Gerunds
Identify the gerund in this sentence: "Swimming is my favorite form of exercise."
"Swimming" (gerund = verb acting as a noun)
Identify whether the italicized word is a present participle or past participle: "The broken vase lay on the floor."
Identify the infinitive in this sentence: "He wants to travel next summer."
Choose the sentence with correct parallel structure:
A. "She likes hiking, to swim, and biking."
B. "She likes hiking, swimming, and biking."
B is correct.
What is the most common dog breed in the United States?
The Labrador Retriever has been the most popular breed in the U.S. for decades.
Rewrite the sentence so the gerund phrase is at the end: "To learn French, Maria practiced every day." (Replace infinitive with a gerund phrase where appropriate.)
"Maria practiced French every day by learning." — better: "Maria's practicing French every day helped her learn."
Turn this sentence into one that includes a participial phrase: "The man walked into the room. He carried a heavy suitcase."
"The man, carrying a heavy suitcase, walked into the room." (Participial phrase "carrying a heavy suitcase".)
Use an infinitive to show purpose in this sentence: "She left early. She wanted to catch the first train."
Fix the parallelism error in this sentence: "My goals are to learn French, practicing daily, and to visit Paris."
Corrected: "My goals are to learn French, to practice daily, and to visit Paris." OR "My goals are learning French, practicing daily, and visiting Paris."
Why do dogs pant?
Dogs pant to regulate their body temperature because they cannot sweat like humans.
Choose the correct gerund to complete the sentence: "_____ before breakfast helps me wake up."
(a) Jog
(b) Jogging
(c) To jog
(b) Jogging
Choose the correct participle form to complete the sentence: "The _____ (bake) cookies smelled delicious."
(a) baking
(b) baked
(b) baked — "The baked cookies smelled delicious."
Decide whether an infinitive or a gerund is correct: "I enjoy _____ (to sing / singing) in the shower." Explain your choice.
"singing" (gerund) — "I enjoy singing in the shower." (After "enjoy," use gerund.)
Explain why this sentence is not parallel and rewrite it correctly: "He wanted to either study law or to become a doctor."
Issue: not parallel ("to study" vs "to become"). Correct: "He wanted either to study law or to become a doctor." OR "He wanted either studying law or becoming a doctor." (first preferred)
How many scent receptors does a dog have?
Dogs have about 300 million scent receptors, compared to a human’s 5–6 million.
Explain whether the underlined word is a gerund or a participle and why: "The running water cooled the engine."
"running" is a present participle modifying "water" (not a gerund) — it's adjectival, so it's a participle.
Correct the dangling participle in this sentence or explain why it's incorrect: "Walking down the street, the rain started pouring."
Problem: sentence implies the rain was walking. Correct: "While I was walking down the street, the rain started pouring." or "Walking down the street, I got caught in the pouring rain."
Transform this split infinitive into two grammatically acceptable sentences (do not use split infinitive): "She decided to quickly finish the project."
No split infinitive: "She decided to finish the project quickly." OR "She decided, quickly, to finish the project."
Combine these items into a parallel list within one sentence: "She enjoys reading novels. She enjoys to paint. She likes jogging."
"She enjoys reading novels, painting, and jogging." (Make all gerunds.)
Can dogs see colors?
Yes—dogs can see colors, but not as many as humans. They mostly see blue and yellow tones.
Combine these two sentences into one that uses a gerund phrase as the subject: "He reads novels. He likes to relax in the evenings."
"Reading novels helps him relax in the evenings." (Gerund phrase "Reading novels" as subject.)
Rewrite the sentence to use a participial phrase and reduce wordiness: "Because she was exhausted, she slept through the lecture."
"Exhausted, she slept through the lecture." (Participial phrase "Exhausted".)
Create a sentence where an infinitive phrase acts as an adjective modifying a noun (e.g., "a plan to...").
Identify and correct the parallelism error in the complex sentence: "The coach told the players that they should get plenty of sleep, to eat well, and practicing hard before the game."
Corrected: "The coach told the players that they should get plenty of sleep, eat well, and practice hard before the game."
What is the average lifespan of a dog?
Most dogs live 10–13 years, depending on breed, size, and health.