Gerunds in English Grammar: Rules, Examples, How to Use –ing Words Correctly, Practice Questions with Answers

Gerund in English is the ‘-ing’ form of a verb, functioning as a noun in a sentence. The statement, “Looks can be deceiving,” goes well in the case of gerunds. It means, sometimes, a gerund might look like a verb because it also ends with ‘-ing’. However, the role of a gerund in an English sentence is the same as that of a thing (like a place, person, or verb).

In a sentence, gerunds can be the subject, object (direct, indirect, and as a preposition), or complement.

Gerund Examples:

• Swimming helps you stay fit. (Object = Swimming)
• I enjoy writing in my journal every day. (Object = Writing)

Note: Even though gerunds come from verbs, like swim, write, etc., they do not show action here. They simply name the activities.

Also Read: What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

What is a Gerund: Oxford Dictionary

According to Oxford Dictionary, gerund refers to, 'a noun in the form of he present participle of a verb (that is, ending in –ing).”

Word Origin: early 16th century: from late Latin gerundium, from gerundum, variant of gerendum, the gerund of Latin gerere ‘do’.

Pronunciation: /ˈdʒɛrənd,ˈdʒɛrʌnd/

Example:

• I prefer jogging over walking. (Object = Jogging)
• Walking every morning boosts energy. (Subject = Walking)

Gerund: Cambridge Dictionary

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a gerund refers to “a word ending in '-ing” that is made from a verb and used like a noun.”

Understanding gerund rules helps to know the use of verb forms in English sentence formation. As stated above, the gerund is the –ing form of a verb that is used like a noun, which means that gerunds can be used as the subject, object, or complement in a sentence. By keeping this fact in mind, learning the functions of gerunds becomes easy, which ultimately helps in building correct and meaningful sentences. The use of gerunds in daily routine is very common, more than we can think of. So, let’s explore the different ways in which gerunds are used with the help of some gerund examples.

1. Gerund as Subject

When gerund is used as the subject of a sentence, it tells us what the sentence is about. Simply put, as a subject, a gerund acts like a noun that performs the action.

Examples of Gerund as Subject:

• Eating healthy keeps you strong. (“Eating healthy” is the subject that performs the action of “keeping you strong”)
• Reading books improves your vocabulary. (“Reading books” is the activitydoing the action of “improving vocabulary”)

2. Gerund as Direct Object

When gerund is used as a direct object, it receives the action of the verb directly.

Examples of Gerund as Direct Object:

• She dislikes cleaning the house. (Object = Cleaning)
• We started working on the project. (Object = Working)

Quick Tip: Gerund as a direct object answers “what?” after the verb. For instance, in the above example, what does she dislike? Cleaning.

3. Gerund as Indirect Object

Sometimes, gerunds can be used as the indirect object, where the one receiving the action is often after verbs that involve giving.

Examples of Gerund as Indirect Object:

• I gave dancing a try last year.
• He offered helping with the job.

4. Gerund as Subject Complement

As a subject complement, a gerund can sometimes come after a linking verb (like is, was), while describing or renaming the subject.

Examples of Gerund as Subject Complement:

• The hardest part of the job is waiting. (Here, waiting comes after ‘is’ and describes the hardest part)
• My favorite pastime activity is reading. (Here, reading comes after ‘is’ and renames the pastime activity)

5. Gerunds as Object Complement

As an object complement, gerunds complete the meaning of the object and/or tell more about the object.

Examples of Gerund as Object Complement:

• They caught him cheating.
• She imagined herself living in a big city.

6. Gerund as Object of a Preposition

Gerunds are often used after prepositions, where they act as the object of the phrase.

Examples of Gerund as Object of a Preposition:

• He is interested in learning (Preposition = in, Gerund = learning)
• She apologized for being (Preposition = for, Gerund = being)

Also Read: 

Precis Writing: Meaning, Exercises, Examples	How to use Puns in a Sentence?	List of Irregular Verbs
Auxiliary and Modal Verbs: Meaning, Examples	Use of Transferred Epithets in a Sentence	Types of English Mood

Learning how to form gerunds is quite easy. Most verbs in English follow a simple pattern. Generally, a gerund is formed by adding –ing to the base form of a verb; however, in certain cases, some changes are necessary.

1. General Rule: Add ‘–ing’ to Verbs

Most of the verbs in a sentence can be turned into gerund by adding ‘-ing’ at the end.

Examples:

• Play → playing
• Read → reading
• Work → working

2. Verbs Ending with Silent e: Drop the e, and Add ‘-ing’

If a verb ends with an ‘e’, remove the ‘e’ and then add –ing.

Examples:

• Dance → dancing
• Write → writing
• Bake → baking

3. Verbs Ending with ee: Simply Add ‘-ing’

Examples:

• See → seeing
• Flee → fleeing
• Agree → agreeing

4. Verbs Ending with ie: Change ie to y, Add ‘-ing’

If a verb ends with ‘ie’, change the ‘ie’ to ‘y’ and then add ‘ing’.

Examples:

• Die → dying
• Lie → lying
• Tie → tying

5. One-Syllable Verbs: Double the Last Consonant

If a verb has just one syllable and ends with a CVC pattern (consonant-vowel-consonant), double the last consonant of the verb and then add ‘ing’.

Example:

• Run → running
• Sit → sitting
• Hop → hopping

6. Multi-Syllable Verbs: Double the Last Consonant

If a verb is longer and follows the consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, double the last consonant, only if the stress in on the last syllable.

Example:

• Begin → beginning
• Prefer → preferring
• Admit - > admitting
• Visit → Visiting

In the last example, ‘Visit’, the stress is not on the last syllable, so we will not double the consonant.

Also Read:

English Vocabulary

List of Transitive Verbs

List of Intransitive Verbs

Getting confused between gerunds and present participles is nothing new. Both look the same as they end with ‘-ing’. However, gerunds and present participles function differently. A gerund acts like a noun and can be a subject, object, or part of a phrase. On the other hand, the present participle acts like an adjective or is used in continuous verb tenses.

Form	Function	Example
Gerund	Used as a Noun	Reading helps improve your mind.
		She enjoys painting.
		He’s passionate about writing stories.
Participle	Used as an adjective or part of a verb tense	She heard the barking dogs outside.
		We were watching a movie.
		They are dancing on the stage.

Examples:

1. Gerund (Noun)

• Crying helps some people feel better.

Here, “Crying” is the subject.

2. Present Participle (Adjective)

• I saw a crying baby in the market.

Here, “Crying” describes the baby.

3. Present Participle (Verb Part):

• She was crying all night.

Here, “was crying” is the past continuous tense.

Quick Tip: If the ‘-ing’ word is doing the job of a noun, it’s a gerund. If it is describing something, it’s a participle.

Also Read: Tenses in English

Should I use a gerund or an infinitive? While both forms can function as nouns, they follow different rules and appear in distinct contexts.

A gerund is a verb ending in –ing. It functions as a noun in a sentence. For instance, Swimming is a good workout.

An infinitive is the base form of a verb, usually preceded by “to”. It functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb. For instance, To swim every day is her goal.

Gerund = Verb + ‘-ing’

Infinitive = to + base verb

Examples of Gerund & Infinitive:

• I like singing. (Gerund)
• I like to sing. (Infinitive)
• He forgot meeting.  (Gerund)
• He forgot to meet.  (Infinitive)

Let's understand the difference between Gerunds and Infinitives:

Basis	Gerund	Infinitive
Form	Verb + -ing	to + base verb
Used After	Certain verbs (e.g. enjoy, avoid, admit)	Certain verbs (e.g. agree, decide, want)
After Prepositions	Yes (Example, She’s good at singing.)	No (Example, She’s good at to sing. is incorrect)
As Subject or Object	Yes ( Example, Dancing is fun.)	Yes (Example: To dance is fun.)
Acts As	Noun	Noun, Adjective, Adverb
Tone	More casual or general	More formal or specific
Negative Form	Not dancing is fine.	Not to dance is fine.

When to Use Gerunds and Infinitives?

Gerunds and infinitives can both act as the subject or object of a sentence. However, it is not possible to always use them interchangeably. Usually, they follow different verbs, prepositions, or phrases. Therefore, choosing between gerunds and infinitives depends on the structure of the sentence. In order to use correct words in English, it is essential to understand which verbs take gerunds, which take infinitives, and which can take both.

Verbs Followed by Gerunds Only

Some verbs must be followed by a gerund only. Using an infinitive after them will make the sentence incorrect. Common verbs include: enjoy, avoid, admit, deny, consider, suggest, finish, mind, keep, postpone

Example:

• I enjoy reading before bed.
• She avoids eating junk food.

Verbs Followed by Infinitives Only

Some verbs are only followed by infinitives and using a gerund after them will be incorrect. Common verbs include: decide, hope, agree, plan, want, need, offer, refuse, learn, promise

Example:

• He promised to help us move.
• I decided to study earlier.

Verbs Followed by Both Gerunds and Infinitives

Case I: With no change in meaning

Here, either form can be used without changing the meaning of the sentence. Verbs include: like, love, prefer, hate, start, begin, continue

Example:

• He started crying.
• He started to cry.

Case II: With a change in meaning

Some verbs change the meaning of the sentence depending on whether it is followed by a gerund or an infinitive.

Example:

• She’ll never forget seeing Paris. (Gerund)
• She forgot to see the doctor. (Infinitive)
• Try calling him. (Gerund)
• Try to call him.  (Infinitive)

Also Read: Subject and Predicate in English Grammar

A gerund phrase is a group of words built around a gerund. This phrase includes a gerund and a modifier, object, or complement. Just like gerunds (single-word gerunds), gerund phrases also function as a noun in a sentence, and they can also be the subject, object, or object of a preposition.

Structure of a Gerund Phrase:

Gerund + Objects and/or Modifiers

Gerund Phrase Examples:

As a Subject:

• Reading mystery novels keeps me entertained. (Phrase = reading mystery novels = Subject)
• Writing in a journal helps with stress. (Phrase = writing in a journal = Subject)

As an Object:

• I enjoy watching old movies on weekends. (Phrase = watching old movies, Direct Object = enjoy)
• He suggested taking a break after lunch. (Phrase = taking a break, Object = suggested)

As Object of a Preposition:

• She is excited about traveling to Europe this summer. (Phrase = traveling to Europe, Object of Preposition = about)
• They talked about starting a new business together. (Phrase = starting a new business, Object of Preposition = about)