Identifying Gerund Phrases in English

Performing a Different Role

Who are you? Maybe you are a mom, a chef, or a salesperson. If you are a mom, you may sometimes do the job of a cook, taxi driver, doctor, or teacher. If you are a chef, you may sometimes do the job of a waiter, host, or busser. If you are a salesperson, you may sometimes do the job of a stock person or custodian. Although you claim a specific identity, there are times you perform a different role. In English, the same thing happens to verbs. Verbs are words that show an action or a state of being. However, sometimes verbs are given a different job. The verb gets a different name depending on what job it is doing. This is a lesson about gerunds, and the jobs they perform in a sentence.

What Is a Gerund?

When a verb ends in -ing and acts as a noun in a sentence, it is called a gerund. Remember, a noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns can have a variety of roles in a sentence. A gerund will take one of these positions in a sentence:

subject: who or what the sentence is about

Cooking is fun.

subject complement: follows the linking verb and renames the subject (subject = complement)

Mouhamed's favorite game is basketball.

Direct object: receives the action of the verb (after the verb ask ''what or whom?'')

Harmon likes rowing.

Indirect object: receives the direct object (after the direct object ask ''to or for whom or what?'')

Marge gave quilting a try.

Object of preposition: follows the preposition to complete its meaning

Gerund Phrases

If an action verb is transitive, it has a direct object. When you find the verb, you can ask ''what'' or ''whom.'' A gerund phrase consists of a gerund with a direct object.

Cooking pasta is a simple task.

The gerund is ''cooking'' and the object is ''pasta.'' Together, the phrase ''cooking pasta'' acts as the subject of the sentence.

Sometimes a gerund phrase also includes a modifier.

Lucas enjoys playing board games.

The gerund is ''playing'' and the object is ''games.'' The word ''board'' is modifying ''games,'' so the entire gerund phrase is ''playing board games.'' In this sentence, the gerund phrase is the direct object.

Gerund or Present Participle?

A gerund always ends in -ing, but not all verbs ending in -ing are gerunds. Present participles also end in -ing.

Here are some present participles:

• The lizard was hiding under Lucinda's pillow.
• Lucinda is crying because the lizard frightened her.
• I am laughing at Lucinda.
• Jem and Kit are running away from Lucinda.
• They were trying to scare her.

Notice that in each example, the -ing word shows a continuing action. That makes it a present participle, doing the job of a verb, not a noun.

Finding Gerund Phrases

Now that we've talked about the basics, let's dissect a few sentences in order to find the gerund phrases. Look at sentence 1.

Since we know that a gerund ends in -ing, we look at the word ''washing.'' Could it be a gerund? The subject of the sentence is ''Margot,'' and the verb is ''hates.'' What does Margot hate? She hates ''washing dishes.'' The phrase ''washing dishes'' is made of a verb and its direct object. The entire phrase is acting as a direct object of the main verb in the sentence, ''hates.'' ''Washing dishes'' is a gerund phrase.

Look at sentence 2.

First, let's look for the word ending in -ing. The word is ''swimming.'' The word ''laps'' is operating as the object of ''swimming,'' and the entire phrase ''swimming laps'' is the subject of the sentence. The verb is a linking verb, ''is,'' and ''exercise'' is a subject complement that renames ''swimming laps.'' The word ''good'' describes ''exercise.'' ''Swimming laps'' is the gerund phrase.