Gerunds can function as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, objects of prepositions,

and predicate nouns.

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.")
Notice that gerund phrases usually include prepositions (about, at, but, by, for, from, in, into,
of, on, onto, since, to, until, upon, with).

Verbals: Gerunds, Infinitives, and Participles

The three verbals— gerunds, infinitives, and participles—are formed from verbs, but
are never used alone as action words in sentences. Instead, verbals function as nouns,
adjectives, or adverbs. These verbals are important in phrases.

The gerund ends in -ing and functions as a noun.

Jumping is fun.

He liked skiing.

He had a unique way of whistling.

The infinitive is the base form of a verb with to. Usually it functions as a noun, although
it can also function as an adjective or adverb.

To jump is fun. (noun; subject of the verb is)

I like to ski. (noun; direct object of the verb like)

She had a suggestion to offer. (adjective modifying suggestion)

He called to warn her. (adverb modifying the verb called)

A participle is a verb that ends in -ing (present participle) or -ed, -d, -t, -en, -n (past
participle). Participles may function as adjectives, describing or modifying nouns.

The dancing parrots entertained the crowd.

The wrecked sailboat washed up on shore.

But participles have another function. When used with helping verbs such as to
be and to have, they are action verbs and form several verb tenses.

She is thinking of the children.

The conference room had been cleaned before they arrived.

How do you recognize a gerund phrase when you see
one?
A gerund phrase will follow these rules, which can help you identify a gerund
phrase in a sentence:

 The phrase will always start with a gerund.

 The gerund phrase will either have a modifier, an object or both.
 The entire phrase will function as a noun.
 The phrase will have singular agreement with a verb.

Look at these examples with the gerund phrases used in different ways:

 Reading books quietly is my favorite pastime.

 My favorite pastime is reading books quietly
 I recommend reading books quietly to pass the time.

Regardless of where the gerund phrase reading books quietly appears in the
sentence, it satisfies the four rules listed above. Remember that the purpose
of a gerund phrase is to act like a noun, so you can check it by replacing it
with a noun and seeing if the sentence still makes grammatical sense:

 Television is my favorite pastime.

 My favorite pastime is television.
 I recommend television to pass the time.

However, you should be careful not to confuse gerund phrases with participle
phrases. The differences are subtle, as shown below:

 Drinking beer heavily is bad for your health. (gerund phrase)

 Drinking beer heavily, Tom and Jim became more raucous. (not a
gerund phrase)

How do we know the second example is not a gerund phrase? Well, it is not
acting like a noun and thus does not satisfy the four rules of gerund
phrases. It is a participle phrase, which acts like an adjective. We can see
this by replacing the phrase with a noun and seeing that it does not make
sense:
  Alcohol is bad for your health. (sentence still makes sense)
 Alcohol, Tom and Jim became more raucous. (sentence no longer
makes sense)

Tip: If the phrase is followed by a comma, then it is more likely to be participle

phrase and not a gerund phrase.

Gerund Phrase Examples

While the rules of gerund phrases set out earlier help us recognize them in a
sentence, gerund phrases have various uses in a sentence. They have a
variety of roles in a sentence and can be acted upon in varying ways:
Sometimes the gerund phrase is the subject; sometimes it is the object or
indirect object; other times it is the object of a preposition; and finally, it can
also be the predicate nominative.
Examples of gerund phrases for each group are given below:
Subject Examples
In the following examples, the gerund phrase is acting as the subject of the
sentence. The subject is the thing or person that carries out the action of the
verb.

 Sleeping through the night is difficult for me.

 Making noise is what happy children and almost all teenagers do best.
 Watching bad television defined my teenage years.
 Running with scissors on a slippery floor was a terrible idea.
 Travelling across France should be a rite of passage for all writers.

Direct Object Examples

In the following examples, the gerund phrase is acting as the direct object in
the sentence. The direct object is the noun or pronoun that receives the action
of the main verb.

 I love sleeping through the night.

 My parents prefer eating dinner alone.
 We would not recommend travelling without insurance.
 His daughter enjoys fixing broken bicycles.
 Do they like swimming with dolphins?

Indirect Object Examples

In the following examples, the gerund phrase is acting as the indirect in the
sentence. The indirect object is affected by the action of the verb, but it is not
its main object.

 As part of her new wellness regimen, Jenny made sleeping through

the night her priority.
 Clinton gave running for president her best shot.
 We make writing three poems a requirement to pass our course.
 Men don’t always see raising children well as an accomplishment.
 Why don’t you make completing a marathon your main goal?

Predicate Nominative Examples

In the following examples, the gerund phrase is acting as a predicate
nominative. A predicate nominative completes the linking verb and renames
the subject. For example, in the examples below the gerund phrases answer
or define the first part of the sentence.

 My biggest difficulty is sleeping through the night. (What is my biggest

difficulty? It is sleeping through the night.)
 Our top priority was getting everyone on the plane.
 The critical issue of his arrest wasn’t driving without a license.
 Her favorite thing was listening to music.
 A good career for her might be coaching soccer.

Object of a Preposition Examples

In the following examples, the gerund phrase is acting as the object of the
preposition in the sentence. The object of a preposition is simply a word or
phrase that is preceded by a preposition and completes its meaning.

 The doctor suggested drinking warm milk for sleeping through the
night. (For what? For sleeping through the night.)
 By crying like a baby, you won’t get anywhere in life.
 Exercise is futile without eating healthily.
 He wanted to learn more about riding a bike.
 Detectives were relieved after finding the evidence.
GERUND
The gerund looks exactly the same as a present participle, but it is useful to understand the difference
between the two. The gerund always has the same function as a noun (although it looks like a verb).
Some uses of the gerund are covered on this page. A separate page deals with verbs that are followed by
the gerund.

THE GERUND AS THE SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE

EXAMPLES
 Eating people is wrong.
 Hunting tigers is dangerous.
 Flying makes me nervous.
 Brushing your teeth is important.
 Smoking causes lung cancer.

THE GERUND AS THE COMPLEMENT OF THE VERB 'TO BE'

EXAMPLES
 One of his duties is attending meetings.
 The hardest thing about learning English is understanding the gerund.
 One of life's pleasures is having breakfast in bed.

THE GERUND AFTER PREPOSITIONS

The gerund must be used when a verb comes after a preposition. This is also true of certain expressions
ending in a preposition, for example the expressions in spite of & there's no point in.

EXAMPLES
 Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?
 She is good at painting.
 She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.
 We arrived in Madrid after driving all night.
 My father decided against postponing his trip to Hungary.
 There's no point in waiting.
 In spite of missing the train, we arrived on time.
THE GERUND AFTER PHRASAL VERBS
Phrasal verbs are composed of a verb + preposition or adverb.

EXAMPLES
 When will you give up smoking?
 She always puts off going to the dentist.
 He kept on asking for money.
 Jim ended up buying a new TV after his old one broke.

There are some phrasal verbs that include the word "to" as a preposition for example to look forward to,
to take to, to be accustomed to, to get around to, & to be used to. It is important to recognise that the
word "to" is a preposition in these cases because it must be followed by a gerund. It is not part of the
infinitive form of the verb. You can check whether "to" is a preposition or part of the infinitive. If you can
put the pronoun "it" after the word "to" and form a meaningful sentence, then the word "to" is a preposition
and must be followed by a gerund.

EXAMPLES
 I look forward to hearing from you soon.
 I look forward to it.
 I am used to waiting for buses.
 I am used to it.
 She didn't really take to studying English.
 She didn't really take to it.
 When will you get around to mowing the grass?
 When will you get around to it?

THE GERUND IN COMPOUND NOUNS

In compound nouns using the gerund, it is clear that the meaning is that of a noun, not of a continuous
verb. For example, with the word "swimming pool" it is a pool for swimming in, it is not a pool that is
swimming.

EXAMPLES
 I am giving Sally a driving lesson.
 They have a swimming pool in their back yard.
 I bought some new running shoes.

THE GERUND AFTER SOME EXPRESSIONS

The gerund is necessary after the expressions can't help, can't stand, to be worth, & it's no use.

EXAMPLES
 She couldn't help falling in love with him.
 I can't stand being stuck in traffic jams.
 It's no use trying to escape.
  It might be worth phoning the station to check the time of the train.

Infinitives
An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb (in its simplest "stem" form)
and functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb. The term verbal indicates that an
infinitive, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses
action or a state of being. However, the infinitive may function as a subject, direct
object, subject complement, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. Although an infinitive is
easy to locate because of the to + verb form, deciding what function it has in a sentence
can sometimes be confusing.

 To wait seemed foolish when decisive action was required. (subject)

 Everyone wanted to go. (direct object)
 His ambition is to fly. (subject complement)
 He lacked the strength to resist. (adjective)
 We must study to learn. (adverb)

Be sure not to confuse an infinitive—a verbal consisting of to plus a verb—with a

prepositional phrase beginning with to, which consists of to plus a noun or pronoun and
any modifiers.

 Infinitives: to fly, to draw, to become, to enter, to stand, to catch, to belong

 Prepositional Phrases: to him, to the committee, to my house, to the mountains, to us,
to this address

An Infinitive Phrase is a group of words consisting of an infinitive and the modifier(s)

and/or (pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the actor(s), direct object(s), or
complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the infinitive, such as:
We intended to leave early.

The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb intended.
to leave (infinitive)
early (adverb)
I have a paper to write before class.

The infinitive phrase functions as an adjective modifying paper.

to write (infinitive)
before class (prepositional phrase as adverb)
Phil agreed to give me a ride.

The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb agreed.
to give (infinitive)
me (indirect object of action expressed in infinitive)
a ride (direct object of action expressed in infinitive)
They asked me to bring some food.
The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb asked.
me (actor or "subject" of infinitive phrase)
to bring (infinitive)
some food (direct object of action expressed in infinitive)
Everyone wanted Carol to be the captain of the team.

The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of the verb wanted.
Carol (actor or "subject" of infinitive phrase)
to be (infinitive)
the captain (subject complement for Carol, via state of being expressed in infinitive)
of the team (prepositional phrase as adjective)
Actors: In these last two examples the actor of the infinitive phrase could be roughly
characterized as the "subject" of the action or state expressed in the infinitive. It is
somewhat misleading to use the word subject, however, since an infinitive phrase is not
a full clause with a subject and a finite verb. Also notice that when it is a pronoun, the
actor appears in the objective case (me, not I, in the fourth example). Certain verbs,
when they take an infinitive direct object, require an actor for the infinitive phrase; others
can't have an actor. Still other verbs can go either way, as the charts below illustrate.
Verbs that take infinitive objects without actors:
agree begin continue decide

fail hesitate hope intend

learn neglect offer plan

prefer pretend promise refuse

remember start try

Examples:

 Most students plan to study.

 We began to learn.
 They offered to pay.
 They neglected to pay.
 She promised to return.

In all of these examples no actor can come between the italicized main (finite) verb and
the infinitive direct-object phrase.
Verbs that take infinitive objects with actors:
advise allow convince remind

encourage force hire teach

instruct invite permit tell

implore incite appoint order

Examples:

 He reminded me to buy milk.

 Their fathers advise them to study.
 She forced the defendant to admit the truth.
 You've convinced the director of the program to change her position.
 I invite you to consider the evidence.

In all of these examples an actor is required after the italicized main (finite) verb and
before the infinitive direct-object phrase.
Verbs that use either pattern:
ask expect (would) like want need

Examples:

 I asked to see the records.

 I asked him to show me the records.
 Trent expected his group to win.
 Trent expected to win.
 Brenda likes to drive fast.
 Brenda likes her friend to drive fast.

In all of these examples the italicized main verb can take an infinitive object with or
without an actor.
Punctuation: If the infinitive is used as an adverb and is the beginning phrase in a
sentence, it should be set off with a comma; otherwise, no punctuation is needed for an
infinitive phrase.

 To buy a basket of flowers, John had to spend his last dollar.

 To improve your writing, you must consider your purpose and audience.
Points to remember
1. An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb; it may be used as a noun,
adjective, or adverb.
2. An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive plus modifier(s), object(s), complement(s),
and/or actor(s).
3. An infinitive phrase requires a comma only if it is used as an adverb at the beginning of a
sentence.

Split infinitives
Split infinitives occur when additional words are included between to and the verb in an
infinitive. Many readers find a single adverb splitting the infinitive to be acceptable, but
this practice should be avoided in formal writing.
Examples:

 I like to on a nice day walk in the woods. * (unacceptable)

On a nice day, I like to walk in the woods. (revised)
 I needed to quickly gather my personal possessions. (acceptable in informal contexts)
I needed to gather my personal possessions quickly. (revised for formal contexts)

1. (to ski) can be dangerous.

2. After (to shop) ,we went to the cinema.

3. (to smoke) is unhealthy.

4. (to swim) is my favourite activity.

5. Do you like (to surf) on the net?

6. Does she enjoy (to wear) jewels?

7. At the (begin) of the year,we move south.

8. Before(to go) to bed,I usually have a shower.

9. Be careful when (to spell) words.

10. The neighbours thanked me for (to call) the fire
department.

The three verbals— gerunds, infinitives, and participles—are formed from

verbs, but are never used alone as action words in sentences. Instead,
verbals function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. These verbals are
important in phrases.
The gerund ends in -ing and functions as a noun.
Jumping is fun.
He liked skiing.
He had a unique way of whistling.
A gerund phrase is created when a gerund – a verb that takes an –ing form
and functions as a noun – has a modifier, object or both. That sounds quite
technical, so let’s break it down for a simple explanation of a gerund phrase:

First, here is an example of a gerund phrase in a sentence

Eating a slice of pie quickly is a recipe for disaster.
So, we can breakdown the gerund phrase like so:
The gerund in the sentence is eating. (Remember, a gerund is a noun that is
formed by adding the -ing suffix to a verb.)
The object in the sentence (the thing being acted upon, in this case by eating)
is a slice of pie.
The modifier in the sentence is quickly.

Telephone
by Edward Field
My happiness depends on an electric appliance
And I do not mind giving it so much credit
With life in this city being what it is
Each person separated from friends
By a tangle of subways and buses
Yes my telephone is my joy
It tells me that I am in the world and wanted
It rings and I am alerted to love or gossip
It go comb my hair which begins to sparkle
Without it I was like a bear in a cave
Drowsing through a shadowy winter
It rings and spring has come
I stretch and amble out into the sunshine
Hungry again as I pick up the receiver
For the human voice and the good news of friends