Gerunds: a comprehensive overview of their role as verb forms ending in -ing, functioning as nouns in English grammar.
Gerunds are verb forms ending in -ing that function as nouns. They can appear as subjects, objects, or complements in a sentence, and can also follow prepositions or certain verbs. Understanding gerunds is key to mastering English verb patterns and sentence structure.
Subject
When a gerund functions as the subject of a sentence, it performs the action described by the verb.
- Swimming is good exercise.
- Reading improves your vocabulary.
- Traveling broadens your horizons.
Gerund subjects can be modified by adjectives or possessive pronouns:
- His singing is beautiful.
- Difficult cooking requires patience.
Object
Gerunds can function as objects of verbs, receiving the action.
- I enjoy painting.
- She avoided talking to him.
- They finished cleaning the room.
Some verbs are commonly followed by gerund objects:
- avoid, enjoy, finish, keep, practice, stop, suggest
Example: I keep exercising every day.
In the sentence 'She finished cleaning the room,' what is the grammatical function of 'cleaning the room'?
It is the object of the verb 'finished'.
'Cleaning the room' is a gerund phrase acting as the direct object of the verb 'finished', indicating the completed action.
Object of Preposition
Gerunds can follow prepositions, acting as the object of the preposition.
- I’m interested in learning French.
- She’s good at drawing.
- They left without saying goodbye.
Prepositions + gerunds are common in English:
- after, before, by, without, instead of, in, on, about
Example: He succeeded by working hard.
Complement
Gerunds can be subject complements following linking verbs like be.
- Her favorite hobby is reading.
- The problem is missing the deadline.
- My job is teaching English.
Other linking verbs can also be followed by gerunds:
- become, seem, feel
Example: He seems enjoying the party.
After Certain Verbs
Some verbs are followed by gerunds, not infinitives. This is a common source of errors.
- I enjoy singing.
- She avoids driving at night.
- They consider moving to Spain.
Common verbs + gerunds:
- admit, avoid, consider, enjoy, finish, imagine, keep, mention, practice, quit, suggest
Example: He suggested going to the museum.
In the sentence 'He suggested going to the museum,' why is 'going' used instead of 'to go'?
Because 'suggest' is followed by a gerund.
The verb 'suggest' is followed by a gerund. Using the infinitive ('to go') would be grammatically incorrect here.
After Prepositions
When a verb follows a preposition, it must be a gerund.
- She’s interested in studying medicine.
- We talked about going to Italy.
- He left without saying a word.
This rule applies even after verb + preposition combinations:
- apologize for, insist on, succeed in, be good at
Example: They apologized for being late.
Meaning and Usage
Gerunds express the idea of an action or activity as a concept or thing.
- I like swimming. (the activity)
- Swimming is fun.
- He dislikes waiting.
Gerunds can show cause, reason, or explain a situation:
- Being tired, she went to bed early.
- I got a ticket for speeding.
Gerund vs. Infinitive
Some verbs can be followed by either a gerund or infinitive, but the meaning changes.
- I stopped smoking. (quit the habit)
- I stopped to smoke. (paused in order to smoke)
- I remember locking the door. (recall the action)
- I remembered to lock the door. (didn’t forget)
Other verbs take one form only:
- enjoy gerund
- decide infinitive
- avoid gerund
- want infinitive
Form and Spelling
Forming a gerund is simple: verb + -ing.
Spelling rules:
- For one-syllable verbs ending in consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant: run → running
- If the verb ends in silent e, drop the e: write → writing
- For verbs ending in ie, change ie to y: lie → lying
Examples:
- swim → swimming
- make → making
- lie → lying
- travel → traveling
Summary
Gerunds are -ing verb forms that function as nouns. They can be subjects, objects, complements, or objects of prepositions. They follow certain verbs and prepositions and express actions as concepts or activities. Understanding gerunds helps you create more complex and natural English sentences.
Why is understanding gerunds important for English learners?
Because gerunds appear in many common sentence patterns and improve fluency.
Gerunds are essential for forming natural sentences involving actions as concepts, especially after certain verbs and prepositions.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
