Gerunds are words in verb form that end in ‘ing’ but act as nouns.
A Verbal and a Gerund
To understand what a gerund is, we first must know what a verbal is. A verbal is a verb that acts like a different part of speech. So, a gerund is a type of verbal that ends in -ing and is used like a noun.
To spot a gerund, you want to look for verbs ending in -ing that are used in a sentence as the:
Subject of the sentence:
Let’s look at a couple of examples of how a gerund is used as a subject. Here’s one:
‘Running’ may satisfy your need for speed.’
In this sentence, the word ‘Running’ is the subject. Since it’s a verb ending in -ing that is acting like a noun by being the subject, it’s a gerund.
(running)
‘Being‘ in charge excites my power-hungry sister.’
The phrase ‘being in charge‘ is the subject of the sentence, and since ‘being’ is a verb ending in -ing that is used as part of the subject, then ‘being’ is a gerund.
Object of a sentence:
For a gerund to be used as a direct object, it needs to represent the thing upon which the action of a verb is done or directed toward.
For example, in the sentence,
‘Mary always enjoys striking a pose,’
‘Striking’ comes after the verb ‘enjoys,’ and it is what is enjoyed. So, ‘striking’ is a gerund.
Here’s another sentence to examine:
‘The librarian does not appreciate my ‘singing‘.
(singing)
‘Singing’ is a verb ending in -ing that is after the verb ‘appreciate,’ and ‘singing’ explains what is not appreciated. So, ‘singing’ is another example of a gerund used as a direct object.
After a Preposition:
Gerunds can also be found after a preposition, which is a word which shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in a sentence.
For example, in the sentence:
‘I am tired of studying‘
(studying)
A verb that comes after a preposition must always be in gerund form. In the example above the preposition ‘of,’ is followed by ‘studying’ which is a gerund.
After certain verbs:
Example:
‘The house needs repairing.
(repairing)
In this sentence, the word ‘needs’ is the verb and is followed by ‘repairing‘ which is the gerund.
Click on the link below to play the gerunds game.