Lesson 55
Today’s lesson is 204 words.
Greetings
Hey everybody, it’s Thursday, May 6, 2021. Today we are going to review gerunds as well as explain how to properly use the preposition phrase, “Due to”.
Grammar Tips
What are gerunds?
Gerunds are words that are derived from verbs and function as a noun. They typically end with “-ing”. For example: to ask (verb) —> asking (noun/gerund). Take a look at the following examples.
Verb phrase --> Gerund (noun)
The dog runs --> the running (of the dog)
The frogs jump -- > the jumping (of frogs)
The children play --> the playing (of children)
...
sing --> singing
touch --> touching
wipe --> wiping
wash --> washing
study --> studying
do --> doing
think --> thinking
Gerunds are important because many phrases require you to use them. The following phrases REQUIRE gerunds:
Due to
Because of
On account of
As a result of
Often times people will use verbs, rather than the equivalent gerunds. This is a MISTAKE! Let’s look at the following examples:
Due to the dog runs, I could not catch it.
^ verb... X
Due to the dog running, I could not catch it.
^ noun ✅
Due to the frogs jump, I could not catch it.
Due to the frogs jumping, I could not catch it.
All together now!
Regular nouns (these do not include gerunds):
Due to the thunderstorm, I couldn’t sleep.
Because of the weather, he couldn’t go to the beach.
As a result of the stock market, we lost a lot of money.
On account of all our vacation during the summer, I decided to stay home during the Fall.
Gerunds (verbs conjugated to their noun form!)
Because of him talking, I couldn’t hear the announcement.
talk —> talking
On account of him losing all the money, I was unhappy.
lose —> losing
As a result of the ringing of the doorbell, I got out of bed.
ring —> ringing
Due to practicing hard, the team won the championship.
practice —> practicing
Writing Prompt
Prompt: Write a couple sentences that incorporate the phrase “due to”, “because of”, “on account of”, or “as a result of”.
Class Discussion
“What did you think of today’s lesson? Did you learn any new vocabulary? Do you have grammar questions? Let us know below!”