What is a gerund?
A gerund is a verb. It functions as a noun.
Formation: VERB + ing
swimming, dancing, having, going, trying, playing, eating, being, laughing, starting, watching, listening, reading, copying, kissing, telling, saying, running, reading, drinking, typing, writing, buying, shopping, gambling …
1.We use gerunds as a noun. Let’s compare:
Exercise is good for your body.
‘Exercise’ is a noun – ‘Exercise’ is the subject of the sentence.
Swimming is good for your body.
‘Swimming’ is a gerund. It acts like a noun. ‘Swimming’ is the subject of the sentence.
Incorrect: To swim is good for your body.
Sugar is not good for your teeth.
‘Sugar’ is a noun – ‘Sugar’ is the subject of the sentence.
Eating too much sugar is not good for your teeth.
‘Eating’ is a gerund. It acts like a noun. ‘Eating’ is the subject of the sentence.
Incorrect: To eat too much sugar is not good for your teeth.
2. We use gerunds after ‘be’ when we speak about an activity
The best part of a meal is eating dessert.
Eating is a gerund. It comes after ‘be’ and describes an activity.
The thing I love most about Sundays is sleeping.
Sleeping is a gerund. It comes after ‘be’ and describes an activity.
The best things in life are shopping and eating.
Shopping and eating are gerunds. They come after ‘be’ and describe an activity.
Don’t confuse gerunds with the present/past continuous.
The best part of a meal is eating dessert. GERUND
My dog is eating his food. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
The thing I love most about Sundays is sleeping. GERUND
Shhh…my baby is sleeping. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
If you can replace the gerund with a noun, you know it’s a gerund. If you can’t, it’s a continuous tense.
The best part of a meal is eating dessert. GERUND
The best part of a meal is eating dessert dessert. YES! I can replace the gerund with a noun.
The thing I love most about Sundays is sleeping. GERUND
The thing I love most about Sundays is sleeping my free time. YES! I can replace the gerund with a noun.
My dog is eating his food. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
My dog is eating his food. NO! This doesn’t work. The ‘ing’ is not a gerund.
3. We use gerunds after specific verbs
- I avoid eating too much sugar.
- I can’t bear sitting in the sun. I prefer the shade.
- We’ve deferred signing the contract until our solicitor has taken a look.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to learn these verbs. You need to memorise them. If you want to download a PDF, SUBSCRIBE to my mailing list and get access to my FREE LIBRARY!
4. We use gerunds after a preposition
I’m good at making brownies.
NOT I’m good at make brownies. I’m good at to make brownies.
I’m interested in booking an English course.
NOT I’m interested in book an English course. I’m interested in to book an English course.
I went to work in spite of feeling sick.
NOT I went to work in spite of feel sick. I went to work in spite of to feel sick.
Note: ‘to’ can be a preposition, but it can also be a part of a verb: to+infinitive.
But, how do I know the difference?
If you can replace a gerund with a noun, ‘to’ is a preposition:
I look forward to seeing you later. ‘Seeing’ is a gerund.
☑I look forward to your visit. ‘Your visit’ is a noun. Yes it is correct. ‘To’ here is a preposition.
☑I really need to buy some more milk. ‘Buy’ is an infinitive. It goes after ‘to’.
X I really need to milk. ‘Milk’ is a noun. No it is not correct. ‘To’ here is part of an infinitive.
More examples:
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See you next time! Arnel 🙂
Yesterday I went biking.
Great Luca! Excellent example!
Learning English with you is very entertaining.
Thank you so much Ernesto! 🙂