GERUND: What is a Gerund? Important Gerund Examples

What is a GERUND? Important Gerund Examples in English! This page provides the definition of Gerund and Gerund examples for ESL Learners to master their English grammar.

What is a GERUND? Gerund Examples

What is a gerund? Gerunds are words that are formed with verbs but act as nouns. They’re very easy to spot since every gerund is a verb with ing tacked to its tail. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Identifying Gerunds in a Sentence

Let’s take a look at some examples which will clarify these unique members of the English language. Remember, in every instance below, the gerund is working as a noun.

Gerunds as subjects:

• Reading is relaxing.
• Writing is an exchange of ideas.

Gerund phrases as subjects:

• Swimming laps is the most relaxing activity in the world.
• Filing papers can give you a paper cut.

Gerunds as direct objects:

• I love reading. (verb = love; love what? reading)
• Patrick likes photographing nature. (verb = likes; likes what? photographing)

Gerund phrases as direct objects:

• I enjoy shopping with friends. (verb = enjoy; enjoy what? shopping with friends)
• My friends anticipated our trying on new shoes. (verb = anticipated; anticipated what? trying on new shoes)

Gerunds as indirect objects:

• I never gave reading enough of a chance. (verb = gave; gave what? reading)
• Last week, I made studying my priority. (verb = made; made what? studying)

Gerund phrases as indirect objects:

• As part of her writing process, she began recording every detail. (verb = began; began what? recording every detail)
• Once Tom gave the order, he started collecting all the evidence. (verb = started; started what? collecting all the evidence)

Gerunds as objects of prepositions:

• My love for reading was immediate. (preposition = for)
• By reading, we can explore new worlds. (preposition = by)

Gerund phrases as objects of prepositions:

• Her joy in preparing for company was obvious. (preposition = in)
• Since completing his degree, his opportunities are endless. (preposition = since)

Gerunds as predicate nouns:

• Dawn’s favorite activity is reading. (Reading is identifying the noun “activity.”)
• Her occupation is writing. (Writing is identifying the noun “occupation.”)

Gerund phrases as predicate nouns:

• His only focus was improving the lives of others. (Improving the lives of others is identifying the noun “focus.”)
• Dawn’s favorite pastime is swimming in the Atlantic. (Swimming in the Atlantic is identifying the noun “pastime.”)

Verbs Followed by Gerunds

List of verbs followed by gerunds in English.

Verb + Gerund

• acknowledge
• anticipate
• appreciate
• consider
• defend
• deny
• detest
• discuss
• dislike
• endure
• enjoy
• go
• imagine
• involve
• keep
• mention
• omit
• postpone
• practice
• prevent
• quit
• recall
• recollect
• recommend
• regret
• resent
• resist
• resume
• risk
• suggest
• tolerate
• understand

Verb + Preposition + Gerund

• adapt to
• apologize for
• approve of
• ask about
• believe in
• blame for
• care about
• complain about
• consist of
• disapprove of
• discourage from
• engage in
• forgive for
• give up
• help with
• look forward to
• participate in
• persist in
• plan on
• prepare for
• profit from
• prohibit from
• put off
• result from
• succeed in
• suffer from
• talk about
• take part in
• there’s no point in
• think about
• warn about
• work on
• worry about

Be + Adjective + Preposition + Gerund

• be accustomed to
• be afraid of
• be angry about
• be ashamed of
• be capable of
• be certain about
• be concerned with
• be critical of
• be discouraged from
• be enthusiastic about
• be familiar with
• be famous for
• be fond of
• be glad about
• be good at
• be happy about
• be interested in
• be known for
• be nervous about
• be perfect for
• be proud of
• be responsible for
• be sad about
• be successful in
• be suitable for
• be tired of
• be tolerant of
• be upset about
• be used to
• be useful for
• be worried about

Gerunds in English | Infographic