التواصل · Programme: Noun formation (3) · Grammar: Gerund + noun; noun + gerund
By the end of this lesson, I can:
- Name different phones and ways of communicating
- Make a phone call and arrange a meeting politely
- Use the gerund (verb-ing) as a noun: subject, after verbs, after prepositions
- Form compound nouns: gerund + noun (waiting room) and noun + gerund (window shopping)
- Spell -ing forms correctly (coming, chatting, joining)
🖼️ Picture dictionary قاموس مصوّر
tap 🔊 to listen📚 كلمات الدرس
12 كلمة من هذا الدرس في القاموس المدرسي: المعنى بالعربية والفرنسية، والنطق، ومثال.
📖 Read: A phone call for the Reading Week أقرأ
Meriem Jaziri is the president of her school’s English club. She phones a bookshop to invite a seller to the school’s Reading Week.
Do you understand? أفهم
Answer in your copybook first, then check.
- Who is Peter Grant?
Answer
A seller at a bookshop called Page Turner Books.
- Do Meriem and Mr Grant know each other? How?
Answer
Yes, they met at the book fair in Sfax last month.
- Why can’t Mr Grant come on Tuesday?
Answer
Because he has got a meeting in Tunis.
- When and where will they meet?
Answer
On Thursday at 10 a.m., at the reception desk of the school.
- Find two words ending in -ing used as nouns.
Answer
reading (stories), inviting, meeting…
🧩 Grammar القواعد
A gerund is a verb + -ing used like a noun.
- as a subject: Chatting online can be fun.
- after verbs like like, love, enjoy, hate, finish, mind: Pupils love reading.
- after prepositions (for, about, before, after, without, to in “look forward to”): Thank you for inviting me. I look forward to meeting you.
Noun formation (compound nouns):
- gerund + noun = a thing used for the action: a swimming pool (a pool for swimming), a waiting room, reading glasses.
- noun + gerund = the action done to/with the noun: sightseeing, window shopping, letter writing, horse riding.
الـ gerund هو الفعل + ing ويُستعمل كاسم: فاعلًا، أو بعد أفعال مثل enjoy وlike، أو بعد حروف الجر (look forward to + ing). ونكوّن به أسماء مركّبة: swimming pool (مسبح) وsightseeing (زيارة المعالم).
Compound nouns with -ing
| Gerund + noun 🧰 | Meaning | Noun + gerund 🎯 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| a swimming pool | a pool for swimming | sightseeing | seeing the sights of a place |
| a waiting room | a room for waiting | window shopping | looking at shop windows without buying |
| a washing machine | a machine for washing | horse riding | riding a horse |
| a parking area | an area for parking | letter writing | writing letters |
| a shopping centre | a centre for shopping | bird watching | watching birds |
Spelling -ing forms
| Rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| most verbs: + -ing | join ▸ joining, read ▸ reading, play ▸ playing |
| verb ending in -e: drop the e | come ▸ coming, write ▸ writing, ride ▸ riding |
| short verb, 1 vowel + 1 consonant: double it | chat ▸ chatting, shop ▸ shopping, swim ▸ swimming |
| verb ending in -ie: ie ▸ y | lie ▸ lying, die ▸ dying |
On the phone
- 📞 Hello, this is Meriem. / Peter Grant speaking.
- 🙋 Could I speak to Mr Grant, please?
- ⏳ Hold on, please. / I’m afraid he’s out.
- ✉️ Would you like to leave a message?
- 🔁 Could you call back later?
“to” is a preposition here, so it takes a gerund: I look forward to seeing you (NOT to see).
💬 Useful expressions عبارات مفيدة
Telephoning
Arranging a meeting
🔊 Pronunciation النطق
Worked examples أمثلة محلولة
Try first, then read the solution.
Rewrite with a gerund: “To ski is one of my favourite activities.”
Step-by-step solution
- The subject is an action: to ski.
- Change it into a gerund: skiing.
✓ Skiing is one of my favourite activities.
“A room where people wait.” ▸ a … room
Step-by-step solution
- The room is used for waiting.
- Gerund + noun.
✓ a waiting room
chat, write, join ▸ -ing
Step-by-step solution
- chat: one vowel + one consonant ▸ double t.
- write: drop the e.
- join: just add -ing.
✓ chatting, writing, joining
⚠️ Common mistakes أخطاء شائعة
⭐ Remember أحفظ
- Gerund = verb + -ing used as a noun.
- Use it as a subject, after enjoy / like / finish / mind, and after prepositions.
- look forward to + -ing: I look forward to meeting you.
- Gerund + noun: swimming pool, waiting room. Noun + gerund: sightseeing, window shopping.
- Spelling: come ▸ coming, chat ▸ chatting, lie ▸ lying.
- On the phone: This is… / Could I speak to…? / Would Thursday suit you?
Quick quiz اختبار سريع
4 questions · instant feedback1. I’m looking forward to … you.
2. A pool for swimming is a …
3. The -ing form of “come” is …
4. “Could I speak to Mr Grant, please?” – “I’m afraid he’s out. Would you like to …?”
✍️ Write: Project presentation: invite your class to your blog أكتب
Your blog My Ideal Mobile Phone is ready! Write a short message to invite your classmates (or another class) to your presentation. Say when and where it is, what you will show, and use at least three gerunds (e.g. look forward to seeing, thank you for coming, a meeting room).
Steps
- Greet your readers and introduce your group.
- Say what the presentation is about.
- Give the day, time and place (meet at the … / come round to …).
- Use gerunds: enjoy, thank you for, look forward to + -ing.
- End politely.
A model text to compare with (after writing mine)
Dear friends of 9C,
Our group has finished working on our English project, My Ideal Mobile Phone, and we would love to show it to you! Come round to the computer room next Monday at 11 a.m. We will present our blog, our photos and the special functions of our phone, like translating words and charging with sunlight. Designing our phone was really fun, and we hope you will enjoy reading our posts and leaving comments. Please be on time, because the room is free for only one hour. Thank you for coming, and we look forward to seeing you there!
Rayen, Salma, Dhia and Molka
One good example among many: compare, don’t copy.
😊 The lighter side استراحة
Seeing is believing.
What can you catch but not throw?
Answer
A cold – or a phone call!
Why was the mobile phone wearing glasses? Because it lost all its contacts!
✅ Exercises تمارين
All exercises →6 exercises on three levels, with new questions every time.
- Choose the right answerTo do
- ClassifyTo do
- Situation 1To do
- Situation 2To do
Practise: Communication
True or false, complete, choose, classify and situations: instant correction with explanations.
Got the lesson? Try it yourself
6 exercises · instant correction · new questions every time
Start the exercisesPictures: Twemoji (CC-BY 4.0). Texts, explanations and exercises: Scolaire.tn.