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What are Gerunds? Grammar Review
First, “Gerunds” are nouns! What is a noun? “People, place, thing, idea”. What is a gerund? A gerund is a verb with the suffix “ing” added. What is “ing?”. “Ing” is the “Present Participle!”. The “ing suffix is used many ways in English. For this grammar review, I will share my thoughts for “gerunds”. Often we use gerunds and don’t realize it. Natural speech can be automatic without thought! Do not confuse the gerunds with progressive (Continuous) tenses or adjectives! Think about how progressive tenses are formed. It can be challenging to identify gerunds. Gerunds are used for facts. They are used as the subject of a sentence, to compliment the verb “To be”, after prepositions, after phrasal verbs, as compound nouns and after some common expressions. Ask your teacher to help you identify gerunds and their usage in English!
A “Gerund” as The “Subject” of a Sentence
Flying an airplane can be very exciting. (Present simple Fact)
A “Gerund” as The “Compliment” to The Verb “To Be”
One of her responsibilities is attending every event! (Present simple Fact)
A “Gerund” after a “Preposition”
They arrived in San Francisco after traveling all night! (Past simple Fact)
A “Gerund” after a “Phrasal Verb”
He always puts off going to see his relatives! (Present simple fact)
A “Gerund” in a “Compound Noun”
She has been in the swimming pool all day! (Present perfect fact)
A “Gerund” after an “Expression”
She couldn’t help falling in love with him! (Past simple fact)
You will notice I did not use “Like” in my examples. Like with gerunds is very common in all grammar books. Ask your teacher to explain gerunds further!