Preparing for a marathon - gerunds

Gerunds as subject and object

Hi there! Welcome to another fun lesson with New English Academy. I’m your guide, Giles Parker. Today, we’re going to look at how we can use gerunds as subjects and objects in a sentence and I’ll talk about that first. Then we’ll listen to or read the comprehension text which is called ‘Preparing for a Marathon’ and yep! You guessed it! It talks about things we can do when we’re training and getting ready to run a marathon. This lesson is aimed at intermediate level learners but the language is natural and there is something for everyone here. Don’t forget to check out the great online activities, tests and games that go with this podcast at the website, New English Academy.com.

First, a quick chat about using gerunds as subjects and objects. I guess by now you already know what a noun is. A noun shows a person, place, thing or idea and can be the subject or object of a sentence. So, for example:

· The London Marathon is a very popular race.

You can see that London, marathon and race are nouns. But what about when you want to talk about an action in the same way as you normally use a noun? For example:

· Running the London Marathon is difficult but fun.

You can see that running looks like it is the progressive form of the verb to run but, here, it is acting like it is a noun. Another example:

· Setting small goals for yourself will help you when you train for a marathon.

Do you see how these action words are acting like nouns? When verbs do that, they are called gerunds and they are useful to know about because we use and see them all the time in English.

To make a gerund, just take the base form of the verb and add –ing­. Easy! Sometimes learning English is just no problem.

To make a negative statement just put not in front of the gerund, like this:

· Not stretching before a workout might make it more difficult for you to exercise.

When gerunds are the subject of the sentence they are followed by a verb in the 3rd person singular. This verb can show time, of course. For example:

· Running as really difficult when I started but I got used to it.

Gerunds can also be the objects of sentences after certain verbs, for example:

· He started training 3 months before the race.

· He quit smoking and drinking as part of his training.

You can find a list of which verbs regularly go with gerunds in the resources section in the online lesson.

Lastly, some gerunds are regularly used with go to talk about activities or hobbies, for example:

· He goes jogging every morning.

· Last Saturday he went dancing with some friends.

So, to sum up, gerunds are action words that we use as nouns. To make them, just take the base form of the verb and add –ing. To make negatives, just put not before the gerund. Some verbs regularly go with a gerund, and some activities and hobbies are go + a gerund. Don’t forget! Gerunds are not the progressive form of the verb – gerunds don’t show the time – the following verb does.

There are some other things about how gerunds work with infinitives and prepositions which we’ll cover in another lesson.

Now, on to the comprehension text!

Comprehension text - Preparing for a marathon

Running a marathon is a common way to raise money and awareness for different charities. A friend of mine is preparing to run a major marathon in Rotterdam this year. It’s a popular international course with more than 22,000 participants. Watching along the streets will be another 900,000 spectators all supporting and encouraging the runners.  It will be quite the party.

My friend is already well into his training. He’s very determined. Not finishing is not an option for him. From what I know of him he has never had trouble with seeing things through to the end. He has some advice for anyone who is considering taking up running to raise money. First of all, focus on the common sense things you can change, like quitting smoking, sleeping properly, eating sensibly, and reducing the amount of alcohol you drink. These are all basic things you have to do to get fit enough to run a marathon.

He says try starting slowly and building up your endurance. Attempting to run the whole course right from the get-go is just ludicrous. You have to work up to it. Consider running as part of your daily routine. Think about getting up early and going for a jog first thing in the morning – it’s a beautiful time of day and you see different things then, he says. He advises not skipping out on the warm up. Proper stretching before and after a run is very important. In fact, if you have the time, he also recommends taking up yoga or T’ai Chi. These are great ways of developing suppleness and strength. And, don’t put off or postpone your training. Try to run as regularly as you can.

All these physical techniques will help with your running. But my friend says there are also other things that good runners do in preparing for a marathon – there is a whole list of mental training that goes with the physical development. For example, setting small goals for yourself in different ways and working towards them in increments really pays off. Rewarding yourself for each improvement is another strategy. Not feeling down when you have slow days is important too. Everyone has doubts but maintaining perspective and not worrying too much will help with the training. Always think about finishing and how it will feel. What will breaking through the tape at the end of the course be like? Imagine yourself coming down the last stretch to the finishing line – apparently image training will help you develop as a runner.

Training for and running in a marathon is often the hardest thing a lot have people have ever done. But, finishing the race and feeling proud of yourself is one of the best feelings some people can ever have. Coming in first, or second or even in the top 100 is not the issue here. Just participating and completing the course is the most important point. That and knowing that all your hard work goes to a good cause – a charity that helps other people in need.

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