Gerunds in English grammar are words generated from verbs by adding “ing” in the end and works as a noun in a sentence. A gerund can work as a subject, object, or predicate in a sentence. So, Basically,
Gerund (Noun)= (Verb) + (Suffix-ing)
For example, In the sentence “Reading is my passion”, the word “Reading” is a gerund that is formed by adding ing with the verb Read. The term Reading in the above sentence is working as a subject noun.
Note that, All verbs with ing at the end are not gerunds, To be a gerund it must have to be used as a noun. For example, in the sentence, “He is reading a book”, the word reading is a verb, not a gerund. So, a gerund is a noun consisting of a verb and a suffix -ing. It is also referred to as a verbal noun or -ing noun.
Note that, sometimes a gerund takes additional information like an object, adverb, or prepositional phrase and the entire group of words acts as a noun. This is known as a gerund phrase.
Features of a Gerund
A gerund is a noun generated from a verb.
As gerunds do not have the grammatical function of a verb, they are always non-finite.
A gerund can function as a subject, adjective complement, or object in a sentence.
Gerunds can stand alone or form a gerund phrase.
Gerunds can be modified by an adverb (adverbs can’t modify nouns. However, in case of gerunds/gerund phrases, the verb is functioning as a noun. So the gerund itself can still be modified by an adverb in the same way as a normal verb. Example: “Studying too hastily will result in a poor grade.”)
Similar to a normal noun, a gerund or gerund phrase can be used as a subject of a sentence. For example:
Reading is my favourite pastime. (gerund only)
Eating green vegetables in good for health. (gerund+object)
Studying too hastily can result in a poor grade. (gerund + adverb(s))
Listening romantic songs proves to be dangerous among youngsters. (gerund + adjective + noun)
Working from home saves the travelling time and costs associated. (gerund + prepositional phrase)
Gerund Examples as a subject complement:
Gerunds in a sentence can be used as subject complements where the gerund acts as a kind modifier giving additional information about the subject. Some of the examples include:
My favorite thing about being in Mumbai is eating Vadapao. (eating complements thing)
My main responsibility as a construction professional is operating the crane. (operating complements the noun responsibility)
The best thing in life is spending time doing what we love.
Examples of Gerunds as objects of prepositions:
Gerunds can be used as the objects of prepositions for describing an action that modifies another action. This creates adverbial prepositional phrases which can be at the beginning, middle, or end of the sentence. For example:
After sneezing, I always get the hiccups.
I’m planning to improve my health by running five kilometers daily.
Mohor started going crazy from so much waiting in the long queue.
She’s not against marrying him, she just isn’t ready yet.
