English Grammar Guide

Gerunds

A gerund is what we call a present participle (the ..ing form) of a verb, which acts as a noun.

Gerunds

A gerund is what we call a present participle (the ..ing form) of a verb which acts as a noun. When it acts as a noun, a gerund can be used as a subject, direct object, subject complement or the object of a preposition.

Gerund as a subject:

  • Smoking is known to be bad for your health.   (Smoking is the gerund.)

Gerund as direct object:

  • The crowd did not appreciate her singing.   (Singing is the gerund.)

Gerund as subject complement:

  • My cat's favorite activity is sleeping.   (Sleeping is the gerund.)

Gerund as object of preposition:

  • The police arrested him for speeding.   (Speeding is the gerund.)

A Gerund Phrase is a group of words consisting of a gerund, modifier(s) and/or noun(s), pronoun(s) or noun phrase(s) which function as the direct object(s), indirect object(s), or complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the gerund.


Some examples:

  • The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the sentence.
    Finding a needle in a haystack would be easier than what we're trying to do.

  • The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the sentence.
    Working with his father made Jeff feel uncomfortable.

  • The gerund phrase functions as the direct object of a verb.
    I hope that you appreciate my offering you this opportunity.

  • The gerund phrase functions as the object of a preposition.
    You might get in trouble for faking an illness to avoid work.

Verbs followed by Gerunds and Infinitives

 
 

Verbs followed by gerunds

When two verbs are used together, some verbs can only be followed by a gerund, not an infinitive. Some of the more common of these verbs are shown below:

  • stop

  • keep

  • enjoy

  • postpone

  • dislike

  • recommend

  • avoid

  • detest

  • feel like

  • give up

  • put off

  • practice

  • finish

Verbs followed by an infinitive

Similarly, when two verbs are used together, some verbs can only be followed by an infinitive and not a gerund. Some of the more common of these verbs are shown below:

  • hope

  • expect

  • intend

  • agree

  • refuse

  • appear

  • manage

  • promise

  • afford

  • decide

  • choose

  • fail

  • wait

  • volunteer

Verbs followed by either a gerund or infinitive

Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive. However, there is often a difference in meaning between a verb following in an infinitive form and the gerund form.

  • try

  • remember

  • like

  • forget

  • love

  • prefer

  • start

  • begin

  • continue

  • can't stand

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