Subjects, Objects and Gerunds

Objectives:

• The learner will identify gerunds in written and spoken form.

• The learner will differentiate between objects and subjects in written and spoken form.

Duration:

    4 hours

Materials:

• English Day by Day, Michael Roddy, Academic Therapy Publications, 1989, pgs. 111, 113

• Gerund Practice worksheet

• White board and markers

Activities:

1. Teacher assesses the class's understanding of a complete sentence by writing "The students" on the board and asks if this is a complete sentence. The teacher then adds the verb "finished" and again asks if this is a completed sentence. Finally, the teacher adds "the assignment" to "The students finished" and asks if there is now a complete sentence. The teacher defines a sentence as a group of words that communicate a complete thought. Next, the teacher identifies the subject of the sentence ("students," which is a noun), the verb ("finished") and the object ("assignment"). Finally, the teacher points to the articles "the" and asks the class what part of speech they are. 

2. Teacher repeats the same process with two more simple sentences of similar construction.

3. Teacher writes "Racing is a popular sport in Virginia" and "A popular sport in Virginia is racing" on the board. Teacher chooses different learners to identify the subjects, verbs and objects of the sentences. 

4. Teacher points to "racing" in both sentences identifies them as gerunds. Teacher defines a gerund as a kind of verb that acts like a noun, has an -ing ending, can be an object or a subject, and comes after prepositions like "for," about" and "from." 

5. Learners complete exercises S-5 and S-6 in English Day by Day and compare answers with a partner when finished. Class corrects orally with teacher intervening as needed to coach pronunciation and correct grammar. 

6. Learners complete Gerund Practice worksheet as independent practice. All learners complete Part A, exchange papers and correct; teacher records score. Mixed ability pairs complete Part B and share with the class. Teacher conducts review of subjects and objects by asking individual learners to identify one or the other in each of the ten sentences until all have been located.

7. Mixed ability pairs complete Exercise S-9 and share answers with the class. 

8. Teacher illustrates difference between gerunds and continuous verb tenses by reading and explaining text beneath Exercise S-9 and using other examples on the board as appropriate. 

9. Teacher identifies the verbs that gerunds typically follow ("enjoy," "mind," "stop," "consider," "appreciate," "finish") and provides examples of each. Teacher conducts substitution drill using these verbs until each learner has had a chance to respond twice. 

Assessment:

Teacher monitors verbal and written responses of individual learners, evaluates Gerund Practice worksheet and records accuracy.