Gerund

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In linguistics, a gerund is a kind of verbal noun that exists in some languages. In today's English, it can behave as a verb within a clause (so that, for example, it may be modified by an adverb or have an object), but the clause as a whole (sometimes consisting only of one word, the gerund) acts as a noun within the larger sentence. For example:

Editing this article is very easy.

Within the clause "Editing this article," the word "Editing" behaves as a verb; in particular the phrase "this article" is the object of that verb. But the whole clause "Editing this article" acts as a noun within the sentence as a whole; it is the subject of the verb "is".

In English, a verb's gerund is formed using the -ing ending. It is identical to the present participle in form, but behaves differently in syntax.

Examples of the gerund:

I like swimming. (direct object)
Programming is fun. (subject)

Verb patterns with the gerund

Verbs that are normally followed by the gerund include admit, adore, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, can't stand, carry on, consider, contemplate, delay, deny, describe, detest, dislike, enjoy, escape, fancy, feel, finish, give up, hear, imagine, include, justify, keep (on), listen to, mention, mind, miss, notice, observe, perceive, postpone, practise, quit, recall, report, resent, resume, risk, see, sense, stop, suggest, tolerate, and watch.

Additionally, the prepositions "into" and "out of" can be followed by a gerund.

For example:

We postponed making any decision.
I simply adore reading what you write.
I detest going to the cinema.
We heard whispering.
His physician advised leaving home for a week.
They denied having avoided me. (= They denied that they had avoided me.)
He talked me into coming to the party.
They frightened her out of voicing her opinion.

Verbs followed by a gerund or a to-infinitive

With little change in meaning

begin, continue, start; hate, like, love, prefer

With would, the verbs hate, like, love, and prefer are usually followed by the to-infinitive.

For example:

I hate to work. or I hate working.
I love to sleep. or I love sleeping.
I would like to work there. (more usual than working)

In these examples, if the subject of the verb is not the subject of the second verb, the second verb must be a gerund (instead of an infinitive)

If I am watching sports on television, for example, I can react to the programs only as follows:

I hate boxing.
I love swimming.

With a change in meaning

dread and hate:

These two verbs are followed by a to-infinitive when talking hypothetically (usually when using to think), but by a gerund when talking about general dislikes.

I dread / hate to think what she will do.
I dread / hate seeing him.

forget and remember:

When these have meanings which are used to talk about the future from the given time, the to-infinitive is used, but when looking back in time, the gerund.

She forgot to tell me our plans. (She did not tell me, though she should have.)
She forgot telling me our plans. (She told me, but then forgot having done so.)
I remembered to go to work. (I remembered that I needed to go to work, and so I did.)
I remembered going to work. (I remembered the action of previously going to work.)

can't bear:

I can't bear to see you suffer like this. (You are suffering now.)
I can't bear being pushed round in crowds. (I never like that.)

go on:

After winning the semi-finals, he went on to play in the finals. (He completed the semi-finals, then later played in the finals.)
He went on giggling, not having noticed the teacher enter. (He continued doing so.)

mean:

I didn't mean to scare you off!
Her having got a new job in the city meant leaving behind her familiar surroundings.

advise, recommend and forbid:

These are followed by a to-infinitive when there is an object as well, but with a gerund otherwise.

The police advised us not to enter the building, for a murder had occurred. (us is the object)
The police advised against our entering the building.

regret:

We regret to inform you that you have failed your exam. (a polite or formal form of apology)
I very much regret saying what I said. (I wish I hadn't said that.)

consider, contemplate and recommend:

These verbs are followed by a to-infinitive only in the passive or with an object pronoun.

People consider her to be the best. – She is considered to be the best.
I'm considering sleeping over, if you don't mind.

try:

When a to-infinitive is used, it means the subject makes an effort at; attempt or endeavor to do something. If a gerund is used, it means the subject attempts to do something in testing to see what might happen.

Please try to remember to post my letter.
I have tried being stern, but to no avail.

Gerunds preceded by an object or a genitive

A gerund can be used in combination with either an object or a genitive (possessive). The latter is considered more formal, and the only option when an adjective precedes the gerund, but is more common when the second verb applies to a person rather than an object.

We enjoyed them (object pronoun) / their (genitive) singing.
We enjoyed their excellent singing. (an object pronoun is not possible here)

Some differences between gerunds and the present participle

The term "gerund" is sometimes used incorrectly to mean any word ending with "ing". For example:

Jane was swimming in the sea. (Here "swimming" is a participle verb)

Compare:

John enjoys eating a good meal. ("eating" is a gerund)
John is eating a good meal. ("eating" is a participle verb)

In the rest of this article, an asterisk (*) preceding a sentence indicates that the sentence is ungrammatical.

Passivisation

A sentence with gerund phrase serving as a direct object can be recast in the passive voice, such that the gerund phrase becomes the subject, while a superficially similar sentence with a participle cannot undergo this transformation:

With a gerund phrase: John suggested asking Bill. → Asking Bill was suggested by John. (potentially awkward, but grammatical)
With a participle phrase: John kept asking Bill. → * Asking Bill was kept by John.

In the first example, asking Bill is a noun, the direct object of suggested, while in the second, it is an adjective, the complement of the copula kept.

Pronominal substitution

The pronoun it can be substituted for a gerund phrase, but not for a participle verb phrase:

John disliked discussing his private life — in fact he hated it.
* John kept discussing his daughter — he kept it all summer. (Ungrammatical: the pronoun it cannot stand in for the participle.)

Noun phrase paraphrases

A gerund with a direct object can be paraphrased, treating the gerund as an ordinary noun, or sometimes replacing it with one, while this cannot be done with a participle:

With a gerund phrase: John enjoys eating fish. → John enjoys the eating of fish. (unusual or archaic-sounding, but grammatical)
With a participle phrase: John keeps eating fish. → *John keeps the eating of fish.

Preceding genitive phrases

Gerund phrases can be preceded by genitive phrases, whereas participle verb phrases cannot:

Samantha discussed her visiting James.
* Samantha kept her visiting James.

Clefting

Gerund phrases can undergo clefting, whereas participle verb phrases cannot:

The teacher warned against taking drugs. → It was taking drugs that the teacher warned against.
The teacher kept taking drugs. → *It was taking drugs that the teacher kept.

Topicalisation

Gerund phrases can be topicalised (i.e., moved to the front of a sentence) whereas participle verb phrases cannot:

Susan finds watching golf tedious. → Watching golf Susan finds tedious. (only used in specific contexts, but grammatical)
The old man kept discussing golf. → *Discussing golf the old man kept.