Gerunds
Gerunds
Gerunds
www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter
Written by Rowan Dunton
Gerunds
Gerunds are the -ing forms of verbs that are functioning as nouns in a sentence. They show
action or a state of being. For example, action can be shown with the gerunds “hiking,”
“swimming,” or “studying”; state of being can similarly be demonstrated with gerunds like
“refreshing” or “amusing.”
Gerunds also appear in gerund phrases, which combine the gerund with other words that add
additional information. For example, the phrase “sprinting across the field” is a gerund phrase.
Both gerunds and gerund phrases work the same way and have four variations in regard to how
they function within a sentence: subject of the sentence, direct object of the sentence, subject
complement, and object of a preposition.
“Sleeping” in the second sentence is a gerund that works as the subject of the sentence.
• Board games are a great way to spend an evening. [No Gerund Phrase]
• Playing Settlers of Catan is a great way to spend an evening. [Gerund Phrase
Included]
In the second example, we’ve added a gerund phrase to replace the original subject of the
sentence. “Playing” is the gerund, and “Settlers of Catan” adds additional clarifying information.
Gerunds are useful ways to add specific, concrete information to your writing that will allow
your readers to better understand the points or ideas you are describing.
In the second sentence, the gerund “napping” tells us what the dog likes. “Napping” receives the
action of “likes.” What does the dog like? The dog likes napping.
In the second sentence, we’ve added in a gerund to make “classic noir films” into a complete
gerund phrase. Again, we have included a more specific detail about what in particular my mom
prefers: “watching.”
Both “difficult” and “frustrating” work as subject complements. They tell the us what the exam
was—in these cases, difficult and frustrating. While these two words may seem interchangeable,
“frustrating” gives readers a more specific idea or mental image, while “difficult” can be unclear.
Here, we’ve replaced “a challenge” with its gerund phrase equivalent as the subject complement
of this sentence. We now know what specifically was challenging about the climb.
In the second sentence, the gerund “exercising” helps tell us when specifically I will go home.
When will I go home? After exercising.
The second gerund phrase provides us with more details about what got him in trouble. Why is
he in trouble? For avoiding his work and failing to finish it.
• While playing video games, my mom said dinner was ready. [Dangling Gerund]
• While playing video games, I heard my mom say dinner was ready. [Fixed]
• I heard my mom say dinner was ready while I was playing video games. [Fixed]
The first sentence is confusing. This confusion is created because the noun phrase “my mom”
follows the gerund phrase “while playing video games.” It makes it sound like “my mom” is the
one playing video games, not me. To remove this confusion, we need to be explicit with the
subject of our sentence, as shown in the first fix. In the second fix, we’ve rearranged the sentence
to avoid the issue entirely.
Possible Answers
1. Nobody around here helps out with the cleaning.
2. My brother was irritating today.
3. Running is the best way to start my morning.
4. She enjoys reading.
5. Swimming and surfing are two of my favorite activities to do in the summer.
6. I’m the worst at playing baseball.
7. He is charming.
8. I like watching people cook and then eating all the delicious food after!
References
Ellis, Matt. “Direct Objects in English (with Examples).” Grammarly, Jul 28, 2021,
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/direct-object/
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/gerunds_participles_and_infinitiv
es/index.html
Nordquist, Richard. “What are subject complements in English Grammar?” ThoughtCo, Aug 01,
2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/subject-complement-grammar-1692001
https://www.chegg.com/writing/guides/grammar-guides/parts-of-
speech/preposition/objects/
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/prepositions
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/gerund-phrase/
Wiltbank, Hannah. “Nouns: Expert.” San Jose State University Writing Center, 2015,
https://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs/handouts/Nouns%20Expert.pdf