Gerund Phrases

What’s a Gerund?

A gerund is always the -ing form of a verb that functions as a noun.

• Verb: swim
• Gerund: swimming
• Verb: read
• Gerund: reading
• Verb: cook
• Gerund: cooking

Important Note: Don’t confuse gerunds with the present continuous tense (e.g., “I am swimming“). In the present continuous, the -ing word is part of the verb. With a gerund, it’s acting like a noun.

Gerunds as Subjects: The “Who” or “What” of the Sentence?

Just like a regular noun, a gerund can be the subject of a sentence. This means it’s the “who” or “what” that performs the action of the main verb.

When a gerund is the subject, the verb that follows it is always singular (like “is,” “was,” “has,” “does”).

Think of it like this:

• A person is the subject: She is happy.
• An animal is the subject: The cat is sleeping.
• A gerund (an activity as a noun) is the subject: Swimming is fun.

Examples of Gerunds as Subjects:

• Learning a new language takes time and dedication. (What takes time and dedication? Learning.)
• Reading helps you improve your vocabulary. (What helps you improve? Reading.)
• Waking up early is good for your productivity. (What is good for your productivity? Waking up.)
• Exercising regularly keeps you healthy. (What keeps you healthy? Exercising.)
• Traveling allows you to see new cultures. (What allows you to see new cultures? Traveling.)

Notice how in all these sentences, the -ing word is the main topic of the sentence. It’s the “thing” we’re talking about!

Gerunds as Objects: Receiving the Action

Gerunds can also act as the object of a verb or a preposition. This means they are the “who” or “what” that receives the action of the verb, or they come after a preposition.

1. Gerunds as Direct Objects of Verbs

Some verbs are followed by a gerund as their direct object. This means the gerund receives the action of that verb. There’s a list of common verbs that must be followed by a gerund, so it’s a good idea to practice these!

Common verbs followed by gerunds: enjoy, finish, stop, mind, avoid, suggest, recommend, quit, keep, practice, imagine, risk, postpone, consider, deny.

Examples of Gerunds as Direct Objects:

• I enjoy teaching English. (What do I enjoy? Teaching.)
• She finished writing her essay. (What did she finish? Writing.)
• They stopped talking when the teacher entered. (What did they stop? Talking.)
• Would you mind opening the window? (What would you mind? Opening.)
• He avoids eating junk food. (What does he avoid? Eating.)
• We considered moving to another city. (What did we consider? Moving.)

2. Gerunds as Objects of Prepositions

This is a very common use of gerunds! Whenever you have a preposition (like of, in, on, at, about, for, with, by, before, after), and you want to follow it with a verb, that verb must be a gerund.

Examples of Gerunds as Objects of Prepositions:

• I’m interested in learning more about history. (After the preposition “in”)
• She’s good at solving puzzles. (After the preposition “at”)
• He apologized for being late. (After the preposition “for”)
• They left without saying goodbye. (After the preposition “without”)
• Thank you for helping me. (After the preposition “for”)
• We talked about traveling to Japan. (After the preposition “about”)

📌 Structure

A gerund phrase consists of:

• A gerund (verb + ing)
• Objects or modifiers that complete the meaning

Basic Formation:

1. Take the base verb
2. Add -ing
3. Add any objects or modifiers

Examples of formation:

study → studying → studying English grammar

read → reading → reading books

swim → swimming → swimming in the pool