לומדים אנגלית / קוראים ספרי ילדים

My last post dealt with teaching the Infinitive.

This post will deal with teaching the Gerund.

You may wish to choose the following text in order to introduce the Gerund.

Spending a few days on a kibbutz can be a very exciting experience. Our class spent an entire week working on a kibbutz in the Galilee last year. Living among the kibbutz members, we had a chance to learn about a different way of life. Working in the fields, we became aware of the importance of agriculture and a person's attachment to the land. We enjoyed sharing the meals in the big communal dining room and swimming in the pool. Time went by very quickly and we were truly sorry when we had to leave. We are all looking forward to visiting our friends on the kibbutz soon.

After reading the text, you may wish to ask your students to:

 1. Underline all the verbs ending in ing and discuss the differences between these structures and other ing structures they have studied (Progressive Tenses).

 2. Group the verbs ending in ing that can be replaced by a noun.

  3. Group the verbs ending in ing that follow a Preposition or a special verb (enjoy, finish, etc.)

Homework assignment

Rewrite the following sentences using the words in brackets.

1. I like to swim more than I like any other sport. (swimming – favourite sport)

2. I was very excited when I spoke to him. (speaking – exciting experience)

3. It is often very difficult to move to another town. (moving – difficult matter)

4. It was very pleasant to work for him. (working – pleasure)

5. It is very difficult to study English. (studying – not easy)

6. It is forbidden to smoke here. (smoking – not allowed)

7. I only relax when I listen to music. (listening – feel better)

8. While I was on my way home I witnessed an accident. (walking – saw)

9. I met many interesting people when I lived in France. (living – gave me a chance)

10. It is very important to teach children good manners. (Teaching – essential)