Gerunds

Gerunds Gerunds Gerunds By Maeve Maddox Like the word grammar itself, the grammatical term gerund is often mentioned with a shudder. If you already understand all about gerunds, this post is not for you. If you’d like to review the concept, read on. A gerund is a verbal. If you’ve read previous posts about present and past participles, you know that a verbal is one of the principal parts of the verb that retains some verb functions at the same time it is being used as a different part of speech. A gerund is an -ing verb form used as a noun. Like a verb, a gerund can take objects and be modified by adverbs and adverbial phrases, but its function in a sentence is to serve as a noun–a noun that ends in -ing. What do nouns do? Nouns are used as the following parts of a sentence: 1. Subject 2. Direct Object 3. Subject Complement 4. Object of a Preposition Anything a noun can do, a gerund can do–because a gerund is a noun. A gerund is a noun that ends in -ing. Gerunds may be used alone or as part of a phrase. 1. Gerund as the subject of a sentence Reading is her favorite pastime. (Reading is a gerund used alone as the subject of the sentence.) Studying English has its rewards. (Studying is a gerund that has a direct object, â€Å"English.† The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the verb â€Å"has.†) Picnicking in the woods has its downside. (Picnicking is a gerund modified by a prepositional phrase, â€Å"in the woods.† The gerund phrase is the subject of the verb â€Å"has.†) 2. Gerund as a direct object My Aunt Rose loves traveling. (Traveling is a gerund used alone as the direct object of the verb â€Å"loves.†) After a week in the wild, we appreciate sleeping inside. (Sleeping is a gerund modified by the adverb â€Å"inside.† The gerund phrase is the direct object of the verb â€Å"appreciate.† Farhad enjoys singing in the shower. (Singing is a gerund modified by a prepositional phrase, â€Å"in the shower.† The gerund phrase is the direct object of the verb â€Å"enjoys.† 3. Gerund as a subject complement My cats’ favorite occupation is sleeping. (Sleeping is a gerund that completes the being verb â€Å"is.† Jack’s daily exercise is running laps. (Running is a gerund that has a direct object, â€Å"laps.† The gerund phrase completes the being verb â€Å"is.† Hester’s hobby is gardening on her rooftop. (Gardening is a gerund modified by a prepositional phrase, â€Å"on her rooftop.† The gerund phrase completes the being verb â€Å"is† and restates the subject. 4. Gerund as the object of a preposition His parents punished him for stealing. (Stealing is a gerund functioning as the object of the preposition â€Å"for.†) The search party rescued the child by climbing a cliff. (Climbing is a gerund that has a direct object, â€Å"cliff.† The gerund phrase functions as the object of the preposition â€Å"by.† Falstaff attempts to flee by hiding in a laundry basket. (Hiding is a gerund that has a prepositional phrase, â€Å"in a laundry basket.† The gerund phrase â€Å"hiding in a laundry basket† is itself the object of a preposition: â€Å"by.†) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar 101 category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire You50 Idioms About Meat and Dairy Products13 Theatrical Terms in Popular Usage