They became friends because they both enjoy hiking.

I’m hoping to achieve new heights in swimming.

What is the connection between these two sentences?

Both of them conclude with verbs, although they are not ordinary verbs in either case. They are referred to as gerunds. Think about what these verbs are doing; unlike most verbs, they are not describing the actions that are taking place in these sentences in the way that is expected of them. Gerunds, being nouns, do not convey any sense of activity to the reader.

What is a gerund? Gerunds are useful and changeable words as they help us to narrate and write about activities in an abstract manner. So it is because they place activities as reasons for certain results, hobbies, and receivers of subjects’ behaviours.

Define gerund and its functioning

As per the article, what is a gerund, the word “gerund,” which can be pronounced “JER-und,” refers to a verb that can also be used as a noun. That is to say, the term that expresses the action that is taking place, such as “thinking,” “running,” or “speaking,” becomes a thing, a concept that can now be the subject, indirect object, direct object, or the object of a preposition. 

What is a gerund? Is it a verb or a noun? Gerunds are still considered a verb, but their role in the sentence shifts from that of describing the action to that of becoming the focus of attention.

The following are two examples of sentences that contain gerunds:

• As a food blogger, in the production of Shoshanna, eating is involved.

• To focus on his homework, Fazal turned off his phone and shut the door of his room.

As can be seen from the examples given above in this article, what is a gerund, gerunds are just the present participle form of verbs. Therefore, it suggests that they are the base verb plus the “ing” form:

• Cramming

• Wondering

• Seeing

But it isn’t what sets them out as gerunds in the first place. To qualify as a gerund, a verb must be used in the same way that one would use a noun in the sentence. Present participle verbs are not gerunds when they function like the verbs in the preceding instances and describe the activity taking place in a phrase.

• She is watching the movie for the second time.

• I tripped on the uneven pavement while walking back from school.

As per the article, what is a gerund, gerunds are not the only words (or groups of words) that perform a function typically carried out by another category of word. For instance, a sentence that functions as an adverb is referred to as an adverbial clause. Likewise, a phrase that performs the same purpose as an adjective when characterising a noun is referred to as an adjective phrase.

What is a gerund phrase?

A phrase is considered a gerund phrase if it contains a gerund, a modifier, an object, or in certain cases, both of these components. Consider the following three examples of gerund phrases:

• expressing regret to them

• underground diving

• running with sick

The gerund phrase, much like a gerund itself, can act as a noun when it appears in a sentence. Take a look at the following gerund phrases and understand how they execute this function:

• Expressing regret to them is essential for me.

• My brother and his friends adore underground diving to explore.

• I don’t recommend running with sick right now (or ever).

A phrase is a condensed group of words that effectively communicates an idea but cannot function as a sentence on its own. There are many different phrases in the English language, the most common of which are prepositional phrases, adjective phrases, verb phrases, and noun phrases.

Gerunds can also be used with phrasal verbs, which are two words that combine a verb with an adverb or preposition to say something that neither word could say on its own. Some examples of phrasal verbs are:

• Miss out

• Check into.

• Take command

Here are a couple of examples of how phrasal verbs and gerunds might operate together:

• Unfortunately, I can’t seem to take command of programming, no matter how hard I try.

• When my mother-in-law is present, I’m scared to check into the kitchen.

Kinds of gerunds

Gerunds are divided into six categories:

1. Subject: My newest interest is biking.
2. Subject complement: My loved transportation mode is biking.
3. Direct object: I enjoy biking.
4. Indirect object: My sister tried biking for the first time.
5. Object complement: Every day, I picture myself biking.
6. The object of a preposition: I set aside a few hours on the weekend for biking.

Gerunds can be changed almost as much as nouns. They can be replaced with pronouns just like nouns can:

• Biking is my latest pastime, so I set aside some time on the weekend for it.

What is a gerund infinitive?

Not all verbs that can be used as nouns are gerunds. If you want to use a verb as a noun, you can also change it into an infinitive.

An infinitive is made up of the word “to” and the root of a verb. An infinitive can be used as a noun to talk about a single idea or as an adjective to describe a noun in a sentence. Here are some examples, with the infinitives highlighted:

• I bought us some juice to drink with our dinner. (adjective)

• To make a mistake is human. (noun)

• I hope to read the newspaper in the waiting room. (adjective)

• We enjoy travel, but we could not do so last year due to financial constraints. (noun)

As you can see through this article, what is a gerund, gerunds and infinitives are similar, but they are not the same thing. For example, in a sentence where the infinitive acts as a noun, you can easily switch it out for a gerund:

• We enjoy travelling, but we could not do so last year due to financial constraints.

• Making mistakes is human.

However, when the gerund is the object of a preposition, you can’t always go the opposite way: “I set aside a couple of hours on Sunday for to ride.”

“I set aside a couple of hours on Sunday to ride,” removing ‘for’ from the sentence would also make sense. If you do this, you will no longer have a prepositional phrase.

On the other hand, some transitive verbs can only be used with an infinitive. Consider the following examples:

Correct: I intend to dance.

Incorrect: I intend dancing.

Correct: They will choose to come.

Incorrect: They will decide coming.

The thumb rule to remember while using an infinitive is when you are writing about something abstract, non-existent, or perhaps happening:

• That’s the place she wants to marry.

When talking about something specific, real, or that has already happened, use a gerund:

• For example, the attic was the ideal location for writing.

What is the best way to make a gerund?

As previously stated in this article, what is a gerund, gerunds are formed by appending “ing” to the end of a root verb. In other words, a gerund is a verb in the present participle form—but not every verb in the present participle form is a gerund.

Gerunds Examples

As per the article, what is a gerund, gerunds are quite adaptive. So here are some more gerund and gerund phrase sentences:

• The students were more concerned with passing the class than with learning.

• Angela’s weight loss journey was aided by running.

• Her calling seemed to be social work.

• We saw a public service broadcast on the hazards of intoxicated driving.

Gerunds are likely to appear in your work, whether an essay, a short novel, a blog post or even an email or text message. So the next time you write something, try to detect the gerunds. They might be difficult to identify, but learning how to do so can help you become a better writer and reader.

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