Contents
What are gerunds? (with examples)
A gerund is a noun formed from a verb. All gerunds end in -ing. For example:
- swimming
- running
- drinking
More about Gerunds
Unlike a normal noun, a gerund maintains some verb-like properties. Like a verb, a gerund can take a direct object and be modified with an adverb.
- drinking a flagon
(The gerund drinking has a direct object, a flagon.) - driving erratically
(The gerund driving is modified with an adverb, erratically.) - regularly visiting the hospital
(The gerund visiting is modified with an adverb, regularly, and has a direct object, the hospital. )
More Examples of Gerunds
Como son sustantivos, los gerundios pueden funcionar como uno de los siguientes:
The Subject of a Verb.
For example:
- Visiting New York is always an experience.
(“Visiting“is the subject of the verb“is.“)
The Object of a Verb.
For example:
- I love visiting New York.
(“Visiting“is the direct object of the verb“love.“)
The Object of a Preposition.
For example:
- I surprised them by visiting New York.
(“Visiting“is the object of the preposition“by.“)
A Subject Complement.
For example:
- My highlight was visiting New York.
(“Visiting“is a subject complement. It completes the linking verb“was“and renames the subject, making it a subject complement.)
More Examples of Gerunds
Here are some more examples of gerunds that function as subjects, objects, objects of prepositions, or complements of
- Acting is fun.
(The gerund is the subject of the sentence.) - Playing football is fun.
(The gerund is the subject of the sentence. The word football is the gerund complement of the gerund playing.) - Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing. (Sir Ralph Richardson, 1902-1983)
(Acting is a gerund as a subject. The gerunds keeping and coughing are objects of prepositions. The phrase a large group of people is the gerund complement of keeping.) - Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. (Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931)
(Two gerunds, both subject complements) - I love acting. It is so much more real than life. (Playwright Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900)
(A gerund as the direct object of the verb love) - You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans. (Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004)
(A gerund as the object of a preposition) - I like to play blackjack. I’m not addicted to gambling, I’m addicted to sitting in a semi-circle. (Mitch Hedberg, 1968-2005)
(Two gerunds, both objects of prepositions)
Gerund Phrases
Un gerundio a menudo estará al principio de una frase de gerundio. Una frase en gerundio (subrayada) consta de un gerundio, sus complementos y todos los modificadores.
- Eating blackberries quickly will make you ill.
(Here, the gerund phrase consists of the gerund eating, the direct object blackberries, and the adverb quickly.) - I like to play blackjack. I’m not addicted to gambling. I’m addicted to sitting in a semicircle. (Comedian Mitch Hedberg)
(Here, the first gerund (gambling) does not head a gerund phrase, but the second (sitting) does. The phrase in a semicircle is an adverb (called an adverbial phrase) that modifies the gerund sitting.)
Eso es todo bastante ordenado. Empecemos a incorporar algunas complicaciones.
- Eating blackberries without washing them will make you ill.
(This is similar to the example above, but now our adverb is without washing them. It’s an adverbial phrase within our gerund phrase that includes its own gerund phrase, washing them.) - Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought. (Biochemist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi) (Here, the direct objects of the gerunds seeing and thinking are what everybody has seen and what nobody has thought. These direct objects are both noun clauses. This example has been added to highlight that nouns (just like adverbs and adjectives) can be phrases or clauses too (not just single words), and this point is important for unpicking the components (i.e., the objects and modifiers) within a gerund phrase.)
Gerunds End -ing (But So Do Present Participles)
Aunque todos los gerundios terminan con el sufijo -ing, no todas las palabras que terminan en -ing son gerundios. El otro tipo común de palabra que termina en -ing es el participio presente. Al igual que los gerundios, los participios presentes también se forman a partir de verbos (haciéndolos verbales), pero no se usan como sustantivos. Se usan como adjetivos o cuando se forman verbos en tiempo progresivo. Por ejemplo:
- Running the tap will clear the air pocket.
(This is a gerund.) - Can you fix therunningtap?
(This is a present participle as an adjective.) - The tap was running for an hour.
(This is a present participle used to form the past progressive tense.)
Why Should I Care about Gerunds?
Using gerunds and gerund phrases is easy for native English speakers, and as a rule, gerunds don’t cause much writing trouble. In fact, gerunds are so easy for native speakers to understand that you can use them to create natural, flowing sentences.
One of the biggest flaws with business writing is using too many nouns (regular nouns, I mean, not gerunds). Look at this example:
- We will discuss thereprimand of John forbeing in violation of the regulations.
(The writer has overused nouns (shown in bold), making the sentence sound stilted.)
Using gerunds and gerund phrases is easy for native English speakers, and as a rule, gerunds don’t cause much writing trouble. In fact, gerunds are so easy for native speakers to understand that you can use them to create natural, flowing sentences.
One of the biggest flaws with business writing is using too many nouns (regular nouns, I mean, not gerunds). Look at this example:
Using gerunds and gerund phrases is easy for native English speakers, and as a rule, gerunds don’t cause much writing trouble. In fact, gerunds are so easy for native speakers to understand that you can use them to create natural, flowing sentences.
One of the biggest flaws with business writing is using too many nouns (regular nouns, I mean, not gerunds). Look at this example:
- We will discuss reprimanding John for violating the regulations.
(This 9-word version featuring two gerunds is far smoother than the 14-word version above. As it is easier to read and shorter, it saves time, braincells, and ink.)
Keypoint
- Replacing a normal noun with a gerund can help with creating a shorter, more flowing sentence.
Or, using gerunds… - Replacing a normal noun with a gerund can help create a shorter, more flowing sentence.
