Professional Communication Multiple Choice Questions on “The Gerund and its Uses”.
1. A gerund is a form of verb which ends in -ing.
a) True
b) False
Answer: a
Clarification: The statement is true. gerund is a form of verb which ends in -ing, and has the force of a noun or a verb. For example, “Eating is his pet hobby.”
2. The gerund is also called as :
a) Verb
b) Noun
c) Verb – noun
d) Adverb
Answer: c
Clarification: In “Eating is his pet hobby.”, the word “eating” is used as the subject of a verb. Hence it does a work of a noun, and is called a verb-noun. So, the gerund is also called a verb-noun.
3. In which of these, the gerund is the subject of the verb?
a) Sleeping is his favourite pastime.
b) I love sleeping.
c) I like eating apples.
d) He loves accumulating wealth.
Answer: a
Clarification: The correct statement is: Sleeping is his favourite pastime. A gerund, like a noun, can be the subject of the verb, but like a verb, it also takes an object.
4. In which of these sentences, the gerund is the object of the verb?
a) I love eating apples.
b) Cleaning is his favourite pastime.
c) Eating is his hobby.
d) Ram was tired of walking.
Answer: a
Clarification: The correct statement is: I love eating apples. A gerund, like a noun, can be the object of the verb, but like a verb, it also takes an object.
5. A gerund can be governed by a preposition.
a) True
b) False
Answer: a
Clarification: The statement is true. A gerund, like a noun, can be governed by a preposition, but like a verb, it also takes an object. For example, “He loves accumulating wealth.”
6. The gerund is the same as:
a) Adverb
b) Pronoun
c) Adjective
d) Infinitive
Answer: d
Clarification: The gerund and the infinitive are alike. They are both used as nouns, and yet retain the power that a verb has of governing the noun or pronoun in the objective case.
7. Which of these is used to form a compound gerund form?
a) Past participle
b) Present participle
c) Perfect participle
d) Participial adjective
Answer: a
Clarification: Compound gerund forms are formed by placing a past participle after the gerunds of “have” and “be”. For example, We are tired after having walked so much.
8. The present participle is also called as:
a) Adverb- noun
b) Verbal noun
c) Verbal adjective
d) Verbal pronoun
Answer: c
Clarification: The gerund has the force of a noun and a verb, it is a verbal noun. The present participle has the force of an adjective and a verb, it is called a verbal adjective.
9. A gerund can not be used as:
a) Subject of a noun
b) Object of the transitive verb
c) Object of a preposition
d) Absolutely
Answer: a
Clarification: A gerund may be used as: Subject of a verb, as, “Wiving and hanging go by destiny.” It is also used as object of the transitive verb, object of a preposition and also absolutely.
10. Choose the correct statement:
a) We must prevent him playing.
b) We must prevent his playing.
c) We must prevent him for playing.
d) We must prevent his from playing.
Answer: b
Clarification: The correct statement is: We must prevent his playing. We must use the gerund qualified by the possessive adjective and not the object of the verb.