Clarity on Gerunds

A gerund is a word derived from a verb that ends in -ing. Verbs and nouns are two different kinds of words, as you may be aware. Verbs describe acts or states of being, whereas nouns describe persons, places, objects or ideas. A gerund is a word that combines the meanings of both a verb and a noun. It has the appearance of a verb, although it functions more like a noun. In this case, the word “swimming” serves as an example of a gerund. Swimming can be referred to as a noun in a statement such as “Swimming is a pleasurable activity.” When gerunds are used in sentences, they are considered third-person singular nouns (like he, she, and it).

Gerund phrases include the gerund, its objects, and their modifiers in one sentence. Because gerunds are formed from verbs, adverbs can be used to modify them. Noun phrases and gerund phrases are considered nouns in sentences, just like gerund phrases and noun phrases. 

The root form of a verb can be transformed into a gerund by adding -ing to the end. There are a few aspects to keep in mind when constructing a gerund, such as:

We add a -ing to verbs like -ing, such as joking, taking, and making, unless they end in -ee or -ie.

2. add -ing to verbs that finish in -ee, such as agreeing or fleeing, as you would normally do.

Before adding the suffix -ing, if a verb ends in -ie, replace it with -y, as in lying (lie), tying (tie), and dying (die).

When constructing a gerund, like with present participles, we sometimes double the last consonant. Run, for instance, has the gerund going. Whether forming a gerund, the following are the general guidelines for when to double a final consonant:

1. Double the final consonant of a one-syllable verb that ends in consonant-vowel-consonant, as in strumming, cutting, blurring, and spinning.
2. If the verb ends in –w or –y, as in knowing or playing, Rule 1 is disregarded.
3. If the last syllable is stressed, we only double the final consonant for lengthier verbs that end in consonant-vowel-consonant:

• Stressed: omitting, referring, forgetting
• Unstressed: visiting, eliciting, fidgeting

Function of gerunds

Gerunds and gerund phrases, like nouns and noun phrases, can be used in a variety of ways in sentences, just like nouns and noun phrases. Generically speaking, we can employ gerunds in four different contexts: as subjects, subject complements, direct objects, and objects of prepositions, among others.

Gerunds as nouns

Gerunds, as previously noted, have the appearance of verbs but behave like nouns. In the same way, gerund phrases behave in the same way as noun phrases do. The result is that gerunds and gerund phrases can either be the subject of sentences or clauses, or they can be the subject complement, which is attached to the subject by an auxiliary verb, depending on the context (helping verb). Consider the following examples of each of these concepts:

• as a subject: Sleeping is difficult if you suffer from a headache.
• phrase as a subject: Being rude to customers won’t earn you many tips.
• as a subject complement: His favourite activity is book reading.
• Gerund phrase as a subject complement: The thing she disliked most about school was getting up early.

Gerunds as objects

Gerunds and gerund phrases can be used as objects in sentences and clauses in the same way as nouns and noun phrases can. Gerunds can be used as both direct objects and objects of prepositions, as shown in the following example:

• as a direct object: Helena has mastered fencing.
• phrase as a direct object: They dislike mowing the lawn. 
• as an object of a preposition: He quickly went to begging.
• phrase as an object of a preposition: Holidays are best for visiting family.

Gerund vs. participle phrase

Gerunds and present participles of verbs have the exact same spelling as each other. For example, the gerund and the present participle of go are both pronounced going. Gerunds and participles, on the other hand, perform distinct duties in sentences. The most significant distinction between the two is that gerunds are employed as nouns, whereas present participles are not. The present participles, on the other hand, are utilised to produce the continuous verb tenses, as well as to form participle phrases. Participle phrases, in contrast to gerunds, are utilised as adjectives rather than nouns. If, for example, the pronoun she is modified by the participle phrase feeling confident, she sings with passion, the pronoun she is modified by the participle phrase feeling confident.

Just to refresh your memory, gerunds are employed as nouns, present participles are utilised in verb tenses, and participle phrases are used as adjectival phrases. The sentences that follow demonstrate how gerunds and participles/participial phrases are employed in different ways.

• Cooking is a useful skill to learn. (the bolded word is a  gerund used as a noun.)
• The chefs are cooking steaks. (bolded word is a present participle used to form the present continuous tense.)
• Chef Ramo, cooking with gusto, prepared a 10-course meal. (Cooking used as a participle in a participle phrase that improvethe noun Chef Ramo.)

If you are still a little perplexed, keep in mind that gerunds are employed in the same way as nouns are. This means that gerunds can only perform the same functions as nouns: they can serve as subjects, subject complements, and objects, among other things. Gerunds do not function as modifiers and are not utilised in the same way as verbs.

Look at a couple of more sentences for now. Read each sentence carefully and determine whether the bolded word is a gerund or a participle by looking at the context.

1. Snowboarding seems pretty dangerous.
2. We were surfing all day yesterday.
3. The magazine is focused on fishing and the lives of fishermen.

Conclusion

A gerund is a word that combines the meanings of both a verb and a noun. It has the appearance of a verb, although it functions more like a noun. This verb form, which ends in -ing, is used to produce verb tenses and can also be used as an adjective and noun in English, for example, Swimming is my greatest skill. Some essential points of gerunds include: 

1. Gerunds are words that seem like verbs but behave like nouns in their actions.
2. A gerund can be identified by looking for a verb + ing that is behaving in the same way as a noun.
3. Gerund Phrases- This type of phrase contains a gerund as well as phrases that alter or complement it.