[Grammar] he started noticing changes....

[Oceanlike]

In the sentences below, I'm unsure if the words "noticing" and "making" are gerunds. The respective verbs are "started" and "stopped" I think.

- He started noticing changes in his sister

- His body has stopped making insulin.

It's embarrassing that i'm somewhat slow in identifying gerunds :-( Although I've read up on gerunds, I'm still unclear as to when it's a gerund and when it's a "to + infinitive"

Thank you for teaching me....thank you for your patience.

 

[Oceanlike]

'noticing' and 'making' are gerunds?

 

[BobK]

...
It's embarrassing that i'm somewhat slow in identifying gerunds :-( Although I've read up on gerunds, I'm still unclear as to when it's a gerund and when it's a "to + infinitive"

Thank you for teaching me....thank you for your patience.

Don't be embarrassed ;-) - this is a feature often described in confusing terms. Some people use the term gerund as though it simply meant "verb form ending with -ing". Some people distinguish between a verbal noun ending -ing (a gerund) and a present participle. English doesn't distinguish formally between I like eating (gerund) and I am eating (present participle).

You can teach/learn English without caring about the difference, and some teachers don't bother with it for that reason. But many languages do distinguish between the two; so if your own language marks this distinction, it's something you'll be aware of (and you can mark it down as something that English simplifies).

b

 

[emsr2d2]

​Are 'noticing' and 'making' [STRIKE]are[/STRIKE] gerunds?

Note the correct way to construct a question.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I don't think the distinction is that difficult. If it is a verb form ending in -ing, and it functions as a noun, it is a gerund. There is nothing mysterious about it.