Grammar – Gerund examples

Read the following sentence and categorize the words underlined under the heading verb or Gerund.

1. Walking is a good exercise.
2. They are walking
3. The children are studying early in the morning.
4. Robert turned off his phone and shut the door so he could focus on
5. Sleeping in the afternoon is not healthy at all.
6. They were sleeping under the tree.

Here Are the Answers!!!

VERBS

1. They are walking
2. The children are studying early in the morning.
3. They were sleeping under the tree.

GERUND (=VERB+ NOUN)

1. Walking is a good exercise.
2. Robert turned off his phone and shut the door so he could focus on
3. Sleeping in the afternoon is not healthy at all.

Study the following example:

1. He hopes to set a new record in swimming.
2. They love playing.

Both sentences end with the words – swimming and Playing- but those aren’t the only verbs.

Then what other function do the words perform in the sentences?

They also perform the function of a noun in the sentences.

1. He hopes to set a new record in swimming.
2. They love playing.

Therefore, the words swimming and playing are gerunds in the above sentences.

Now, let us define a gerund:

A gerund is a word that partakes the function of a verb and a noun. The words like “biking,” “thinking,” “running,” or “speaking” though in – ing become nouns.

Look at the following examples.

1. Playing cards is not allowed here.
2. I like reading
3. He is fond of hoarding

Let’s take each of the sentences and discuss them in detail.

1. Playing cards is not allowed here.

In the above sentence, the Gerund is Playing is a noun, the subject of the sentence, and it is also indicative of some action, thus clearly showing that it also has the force of a verb.

Hence, Playing is a gerund.

2. I like reading\.

In the above sentence, reading is the Gerund because it is a noun, the object, and it also has the force of a verb.

3. He is fond of hoarding.

In the above sentence, the Gerund hoarding is a noun. A preposition governs it, but, like a verb, it also takes an object.

There are five types of Gerunds:

In the English language, the gerund form of a verb can function in multiple different parts of a sentence:

1. Subject gerunds: Gerunds often serve as the subject of a sentence:

For example, “Reading books entertain her,” or “Brushing your cats keeps them happy and healthy.”

NOTE: The words- Reading and brushing are subject gerunds in the above sentences.

2. Direct object gerunds: Gerunds can also function as a direct object of the verb:

For example, “They love playing games” or “He has difficulty paying attention.”

NOTE: In the above sentences, the words- Playing and Paying are direct objects gerunds.

3. Indirect object gerunds: Gerunds can serve as the indirect object of a sentence:

For example, “She gave running a lot of thought,”

NOTE: In the above sentence, the word- running is an indirect object gerund.

4. Subject complement gerund: Gerunds can be complements of subjects of sentences, joined by a linking verb like to be:

For example, “What she cares about most is dancing.”

NOTE: In the above sentence, the word dancing is a subject complement gerund.

5. The object of preposition gerunds: Less commonly, gerunds can be the object of a prepositional phrase like the modifiers besides or between, often before a comma:

For example, “Besides cooking, he spends time painting and relaxing.”

NOTE: In the above sentence, the word cooking is an object of preposition gerunds:

How to Form a Gerund?

Forming a gerund is straightforward:

1. Select a verb. To create a gerund, select an infinitive-form action verb, like “to jump” or “to sing.”
2. Give it an -ing ending. Next, take the verb and give it an -ing finish to create the gerund form of the verb, like “jumping” or “singing.”
3. Treat it as a noun in a sentence. Once you have a verb with an -ing verb ending, use it in a sentence in place of a noun to form a gerund:

For example, “Jumping rope is my favorite form of exercise.”

Use of Gerund after certain expressions

Examples of expression: It’s no use, it’s no good, there’s no point in…

Gerunds examples (After expression):

1. It’s no use trying it; you have to glue it.
2. There’s no point in wasting time.