* Gerund: A verb form ending in "-ing" that functions as a noun.
* Preposition: A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence (e.g., "on," "in," "to," "for").
* Object of the preposition: The noun or pronoun that follows a preposition and receives its action.
Examples:
* She is interested in learning new languages. ("Learning" is the gerund, "in" is the preposition, and "learning" is the object of the preposition.)
* He is excited about going to the concert. ("Going" is the gerund, "about" is the preposition, and "going" is the object of the preposition.)
* They are afraid of making a mistake. ("Making" is the gerund, "of" is the preposition, and "making" is the object of the preposition.)
In these examples, the gerunds "learning," "going," and "making" function as nouns, acting as the direct objects of the prepositions "in," "about," and "of," respectively.
Here are some more prepositions that commonly take gerunds as their objects:
* before
* after
* by
* during
* instead of
* without
* through
* for
Remember: When a gerund is used as the object of a preposition, it functions as a noun and is not a verb in the sentence.