Festival customs around the world
A festival is a special time when families and communities celebrate together. A custom is something people do in a fixed way each year.
Examples: Diwali (lighting lamps, making rangoli, sharing sweets), Holi (playing with colours, singing and dancing), Eid (praying together, visiting relatives, sharing food), Pongal (cooking the first rice of the harvest), Christmas (decorating a tree, singing carols), Lunar New Year (cleaning the house, family dinner, watching fireworks).
Useful words: celebrate, decorate, lantern, feast, gather, wish, gift, costume. Why we celebrate: to say thank you for the harvest, to remember a story, and to be together.
Forming the -ing form
Most verbs just add -ing: sing โ singing. Drop a silent e: dance โ dancing. Double the last letter after one short vowel: run โ running, stop โ stopping. Verbs ending in -ie change to -ying: lie โ lying.
The gerund: the -ing form as a noun
A gerund works like a noun.
- As the subject: Lighting lanterns is fun. Cooking takes time.
- After some verbs: enjoy, love, like, finish, mind, avoid, keep, practise, suggest, miss. We enjoy singing. She finished decorating.
- After prepositions: Thank you for inviting us. She is good at drawing. I am looking forward to seeing you.
- Fixed phrases: go shopping, spend the day cooking, it is no use crying.
Note: a gerund subject takes a singular verb: Dancing is fun.
Some verbs (want, hope, decide, plan) take to + verb, not -ing: We want to celebrate.
The -ing participle after a noun and as a describing word
An -ing phrase after a noun describes it, and means "who/which is doing it": the children dancing in the yard (= who are dancing); people watching fireworks; the bus leaving at six.
An -ing word before a noun also describes it: a dancing girl, burning lamps, a sleeping baby.
Difference: a gerund is a noun (Dancing is fun); a participle describes a noun (the girl dancing).
Key formulas and definitions
- Gerund subject: V-ing + singular verb (Dancing is fun)
- Verb + -ing: enjoy, finish, mind, avoid, keep, practise, suggest
- Preposition + -ing: good at singing, for inviting, to seeing
- Noun + V-ing phrase: people watching fireworks
- Spelling: dance โ dancing, run โ running, lie โ lying
Worked examples
1. Join the ideas: Light lanterns. It is fun. (use an -ing subject)
"Lighting lanterns is fun."
2. Fill in: We enjoy ____ (sing) songs at the festival.
"singing". Enjoy is followed by the -ing form.
3. Fill in: Thank you for ____ (invite) us.
"inviting". After the preposition for, use -ing.
4. Shorten: The children who are dancing in the yard are my cousins.
"The children dancing in the yard are my cousins."
5. Correct: She finished to decorate the house.
"She finished decorating the house." Finish is followed by -ing.
6. Write four lines about a festival in your home using -ing forms.
"Cleaning the house is the first job. We spend the afternoon cooking sweets. Neighbours visiting us bring gifts. We end the day watching fireworks."
Common mistakes
- Using to + verb after enjoy: "enjoy to sing". Use "enjoy singing".
- Using a plural verb after a gerund subject: "Dancing are fun". Use "Dancing is fun."
- Using the base verb after a preposition: "good at sing". Use "good at singing".
- Mixing up "look forward to + -ing" with "to + verb": "look forward to meet". Use "to meeting".