What makes a gerund

A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun. The term verbal indicates that a gerund, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being.

However, since a gerund functions as a noun, it occupies some positions in a sentence that a noun ordinarily would, for example: subject, direct object, subject complement, and object of preposition. Participle Phrase Try Grammar Coach. What is a gerund? When making a gerund, there are a few things to watch out for: Unless a verb ends in -ee or -ie, we drop the final -e in a verb before adding -ing as in joking, taking , and making.

If a verb ends in -ee, add -ing like normal as in agreeing , fleeing , and seeing. If a verb ends in -ie, replace it with — y before adding -ing as in lying lie , tying tie , and dying die. Generally speaking, these are the rules of when to double a final consonant to form a gerund: If a one-syllable verb ends in consonant-vowel-consonant , double the final consonant, as in strumming , cutting , blurring , and spinning.

Rule 1 is ignored if the verb ends in — w or — y as in knowing or playing. For longer verbs that end in consonant-vowel-consonant , we only double the final consonant if the last syllable is stressed: Stressed: omitting, referring, forgetting Unstressed: visiting, eliciting, fidgeting List of gerunds You can turn any verb you want except a modal verb into a gerund.

She loves reading books to the children at the library. When it comes to hunting deer, nobody is better than Leroy. Katey much prefers playing with kittens to raising them. The movie star has a very strenuous fitness routine that involves dieting , jogging , sprinting , running , and lifting weights. How do gerunds function? Gerunds as nouns As stated already, gerunds look like verbs but behave like nouns.

Gerund as a subject complement: His favorite activity is reading. Gerund phrase as a subject complement: The thing she hated most about school was getting up early.

They can be used as both direct objects as well as objects of prepositions: Gerund as a direct object: Helena has mastered fencing. Gerund phrase as a direct object: They hate mowing the lawn. Gerund as an object of a preposition: He quickly resorted to begging.

Gerund phrase as an object of a preposition: Holidays are perfect for visiting family. Gerund vs. Cooking is a useful skill to learn. Cooking is a gerund used as a noun. The chefs are cooking steaks. Cooking is a present participle used to form the present continuous tense. Chef Romero, cooking with gusto, prepared a course meal.

For instance:. When using any verb after a preposition, you must always use it as a gerund, and not in any other form. In the same way, when using a phrasal verbs, you must also use the gerund. Phrasal verbs are verbs formed in conjunction with a preposition or an adverb.

We don't mind paying. She considered quitting. My sister avoids cooking large dinners. The team practiced kicking into the goal.

We don't mind paying for the car. She considered quitting her job. Gerunds as Indirect Objects An indirect object indicates who, whom or what the action is directed toward. More gerunds as indirect objects include: I never gave reading enough of a chance. The ballerina taught us dancing. My mother spent her life teaching. She made running her routine. Taylor gave painting a try. The ballerina taught us dancing to music. My mother has devoted her life to teaching children.

She made running in the morning her routine. Taylor gave painting landscapes a try. Gerunds as Objects of Prepositions When a gerund follows a preposition, it's an object of the preposition. My love for reading was immediate. After studying , we took a break. Kira always talks about running. We got in trouble for chatting. Ian has received ten job offers since graduating.