Gerunds

What they are: Gerunds are verbs ending in -ing that are used as nouns.  Be careful: Just because a verb ends in -ing doesn’t make it a gerund!

How they’re formed: Action verb + ing

How they’re used: Gerunds are used as nouns.  This means they can take on any function that a noun can in a sentence: subject, direct object, indirect object, appositive, object of preposition, predicate nominative

Examples: Reading is my favorite hobby. (subject)  My other favorite hobby, dancing, takes a lot of practice. (appositive)  She makes extra money by cooking. (object of preposition)  The way to be successful on a test is studying. (predicate nominative) Over the summer, Stuart gave running a try. (indirect object)