What Is a Gerund in English and When to Use It?

26 November 2025

English-learners

Oleksandra Kulish

Book expert

Gerund (or gerund) — a familiar term to everyone who studies English. In schools, it is often called an «verbal noun». But this approach does not quite accurately convey the essence of this part of speech, which combines features of both nouns and verbs.

There is no gerund in Russian, so it creates difficulties both for schoolchildren and for adults striving to improve their English. Let’s examine what you must know about this verb form for those learning the language, and when the gerund is used in English.

Functions of the gerund in English

Most grammar references contain a long definition of this term: the gerund is an impersonal form of English verbs, expressing actions and combining characteristic features of verbs and nouns. In addition to the gerund, impersonal verbs in English include the infinitive (to paint, to sing) and the participle, which we will discuss later.

Let’s try to simplify this complex explanation: a gerund can be called a special form of verbs with
the suffix -ing, which has features of both nouns and verbs. Linguists consider the gerund as a verbal part of speech, but its properties are not identical to verbal nouns.

Identifying a gerund in written or spoken language is simple — it is enough to find a word with the suffix -ing that answers the question «Performing what?». The gerund differs from a noun in that it denotes a process extended over time:

swimming — плавание;
running — бег.

Often, the use of a gerund indicates an action (to stop, to finish) or an attitude towards some activity (to adore, to prefer).

It is important to consider the peculiarities of using the gerund in English:

these impersonal verbs can be accompanied by an object without prepositions — watching films (watching films), cooking dinner (preparing dinner);
before impersonal verb forms it is permissible to use possessive pronouns or nouns in the appropriate case (his, her, their, friend’s, mother’s), but not articles.

Linguists distinguish three main differences between the English gerund and verbal nouns. Thus, the gerund has stable formation using the suffix -ing, while verbal lexemes may allow suffixal and prefixal word formation.

The semantic meaning of the gerund also differs from verbal nouns. The gerund serves to denote an action as a process. Verbal nouns are not used in similar grammatical constructions.

The third significant difference between these parts of speech lies in the syntactic relationship with dependent words. The gerund governs them similarly to verbs. Verbal nouns change the sentence structure — a prepositionless connection may change to a prepositional one, etc.

Features of gerund formation: gerund forms in English

In English, there are several rules for forming the gerund. This part of speech is formed using any verbs except modal verbs. The suffix -ing is added to the base lexeme: be becomes being, go — going, stay — staying. The nuances of gerund formation are shown in the table.

Parameter	Word formation examples
Verb ends with –e	The vowel –e is dropped, and the suffix -ing is added: - to dance → dancing; - to write → writing
Verb ends with a consonant preceded by a stressed vowel	The consonant at the end of the word is doubled, then the suffix -ing is added: - to swim → swimming; - to stop → stopping
Verb ends with a stressed syllable containing the letter –r	The consonant –r is doubled before adding the suffix -ing, exception — diphthongs in the stressed syllable. Compare: - to refer → referring; - to fear → fearing
Verb ends with —ie	The ending is dropped and replaced with –y: - to tie → tying; - to die → dying

Forming the negative form of a verb is simple: just add the particle not. It should be placed before the gerund. Examples:

She avoids not eating vegetables. — She avoids not eating vegetables.
Not exercising regularly can harm your health. — Not exercising regularly can harm your health.

In the next section, we will discuss the features of translating into Russian sentences containing a gerund.

Functional meaning of gerund

The functionality of the gerund in English is diverse. These verbs can perform various roles in sentences and act as an object, subject, adverbial, or attribute. The only exception is the position of a simple predicate. Let's consider the main possibilities of using the gerund in written and spoken language.

Subject

In this role, the gerund is used in sentences like:

Reading books is enjoyable. — Reading books is enjoyable.

Such phrases can be easily rephrased without losing meaning. The gerund can easily be converted into an infinitive:

It’s enjoyable to read books. — It is enjoyable to read books.

These constructions are typical for spoken language.

Prepositional and direct object

In the first case, a sentence with a gerund looks like this:

She is keen on learning languages. — She is keen on learning languages.

The direct object is formed like this:

I hate you interrupting me. — I hate you interrupting me.

Adverbial of time and manner

Indicating the time of the action has a clarifying character:

After finishing work, he went for a walk. — After finishing work, he went for a walk.

The adverbial of manner establishes cause-and-effect relationships:

By practicing daily, you’ll improve fast. — By practicing daily, you’ll improve fast (in a certain activity).

Compound nominal predicate

The gerund can be part of a compound nominal predicate:

Her favorite activity is painting landscapes. — Her favorite activity is painting landscapes.

Attribute

The gerund indicates a specific circumstance or action characterizing the subject:

I appreciate your way of explaining things. — I appreciate your way of explaining things.

Mastering the rules for forming subjects, objects, predicates, and adverbials will help avoid unpleasant mistakes during exams or communication with native English speakers.

Examples of using the gerund in English

The impersonal form of the verb often acts as part of sentences containing general verbs and adjectives with fixed prepositions. Stable constructions should be memorized by all adults and children who are learning English.

Gerund and verbs

English contains several dozen verbs after which only the gerund is used. This list includes common words (allow, discuss, enjoy) and less frequently used words in everyday communication (shirk, urge, necessitate). Examples:

She enjoys reading detective stories. — She enjoys reading detective stories. Incorrect: She enjoys to read…
They avoided discussing the problem. — They avoided discussing the problem. Incorrect: They avoided to discuss…

Using the gerund in these examples not only follows grammar rules but also helps sentences gain conciseness and completeness.

Gerund and verbs with fixed prepositions

Many verbs in English are used with fixed prepositions. Knowing these grammatical constructions will help during exams, or in written or spoken dialogue with a foreigner. Among the most common words are:

agree to;
keep from;
feel like;
think of;
thank for.

Example of combining such constructions with a gerund:

I am looking forward to visiting Paris next summer. — I am looking forward to visiting Paris next summer.

Combination of gerund with adjectives and participles

Some English adjectives and participles have fixed prepositions. This list should be memorized by everyone learning English:

be afraid of;
be ashamed of;
be engaged in;
be fond of;
be good at;
be interested in;
be pleased at;
be proud of;
be responsible for;
be sorry for;
be surprised at;
be tired of;
be used to.

Example of using a verb with a fixed preposition:

I am tired of waking up early every day. — I am tired of waking up early every day.

Gerund and infinitive

In some lexical constructions, gerunds and infinitives can replace each other — such usage will not be considered a grammatical mistake by English teachers or native speakers. However, avoiding the gerund can distort the meaning of the phrase or text you used. Examples:

Don’t forget to charge your phone. — Don’t forget to charge your phone (infinitive, planned action).
I will never forget climbing that mountain. — I will never forget climbing that mountain (gerund, past action, negative form).

In some cases, using a gerund or infinitive with a verb does not affect the meaning of your spoken or written sentence. This applies to words like: begin, can't bear, can't stand, continue, hate, like, love, prefer, propose, start.

Here are some semantic differences between gerunds and infinitives.

Verb	Gerund (V-ing)	Infinitive (to + V1)	Difference in meaning
remember	I remember meeting her last year.	Remember to call her.	Gerund — the action has already happened; infinitive — a reminder not to forget to do something.
forget	He’ll never forget visiting Rome.	Don’t forget to bring the keys.	Gerund — a memory; infinitive — a reminder about a future action.
stop	She stopped smoking.	She stopped to smoke.	Gerund — stopped the action; infinitive — stopped in order to perform another action.
try	Try adding more sugar.	Try to open the door.	Gerund — experiment; infinitive — an attempt which may fail.
regret	I regret telling you the truth.	I regret to inform you...	Gerund — regret about the past; infinitive — formal notification.
go on	He went on talking.	He went on to talk about finances.	Gerund — continue the same action; infinitive — move on to a new topic.
mean	This job means working weekends.	I meant to call you.	Gerund — meaning; infinitive — intention.
like / love / hate / prefer	I love cooking.	I’d love to cook now.	Both are possible: gerund — habit / general action; infinitive — specific intention.

Within this material, the main characteristics of the gerund are presented — rules of its formation, basics of use as different parts of a sentence, the order of constructing phrases using fixed lexemes. Learning them is extremely important, as good grammar knowledge is necessary not only during exams but also in communication with native English speakers.

Studying the rules of gerund usage involves memorizing certain lexemes: verbs and adjectives with fixed prepositions, words signaling infinitives and gerunds. Be patient — this knowledge will allow you to freely express your thoughts in dialogue with foreigners.

Reading books in English will speed up the process of memorizing the rules of gerund usage and language learning in general. At first, reading fiction may seem a waste of time. But human memory is unique: information that repeats is often remembered unconsciously. After one book, you will be surprised how easily you can construct familiar words into grammatically correct constructions.

You can find fiction as well as educational literature on various topics on our Dinternal Education website. Dinternal Education Resources — 100% compliance with current program requirements and quality books for everyone.