What Is a Gerund? How to Form a Gerund With Examples

In English grammar, a gerund (jer-ənd) is a verb with an “-ing” ending that functions as a noun in a sentence. A gerund can be the subject of the sentence (e.g., “Running is his favorite activity.”), the direct object (e.g., “He enjoys running”), the indirect object (e.g., “He made running a priority.”), or the object of a preposition (e.g., “Besides running, he likes camping.”). You can also use adverbs or adverbial phrases to modify gerunds.

Gerunds are often confused with present participle phrases because both of these parts of speech take an -ing form. However, gerunds always function as verbal nouns or noun phrases (e.g., “He likes running”), whereas present participles function as a verb phrase (e.g., “He is running”).

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

1. 1. Subject gerunds: Gerunds often serve as the subject of a sentence: For example, “Reading books entertains her,” or “Brushing your cats keeps them happy and healthy.”
2. 2. Direct object gerunds: Gerunds can also function as a direct object of the verb: For example, “They love playing games,” or “He has a hard time paying attention.”
3. 3. Indirect object gerunds: Gerunds can serve as the indirect object of a sentence: For example, “They make jogging a priority,” or “She never gave studying much thought.”
4. 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.”
5. 5. 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.”

Forming a gerund is straightforward:

1. 1. Select a verb. To create a gerund, first select an infinitive-form action verb to use, like “to jump” or “to sing.”
2. 2. Give it an -ing ending. Next, take the verb and give it an -ing ending to create the gerund form of the verb, like “jumping” or “singing.”
3. 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.”

The following sentences feature examples of gerunds or gerund phrases:

1. 1. Subject, specific: “Watching movies is one of her favorite hobbies.”
2. 2. Direct object: “He spends a lot of time practicing.”
3. 3. Indirect object: “She gave running a lot of thought.”
4. 4. Subject complement: “The thing he hates more than anything is waking up early.”
5. 5. Object of the preposition: “Between cooking and cleaning, he doesn’t have much time to relax.”

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