- 3-minute read
- 30th August 2022
50 Examples of Gerunds
Are you familiar with gerunds? These verb-noun hybrids can be confusing because they look like verbs but function as nouns. In this article, we’ll explain the grammatical function of gerunds and provide plenty of examples to help you understand how to use them in your writing.
What Is a Gerund?
A gerund is a type of word that looks like the present participle of a verb, but it functions as a noun. Gerunds can be formed from any verb by adding “ing” at the end, such as:
Go / going
Read / reading
Drink / drinking
Watch / watching
Laugh / laughing
However, there are some exceptions to this rule, such as when a verb ends in “ie,” such as:
Tie / tying
Die / dying
With verbs that end in e (but not ie), you remove the e before adding ing, like this:
Arrive / arriving
Examine / examining
Chuckle / chuckling
Finally, there are some verbs for which the doubling up rule applies. This means you double the final consonant in single-syllable verbs that end with a single vowel followed by a single consonant:
Jot / jotting
Plan / planning
Grin / grinning
Now that you know how to form gerunds, let’s look at how to use them.
Using a Gerund as the Object of a Sentence
Each of the following sentences has a gerund as its direct object (i.e., the noun that’s acted upon by the verb):
Terry is obsessed with exercising.
Raymond has mastered hula hooping.
You can add modifiers to gerunds to create gerund phrases:
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Terry is obsessed with exercising his upper body.
Raymond has mastered the art of hula hooping.
Using a Gerund as the Subject of a Sentence
Gerunds can also be used as the subject of a sentence, such as:
Exercising is important to Terry.
Hula hooping is one of Raymond’s secret talents.
Again, we can add modifiers to make more descriptive gerund phrases:
Daily exercising keeps Terry fit.
Raymond’s hula hooping skills are unmatched.
Gerunds as Subject Complements
Subject complements are words or phrases that come after a linking verb – often a form of the verb to be (e.g., is, was, am, are) – and describe or define the subject. You use gerunds in subject complements when they refer to any kind of activity:
A detective’s job is solving mysteries.
A perfectionist’s biggest fear is making mistakes.
Gerunds in Compound Nouns
Compound nouns are nouns made up of more than one word. Many compound nouns include gerunds:
Dining room
Drinking water
Sleeping pill
Steering wheel
Washing machine
Wrapping paper
Stepping stones
Walking boots
Mixing bowl
Coloring book
Running shoes
Training wheels
Hearing aid
Swimming pool
Shopping bag
Operating table
Dressing gown
Although the first word in each of these examples is a verb, it functions as a noun in the compound noun. The site is for building, but it doesn’t build. The water doesn’t drink, the pool doesn’t swim, etc.!
Summary: The Many Uses of Gerunds
Gerunds can be confusing, especially if English isn’t your first language. This is because they’re spelled exactly like the present participle form of a verb, but they act like nouns (or parts of compound nouns).
Hopefully, you now feel more confident about using gerunds in your writing. If there’s an area of grammar that you’re not sure about, check out our guide to common ESL writing errors. And if you’d like a professional to check any of your work for errors, our proofreaders are here to help. Why not try our service today by uploading your first document for free?
