself.
- The children got dressed by themselves.
- I prepared the whole meal by myself.
Examples

He accidentally cut himself while he was chopping the
vegetables.
himself
She bought a present for herself.
herself
We helped ourselves to the free drinks at the launch
party.
ourselves
They injured themselves during the rugby match.
themselves
I enjoyed myself at the concert.
myself
The dog is scratching itself it must have fleas!
itself