Gerund Phrase

Gerund Phrase

*  What is a gerund?

==> Gerund is a word ended in –ing (Main verb + ing) and function as nouns.

Examples:

-          Swimming is fun.

-          I love listening.

-          My cooking is famous in my hometown.

-          Running is my favorite activity.

*  What is a Gerund phrase?

==> A gerund phrase will begin with a gerund, an ing word, and might include other modifiers and/or objects. Gerund phrases always function as nouns, so they will be subjects, subject complements, direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions.

(For more detail see function of noun phrase)

a. Gerund phrase as subject of verb

Examples:

-          Running marathons is my favorite activity.

-          Cramming for tests is not a good study strategy.

-          Eating ice cream on a windy day can be a messy experience if you have long, untamed hair.

-          Getting up each morning is the first challenge.

b. Gerund phrase as object of verb.

Examples:

-          I love listening to my favorite band.

-          He enjoys reading books on the porch rocks!

-     John enjoyed swimming in the lake after dark.

-          Wild food adventures require getting your hair cut to a short, safe length.

c. Gerund phrase as subject complement

Examples:

-          A more disastrous activity for long-haired people is blowing giant bubble gum bubbles with the car windows down.

-          Our favorite adventure was stumbling upon Frog Pond deep in the forest.

-          One of Serena Williams' biggest disappointments after her semifinal defeat was losing her spot for tennis singles in the Olympics.

-          Being the boss made Jeff feel uneasy.

d. Gerund phrase as object of preposition.

Examples:

-          She went on talking about her illnesses until we all went to sleep.

-          We are talking about writing in English.

-          I'm really not interested in studying biochemistry for the rest of my life.

-          We worried about being swept away over the waterfall as we swam.

e. Gerund phrase object complement

Examples:

-          I dislike people telling me what to think.

-          Nobody can stop him doing what he wants to.

f. Gerund phrase as Appositive

Examples:

- The best exercise, walking briskly, is also the least expensive.

- Her good habit, walking a round house, is now very popular.

*  Points to remember:

1. A gerund is a verbal ending in -ing that is used as a noun.
2. A gerund phrase consists of a gerund plus modifier(s), object(s), and/or complement(s). 
3.  Gerunds and gerund phrases virtually never require punctuation.