Gerunds CCSS L.8.1.

A
Explain the function of verbals (GERUNDS, participles, infinitives) in genera
their function
in particular sentences.
Objectives for this Lesson
I can…
 explain the function of a verbal
 identify a gerund
 identify a gerund phrase
 describe the function of a gerund in a
sentence.
First, we need to learn the
definition of a verbal.

A verbal is a word that is a verb,

but it is functioning as another part
of speech.

It’s that simple.

Okay, we have the basics. A verbal
is a verb that is functioning as
another part of speech. Then, what
is a gerund?

A gerund is considered a verbal

because it is a verb that is acting as
a noun!
Confused yet? Maybe you are, but it
really isn’t that complicated; you’ll
see.

A gerund is a verb that is

functioning as a noun, and it
ALWAYS ends in –ing!
There is one more little catch. Not ALL words that end in –ing
are gerunds. If you’re like me, you need examples.

This is NOT a gerund:

The couples were dancing all night.

Dancing is part of the verb phrase. What did the

couples do? They were dancing! The word dancing is
being used as part of the verb phrase and is not being
used as a noun. Therefore, it is not a gerund. Gerunds
must be used as nouns.
This is also NOT a gerund:

The swimming coach encouraged the

athletes to reach for their own personal best.

Swimming describes which coach. Therefore,

swimming in this sentence is an adjective; it is not
a gerund. Gerunds must be used as nouns.
Hmmmmm, now you are probably ready to learn what
a gerund actually looks like in a sentence. We aim to
please, so here you go.

Example:
Crying is a baby’s way of
communicating his or her needs.

Is it a gerund? Ask yourself these questions.

1. Does it end in –ing?
2. Is it a verb acting as a noun?
3. Yes! It is a gerund; it ends in –ing, and it is acting as a
noun. What is a baby’s way of communicating. Crying is!
Before moving on, let’s practice a little. I’ll even help if you get stuck.
In the following sentences, we are going to identify the gerunds.
Remember the questions: Does it end in –ing? Is it a verb acting as a
noun? Then it is a gerund!

1. My cooking is so awful that my family hides at dinner time. What is

awful?
cooking
2. Sarah was nervous before practicing her speech.
What is she nervous about?
practicing
3. Halloween is the time for eating sweets. Halloween is
the time for what?
eating
4. Brushing your teeth is important if you ever want
to kiss someone. What is important?
brushing
It’s your turn to strut your stuff!
Identify the gerunds in the following sentences. Remember,
the questions: Does it end in –ing? Is it a verb acting as a
noun? Then it is a gerund!
1. Singing is not Bob’s strength; he sounds like a frightened cat.
singing
2. Maria loves acting, so she joined drama.
acting
3. One smell I can’t stand is smoking.
smoking
4. Shoplifting is an illegal activity.
shoplifting

Congratulations! You are a

gerund pro!
It’s now time to move on to our next objective. We’re not finished yet! We
can identify gerunds in a sentence. Now
we need to find gerund phrases. What??
Let’s break it down, shall we?
A gerund phrase includes a gerund and also includes any other modifying
words or objects.

Stan enjoyed blowing large bubbles.

What is the gerund that ends in -ing?

blowing
Is it acting like a noun?
yes
What other words modify the gerund?
large bubbles
The gerund phrase is
blowing large bubbles.
Let’s practice! Circle the gerund and underline the entire gerund phrase.

1. Mowing the lawn is Brian’s job.

2. Punctuating sentences correctly is important in

effective paragraphs.

3. The family enjoyed camping during the summer.

4. Many students love learning about gerunds.

Hey, I can dream!

You try! Circle the gerund and underline the entire gerund phrase.

1. The crowing of the rooster woke us up way too early!

2. Kathy enjoys reading a good book.

3. Planning a vacation can be hard work.

4. Climbing the mountain was tougher than I thought it

would be.

Finding those gerunds is getting easier! Get it? Finding is a gerund.

Finding those gerunds is a gerund phrase.

What? It’s not funny to you?

Now that we know what a verbal is and can identify gerunds and gerund phrases
in sentences, we need to be able to determine the function of the gerund. Since
gerunds and gerund phrases function as nouns, they can play a variety of roles in
sentences.

Subjects:
Learning about gerunds is fun.

Subject Complements (also called Predicate Nominatives):

Our lesson was learning gerunds.

Direct Objects:
Our teacher loves teaching gerunds.

Indirect objects:
Students give learning all of their energy.

Object of the preposition.

We were excited about learning the gerund.
Gerunds as Subjects:
When gerunds are acting as subjects, it is helpful to find the verb first.
Then you ask (who or what?) the verb. Let’s practice with the following
sentence.

Cycling daily increases your fitness.

What is the verb?
increases
Who or what increases your fitness?
cycling
Cycling is the gerund subject.

The creaking of the floorboards kept me awake.

What is the verb?
Kept
Who or what kept me awake?
The creaking of the floorboards.
The creaking of the floorboards is the gerund phrase subject.
Let’s practice together! Can you identify the gerund subjects or
gerund phrase subjects? REMEMBER, not every –ing word is a gerund.

1. Long distance running helped the athlete prepare for

the approaching race.
Long distance running is the gerund subject of the verb helped.
Approaching is not a gerund because it is an adjective describing race.

2. Recycling is good for the environment.

Recycling is the gerund subject of the verb is.

3. Flying over the mountains in the storm was a

terrifying experience.
Flying over the mountains in the storm is the gerund phrase subject of the verb was.
Terrifying is an adjective describing experience .

4. The sputtering of the engine indicated that the car

needed to be put in the shop.
The sputtering of the engine is the gerund phrase subject of the verb indicated.
Your turn! Practice makes perfect. Can you identify the gerund/gerund
phrase subjects?
Remember, not every –ing word is a gerund.

1. Practicing a new skill is a great way to become an expert.

2. Shopping at the new store was an exhausting

experience because of the pushy crowds.

3. Disqualifying kept Lauren from the track meet.

4. The coughing of the presenter made it difficult to pay

attention.
Remember that gerunds are verbs that function as a noun.
The next type of
gerund is called a subject complement. A subject
complement RENAMES the subject, so it is also considered a
noun. Check out these examples:

My favorite activity is skiing.

The subject is activity. The gerund “skiing” is renaming the
subject “activity”. That makes it a subject complement!

In football, Mark’s best skill was tackling.

The subject is skill. The gerund “tackling” is renaming the
subject “skill”.
Let’s practice! Identify the gerund/gerund phrase subject complement .
Remember, the gerund subject complements end in –ing and rename the
subject.

1. The goal of the race was winning the trophy.

What word/phrase renames goal?

2. My deepest desire is traveling across the U.S.

What word/phrase renames desire?

3. Most teenagers’ favorite activity is sleeping.

What word/phrase renames activity?

4. The toddler’s favorite game is chasing the cat.

What word/phrase renames game?
Your turn! Practice makes perfect. Can you identify the gerund/gerund
phrase subject complements? Remember that a gerund/gerund phrase
subject complement renames the subject.

1. That restaurant’s specialty is barbecuing steak.

What word/phrase renames specialty?

2. My friend is addicted to video games; his main objective is defeating

his foes.
What word/phrase renames objective?

3. The main skill that is required for this job is processing information
quickly and efficiently.
What word/phrase renames skill?

4. The dog’s main purpose was herding the cows.

What word/phrase renames skill?
Let’s also take a second to review the two types of gerund/gerund phrases
that we have covered so far.
Gerunds can be subject nouns and gerunds can also be subject complements.
Remember, don’t confuse other –ing words with gerunds. Gerunds are
verbs that are acting as nouns.

Can you tell the difference between these gerunds?

1. Walking to the store took me at least two hours.
What is the gerund? Is it a subject or subject
complement? Why?

2. The goal of the workshop was improved learning.

What it the gerund? Is it a subject or subject
complement? Why?
Ready to move on?
Gerund/gerund phrases can also be direct objects, another type of noun.
A direct object is a type of noun that receives action from the subject. A
direct object always follows a transitive (or action) verb. HUH?

Quick example:
The boy hated napping.
How to identify a direct object (only action verbs take a direct object):

The boy + hated – The boy hated who or what? = napping

(subject) + (action verb) – Ask who or what? = direct object
Let’s practice!
Can you identify the gerund/gerund phrase direct objects? Remember the
formula:
Subject(s) + Verb + Ask who or what? = Direct Object

1. The teacher organized the learning for the day.

2. The child practiced singing.

3. Andrew enjoys snacking.

4. The dogs attacked the stuffing of the couch.

Whew! We are almost there.

Your turn! Can you identify the gerund/gerund phrase
direct objects? Remember the formula:
Subject(s) + Verb + Ask who or what? = Direct Object

1. Most people love eating too much food on holidays.

2. Andrea can’t quit biting her fingernails.

3. My brother would like to attempt competing in a marathon.

4. I wish you would consider attending the school play.

Gerunds and gerund phrases can also be indirect objects,
another type of noun. An indirect object answers the
question “to whom?” or “to what?” In order for there to be
An indirect object, there MUST be a direct object. The
way to find the indirect object is to use the following
formula.

Subject + verb + direct object + to whom or to what? The answer is the indirect object.

The boy gave reading a book a try!

The boy + gave + a try = reading a book
(subject) (action verb) (direct object) (to whom or to what?)

The gerund indirect object is reading a book.

The girl gives chasing the boys her full attention.

The girl + gives + attention = chasing the boys

(subject) (action verb) (who or what?) (to whom or to what?)

The gerund indirect object is chasing the boys.

Let’s practice! Can you identify the gerund/gerund phrase indirect objects?
Remember the formula:
Subject + verb + direct object + to whom or to what? The
answer is the indirect object.

1. Sarah gave solving the math problem her best effort.

2. John gives fixing his car too much time.

3. The teacher gives planning her lessons great thought.

4. The student gave learning her lines a valiant try.

Your turn! Can you identify the gerund/gerund phrase
indirect objects? Remember the formula:
Subject + verb + direct object + to whom or to what? The
answer is the indirect object.

1. The dog gave chasing the mailman an attempt.

2. Give learning about gerunds your complete attention.

3. Orlando gave forgiving her a chance.

4. I gave writing a book a shot.

Since a noun can be an object of a preposition, so can a
gerund. A preposition comes before a noun or a pronoun
and shows a relationship to another word in the sentence.
Some common prepositions include above, beyond, under,
of, over, since, and etc.

Example:
I apologize for forgetting your name.
Forgetting is the gerund object of the preposition for.

Adam is excited about leaving for Hawaii.

Leaving is the gerund object of the preposition about.

We should shop around a little before buying.

Buying is the gerund object of the preposition before.
Let’s practice! Can you identify the gerund object of the
preposition? Remember to look for words like at, above,
below, by, during, of, and etc. Make sure you underline
the preposition along with the gerund phrase.

1. After we discussed our options, we decided

on attending the play.

2. Erica is an expert at playing the guitar.

3. Sam will call you after driving home.

4. Please check that you have all your belongings

before leaving.
Your turn! Can you identify the gerund object of the
preposition? Remember to look for words like at, above,
below, by, during, of, and etc. Make sure you identify
the preposition along with the gerund phrase.

1. The other driver put us at risk by cutting in front of us.

2. Airplane pilots have to practice to become adept

at landing aircraft.

3. By practicing constantly, the athlete has improved

his mile time significantly.

4. After thinking about it, I have decided to buy a new car.

We could go on and on, but I think we have a good idea of how gerunds function in
sentences. Now it’s time to review. In the sentences below, the gerund is already identified
for you. Decide if the gerund is functioning as a subject, a subject complement, a direct
object, an indirect object, or an object of the preposition.

1. After applying the paint, let the project dry for two hours.
Object of the preposition after

2. Michael’s dream is teaching in a foreign country.

Subject complement – teaching renames dream

3. Swimming is a great way to stay in shape.

Subject of the sentence

4. Cooking for others is a passion as well as a career for her.

Subject of the sentence

5. I really loved giving you the gift.

Direct object – I really loved what?
6. The librarian gives ordering books deep thought.

indirect object – The librarian gives thought to

what?

7. His new job is paper filing.

subject complement – filing renames job

8. Migrating is a natural instinct for some animals.

subject of the sentence

9. After biking for 10 miles, I was ready to shower.

object of the preposition after

10. The teacher suggested studying for the exam.

direct object – The teacher suggested what?

The skill of identifying gerunds will get easier
with practice! Keep working at it until you get it!

Thanks for sharing our gerund journey!