6-1 Gerunds

What is a gerund? Gerunds are verbs that act as a noun. To make a gerund, you just add -ing to the end of a verb.

You might still be wondering how you would tell the difference between a gerund and a verb, because they still look the same. The answer is that gerunds act like nouns! They are used differently in sentences. In this lesson, we'll look at two ways gerunds are used: as subjects, and after verbs.

Do you remember what a subject is? A subject is the noun that the sentence is about. Gerunds can be the subject of the sentence.

Gerunds can be used after verbs as well. These verbs are usually special words that you have to memorize. Here is a list of some of the verbs that you might use before gerunds:

Here are some examples of how you would use gerunds after verbs. The verb is highlighted in green and the gerund is highlighted in blue.