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What Is a Gerund and Why Care?

What is a gerund and why do you need to know? Maybe it would be better to answer the second part of the question first so that you have some motivation to identify gerunds. If you are able to pick the gerund(s) out in your sentence, you will avoid a grammar gaffe that often goes unnoticed even by seasoned editors. Is your curiosity at least somewhat piqued?

Gerunds, also called verbal nouns, are formed when verbs have -ing added to them and are used as nouns.

Examples: Walking is great exercise.
Hiking up that steep mountain seems impossible.
Talking more about this will not change my mind.

Note that in each of the examples above, the -ing word–the gerund–acted as the subject of the sentence.

Gerunds, like other nouns, may also act as direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of the preposition.

Examples: We like talking on the phone every night. (direct object)
I give him credit for talking. (object of the preposition for)

It is helpful to recognize gerunds because if a noun or pronoun precedes a gerund, you want to use the possessive form of that noun or pronoun.

Correct Example: My running ahead bothered him.
Incorrect Example: Me running ahead bothered him.

Correct Example: Their separating does not mean they won’t continue to be good parents to their three children.
Incorrect Example: Them separating does not mean they won’t continue to be good parents to their three children.

Examples: Alex’s skating was a joy to behold.
Ben’s walking improved once his ankle healed.
The girl’s dancing won her a trip to Hawaii.

Pop Quiz

Identify the gerund in each sentence. If there is a noun or pronoun preceding it, make the noun or pronoun possessive.

1. Working efficiently is required in the restaurant business.
2. She won three gold medals for swimming.
3. The devaluing of the dollar continued throughout the summer.
4. Don’t criticize me trying to get his attention.
5. I’d like to know Alicia thinking about the issue.

Quiz Answers

1. Working efficiently is required in the restaurant business.
2. She won three gold medals for swimming.
3. The devaluing of the dollar continued throughout the summer.
4. Don’t criticize my trying to get his attention.
5. I’d like to know Alicia’s thinking about the issue.

Posted on Tuesday, February 13th, 2007 at 6:00 pm

7 Comments

7 Responses to “What Is a Gerund and Why Care?”

  1. Hiro Aki says:
    February 16, 2007 at 11:43 pm

    More people should know about this; if anything, it’s the difference between a 780 and a perfect 800 on the writing portion of the SAT.

    Reply
  2. sekhar says:
    March 10, 2007 at 1:27 pm

    “Their separation does not mean they won’t continue to be good parents to their three children” – is this correct?

    Reply
  3. Jane says:
    March 10, 2007 at 4:58 pm

    Yes, this is also correct.

    Reply
  4. nisha says:
    September 2, 2011 at 10:51 pm

    Hi Jane,
    can we use two gerunds in one sentence. for example : Listening is something you need to work on.It this sentence correct ?

    Regards
    Nisha

    Reply
    • Jane says:
      September 3, 2011 at 4:32 pm

      Yes, you can have two gerunds in one sentence but your sentence only has one. In your sentence “listening” is a gerund, but “something” is not. A gerund is formed when verbs have -ing added to them and are used as nouns. “Something” does not fit that description. Here are examples of sentences with two gerunds:

      Walking and hiking are both good exercise.
      Flying and driving both take intense concentration

      Reply
  5. Truthspeaks says:
    October 12, 2011 at 11:36 am

    Hey Jane,

    In quiz question #1, “efficiently” is an adverb, but adverbs can only modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. If gerunds are verbal “nouns,” would “working still be regarded as a gerund?

    Working moms are required in the restaurant business. (“working” as an adj.)
    Working is required in the restaurant business. (“working” as a gerund)
    Working efficiently is required in the restaurant business. (???)

    Reply
    • Jane says:
      October 13, 2011 at 8:05 pm

      Gerunds can be complex. I can understand your confusion since adverbs usually modify adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. In the case of the sentence “Working efficiently is required in the restaurant business,” you need to use the adverb efficiently rather than the adjective efficient because it answers how people are working. The phrase “working efficiently” serves as a noun phrase and is the subject of the sentence. I hope this helps to clarify a bit.

      Reply

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