4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases

A gerund is one of three classes of words called verbals — words based on verbs and
expressing an action or a state of being but serving another grammatical function. (The
other two are participles and infinitives.) A gerund, which functions as a noun, can consist
of a single word or a phrase.

The four types of gerunds and gerund phrases follow:

1. Subject

Gardening is my favorite hobby. (Gardening is normally a verb, but here it is the name of an
activity.)
Gardening in the summertime is a challenge because of the heat. (The gerund is followed by
a modifying adverbial phrase, forming a gerund phrase.)

2. Direct Object

My neighbors admire my gardening. (The admiration is not for the action of gardening, but
for the results of the action.)
I am enjoying my gardening this year. (The direct object of the subject is “my gardening this
year.”)

3. Object of Preposition

I have received several awards for my gardening. (The awards have been given for the
results of the activity.)
Some people consider my interest in gardening an obsession. (The gerund phrase is
“gardening an obsession.”)

4. Subject Complement

My favorite hobby is gardening. (Again, gardening is described as something done, not the
act of doing it. The statement is the inverse of the first sentence in this group; here “My
favorite hobby” is the subject, andgardening is its complement.)
I do my gardening in the morning. (The phrase “gardening in the morning” is the subject
complement.)

Confusion with Present Participle Phrases

If a sentence resembling one of these statements includes a comma, it’s likely to contain a
present participle phrase, not a gerund phrase. For example, the sentence “Gardening in the
summertime, I built up a resistance to hot weather” contains a present participle phrase,
which includes a participle, a verb functioning as an adjective or an adverb.

GERUND

The gerund looks exactly the same as a present participle, but it is useful to understand the
difference between the two. The gerund always has the same function as a noun (although
it looks like a verb). Some uses of the gerund are covered on this page. A separate page
deals with verbs that are followed by the gerund.

THE GERUND AS THE SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE

EXAMPLES

 Eating people is wrong.

 Hunting tigers is dangerous.
 Flying makes me nervous.
 Brushing your teeth is important.
 Smoking causes lung cancer.

THE GERUND AS THE COMPLEMENT OF THE VERB 'TO BE'

EXAMPLES

 One of his duties is attending meetings.

 The hardest thing about learning English is understanding the gerund.
 One of life's pleasures is having breakfast in bed.

THE GERUND AFTER PREPOSITIONS

The gerund must be used when a verb comes after a preposition. This is also true of certain
expressions ending in a preposition, for example the expressions in spite of & there's no
point in.

EXAMPLES

 Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?

 She is good at painting.
 She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.
 We arrived in Madrid after driving all night.
 My father decided against postponing his trip to Hungary.
 There's no point in waiting.
 In spite of missing the train, we arrived on time.
THE GERUND AFTER PHRASAL VERBS
Phrasal verbs are composed of a verb + preposition or adverb.

EXAMPLES

 When will you give up smoking?

 She always puts off going to the dentist.
 He kept on asking for money.
 Jim ended up buying a new TV after his old one broke.

There are some phrasal verbs that include the word "to" as a preposition for example to
look forward to, to take to, to be accustomed to, to get around to, & to be used to. It is
important to recognise that the word "to" is a preposition in these cases because it must be
followed by a gerund. It is not part of the infinitive form of the verb. You can check whether
"to" is a preposition or part of the infinitive. If you can put the pronoun "it" after the word
"to" and form a meaningful sentence, then the word "to" is a preposition and must be
followed by a gerund.

EXAMPLES

 I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 I look forward to it.
 I am used to waiting for buses.
 I am used to it.
 She didn't really take to studying English.
 She didn't really take to it.
 When will you get around to mowing the grass?
 When will you get around to it?

THE GERUND IN COMPOUND NOUNS

In compound nouns using the gerund, it is clear that the meaning is that of a noun, not of a
continuous verb. For example, with the word "swimming pool" it is a pool for swimming in,
it is not a pool that is swimming.

EXAMPLES

 I am giving Sally a driving lesson.

 They have a swimming pool in their back yard.
 I bought some new running shoes.
THE GERUND AFTER SOME EXPRESSIONS
The gerund is necessary after the expressions can't help, can't stand, to be worth, & it's no
use.

EXAMPLES

 She couldn't help falling in love with him.

 I can't stand being stuck in traffic jams.
 It's no use trying to escape.
 It might be worth phoning the station to check the time of the train.

Gerund as Subject, Object or Complement

Try to think of a gerund as a noun in verb form.

Like nouns, gerunds can be the subject, object or complement of a sentence:

 Smoking costs a lot of money.

 I don't like writing.

 My favourite occupation is reading.

But, like verbs, a gerund can also have an object itself. In this case, the whole expression
(gerund + object) can be the subject, object or complement of the sentence.

 Smoking cigarettes costs a lot of money.

 I don't like writing letters.

 My favourite occupation is reading detective stories.

Like nouns, we can use gerunds with adjectives (including articles and other determiners):

 pointless questioning

 a settling of debts

 the making of this film

 his drinking of alcohol

 When we use a gerund with an article, it does not usually take a direct object:

 a settling of debts (not a settling debts)

 Making this film was expensive.

 The making of this film was expensive.

Do you see the difference in the following two sentences? In one, "reading" is a gerund
(noun). In the other, "reading" is a present participle (verb).

1. My favourite occupation is reading.

2. My favourite niece is reading.

The gerund as subject

Tags:

 gerund

A gerund clause can be the subject of a sentence:

Hiking can be a relaxing and rewarding activity.

Swimming in the winter can boost your immune system.
Learning a foreign language is easier at a young age.

The use of the gerund as subject is more common than that of the to-infinitive.

1. Cooking is one of her hobbies.

2. Cycling is fun.
3. Getting a good job is not easy.
4. Finding a parking space is quite difficult in this area.
5. Driving becomes more and more expensive.
6. No smoking in this area.
7. Working overtime is quite common in this company.
8. Eating fruits and vegetables is good for your health.
9. Making fun of other people is not nice.
10. Learning about other cultures makes people more tolerant.
Gerunds:
Form and Use (#1)
Gerunds are -ing forms of verbs, but they are not part of any
verb tense. Instead, they are used as nouns. Notice that

1. Most gerunds are the -ing form (base form + -ing)

of a verb .

2. Gerunds may be affirmative or negative. Negatives

are formed by putting not before the -ing form.
Gerunds may be used exactly as nouns are used. Their most
common uses are

1. as subjects;

2. as objects of verbs and prepositions;

3. as subject complements.
Examples:

Subjects

Swimming is excellent exercise.

Drinking too much coffee gives him a headache.

Eating too quickly gave him an upset stomach.

Not doing his homework caused him to fail the test.

Not having an answering machine causes him

to miss many calls.

Objects

He dislikes doing homework.

The manager suggested having our meeting

away from the office.

He proposed meeting in a restaurant.

 I look forward to seeing you soon.

She's worried about missing her bus.

Are you tired of studying?

She's depressed about not passing the test.

He's nervous because of not being on time.

He's tired from not getting enough sleep.

Subject Complements

His hobby is playing computer games.

My least favorite chore is cleaning the bathroom.

His problem is not coming to class on time.

2. Most gerunds use the -ing form of a verb. There is,

however, a past form for gerunds: having +
past participle.

I regret saying that. /

I regret having said that.

Excuse me for bothering you. /

Excuse me for having bothered you.

I'm worried about not passing the test. /

I'm worried about not having passed the test.

3. Gerunds may also be used (though this not common)

as object complements:

Ms. Jones considers tardiness being more than

five minutes late for class.
 How can you call this nonsense writing creatively?

Object complements with gerunds are possible with

only a few verbs. The most common ones are call
and consider.

What Is a Gerund Phrase?

A gerund is a verb form that ends in -ing. A gerund phraseincludes the gerund, plus any
modifiers and complements. Gerunds and gerund phrases always function as nouns. They
can act as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nominatives, or objects of a
preposition in a sentence.

To determine whether a word or phrase is functioning as a gerund versus a present

participle, try replacing it with the word something. If something works in the sentence,
then the word or phrase is a gerund.

Subject Examples:
Climbing is not as easy as it looks.

(Climbing is the gerund. It acts as a subject in the sentence.)

Riding a roller coaster scares my little brother.

(Riding is the gerund. Riding a roller coaster is the gerund phrase. It acts as a subject in the
sentence.)

Direct Object Examples:

In the summer, Kara prefers swimming.

(Swimming is the gerund. It acts as a direct object in the sentence.)

Sophia likes jumping on the trampoline.

(Jumping is the gerund, and jumping on the trampoline is the gerund phrase. The gerund
phrase acts as a direct object in the sentence.)
Indirect Object Examples:
In Costa Rica, we gave zip lining a try.

(Zip lining is the gerund. It acts as an indirect object in the sentence.)

As part of his exercise regimen, Jack made walking every day a priority.

(Walking is the gerund, and walking every day is the gerund phrase. The gerund phrase acts
as an indirect object in the sentence.)

Predicate Nominative Examples:

Micah’s favorite sport is running.

(Running is the gerund. It acts as a predicate nominative in the sentence, identifying sport.)

Kylie’s main interest is working with computers.

(Working is the gerund, and working with computers is the gerund phrase. The gerund
phrase acts as a predicate nominative in the sentence, identifying interest.)

Object of a Preposition Examples:

Her interest in gardening developed over time.

(Gardening is the gerund. It acts as an object of the preposition in in the sentence.)

Scott’s attitude about studying for tests improved.

(Studying is the gerund, and studying for tests is the gerund phrase. The gerund phrase acts
as an object of the preposition about in the sentence.)

Gerunds
 A gerund is one of three types of verbals. A verbal is formed using a verb, but it
functions as a different part of speech in the sentence.
Gerunds function as nouns in the sentence. Typically, a gerund is used as a "thing"
or an "idea," and gerunds always end in "-ing". They can function as subjects, direct
objects, objects of the preposition, and predicate nouns.

Examples of Gerunds:
Gerunds are not the only types of verbals that can end in "-ing," so make sure that
the word you find is functioning as a noun in the sentence.
Gerunds can appear by themselves, or they can be part of a larger gerund phrase.

Examples of gerunds or gerund phrases used as the subject:

1. Singing is one of my hobbies.
2. Running is good exercise.
3. Watching television does not burn many calories.

4. Cooking is one of her hobbies.

5. Cycling is fun.

Examples of gerunds or gerund phrases used as direct objects:

1. I enjoy cooking with my mom.
2. Mark likes playing on the team.
3. The teacher appreciated my trying the math problem.
4. F r a n c i s c o e n j o y s s w i m m i n g m o r e t h a n s p e n d i n g t i m e w i t h h i s
girlfriend Diana.
5. Sophia likes jumping on the trampoline.

Examples of gerunds or gerund phrases used as objects of the preposition.

1. Leslie got into trouble for talking to Sarah.
 2. Have you ever read a book about riding a bike?
3. Upon finding a piece of glass on the floor, Jan called the teacher.
4. W h e n F r a n c i s c o w o r e d i v e f i n s t o c l a s s , e v e r y o n e k n e w t h a t h e
was devoted to swimming.
5. Her interest in gardening developed over time.

Examples of gerunds or gerund phrases used as predicate nouns.

1. A good career for me might be nursing.
2. My favorite pastime is reading books.
3. The most fun I had on the trip was swimming in the ocean.

Examples of gerunds or gerund phrases used as appositive

1. I had problems starting the car this morning.

2. I had no difficulty passing the exam.
3. I had no trouble finding a place to live.
4. We all had a good time dancing last night.
5. The children have a lot of fun playing together

Examples of gerunds or gerund phrases used as subject complement.

1. What I really like is travelling to other countries.

2. Seeing is believing.
3. His hobby is playing computer games.
4. My least favorite chore is cleaning the bathroom.
5. His problem is not coming to class on time.