🎠The Magic of -ING: Gerunds Unleashed!
Imagine you have a magic wand. When you tap a verb with it, you add -ING and POOF—it transforms into something new! That new thing is called a GERUND.
A gerund looks like a verb doing an action (running, eating, sleeping), but it actually works like a noun—a thing you can talk about, hold in your hand like an invisible object, or put in different places in a sentence.
🎨 The Gerund Form
The Recipe: Take any verb + add -ING = GERUND
| Verb | + ING | = Gerund |
|---|---|---|
| swim | + ing | swimming |
| read | + ing | reading |
| dance | + ing | dancing |
| cook | + ing | cooking |
Spelling Tricks:
- If the verb ends in -e, drop it: make → making
- If a short verb ends in consonant-vowel-consonant, double the last letter: run → running, sit → sitting
🧙‍♂️ Think of it this way: The -ING is like a costume. When a verb wears it, the verb can now pretend to be a noun!
đź‘‘ Gerunds as Subjects
A subject is the star of the sentence—the one doing something or being something. Gerunds love being stars!
graph TD A["🎠Gerund"] --> B["Acts as Subject"] B --> C["Controls the Sentence"]
Examples:
- Swimming is fun. (What is fun? Swimming!)
- Reading makes you smart. (What makes you smart? Reading!)
- Dancing brings joy. (What brings joy? Dancing!)
🎯 The Test: Ask “What?” before the verb. If a gerund answers, it’s the subject!
🎯 Gerunds as Objects
An object receives the action. It’s what the verb is aiming at—like a target!
Direct Objects (after action verbs):
- I love swimming. (I love what? Swimming!)
- She enjoys reading. (She enjoys what? Reading!)
- They practice dancing. (They practice what? Dancing!)
graph LR A["Subject"] --> B["Verb"] B --> C["🎯 Gerund Object"]
💡 Remember: The gerund is the “thing” being loved, enjoyed, or practiced!
🌉 Gerunds After Prepositions
Prepositions are little words like about, after, before, by, for, in, of, on, without. They’re like bridges connecting ideas. After a preposition, ALWAYS use a gerund—never a plain verb!
| Preposition | + Gerund | Example |
|---|---|---|
| good at | drawing | She is good at drawing. |
| afraid of | flying | He is afraid of flying. |
| interested in | cooking | I’m interested in cooking. |
| tired of | waiting | We’re tired of waiting. |
| before | eating | Wash hands before eating. |
| after | finishing | Rest after finishing. |
| without | knowing | He left without knowing. |
⚠️ Golden Rule: Preposition + VERB? Wrong! Preposition + GERUND? Right!
Wrong: I’m good at swim. Right: I’m good at swimming.
🧲 Verbs Followed by Gerunds
Some verbs are gerund magnets—they always want a gerund after them, never “to + verb.”
The Gerund Gang (memorize these!)
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| enjoy | I enjoy playing games. |
| finish | She finished writing. |
| avoid | Avoid eating too fast. |
| keep | Keep trying! |
| mind | Do you mind waiting? |
| suggest | I suggest leaving early. |
| practice | Practice speaking English. |
| consider | Consider joining us. |
| miss | I miss seeing you. |
| quit | He quit smoking. |
| deny | She denied stealing. |
| admit | He admitted lying. |
graph TD A["Gerund Magnet Verbs"] --> B["enjoy"] A --> C["finish"] A --> D["avoid"] A --> E["keep"] A --> F["mind"] A --> G["suggest"] A --> H["practice"]
🎪 Memory Trick: “MEGA FADS KIP” - Mind, Enjoy, Give up, Avoid, Finish, Admit, Deny, Suggest, Keep, Imagine, Practice
⚖️ Verbs Taking Both Forms
Some verbs are flexible friends—they accept BOTH gerunds AND infinitives (to + verb) with the same meaning!
| Verb | With Gerund | With Infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| like | I like swimming. | I like to swim. |
| love | I love reading. | I love to read. |
| hate | I hate waiting. | I hate to wait. |
| prefer | I prefer walking. | I prefer to walk. |
| start | She started laughing. | She started to laugh. |
| begin | He began singing. | He began to sing. |
| continue | They continued talking. | They continued to talk. |
✅ Good News: With these verbs, both forms mean the same thing. You can’t go wrong!
🎠Meaning Differences (The Plot Twist!)
Warning! Some sneaky verbs change meaning depending on whether you use a gerund or infinitive!
STOP
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| stop + gerund | Quit doing that action | He stopped smoking. (He quit the habit) |
| stop + infinitive | Pause to do something | He stopped to smoke. (He paused for a cigarette) |
REMEMBER
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| remember + gerund | Memory of past action | I remember meeting her. (I recall we met before) |
| remember + infinitive | Don’t forget to do | Remember to meet her! (Don’t forget!) |
FORGET
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| forget + gerund | Can’t recall past event | I forgot locking the door. (Did I lock it?) |
| forget + infinitive | Failed to do | I forgot to lock the door. (Oops! It’s unlocked!) |
TRY
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| try + gerund | Experiment with method | Try eating less sugar. (See if it helps) |
| try + infinitive | Make an effort | Try to eat less sugar. (Attempt it) |
graph TD A["🎠Meaning Changes"] --> B["STOP"] A --> C["REMEMBER"] A --> D["FORGET"] A --> E["TRY"] B --> F["gerund = quit doing"] B --> G["infinitive = pause to do"]
🧩 Common Patterns
Pattern 1: It’s + adjective + gerund
- It’s worth trying.
- It’s no use crying.
- It’s no good complaining.
Pattern 2: Verb + object + gerund
- I can’t imagine him dancing.
- Do you mind me asking?
- I appreciate you helping.
Pattern 3: Go + gerund (activities)
- Let’s go swimming!
- We went shopping yesterday.
- They go hiking every weekend.
| Go + Gerund | Activity |
|---|---|
| go swimming | water fun |
| go shopping | buying things |
| go hiking | walking trails |
| go fishing | catching fish |
| go camping | outdoor sleeping |
| go skiing | snow sports |
Pattern 4: Spend/Waste + time + gerund
- I spent two hours reading.
- Don’t waste time worrying!
- She spends money traveling.
Pattern 5: Have difficulty/trouble + gerund
- I have difficulty understanding.
- They had trouble finding it.
- She has problems sleeping.
🎬 Quick Summary Story
Once upon a time, a verb named RUN wanted to be more than just an action. One day, RUN found a magical -ING cape. When RUN wore it, POOF!—RUNNING was born!
RUNNING could now:
- Be the star of sentences (Subject)
- Be the target of other verbs (Object)
- Follow preposition bridges (After prepositions)
- Hang out with gerund magnet verbs (enjoy, finish, avoid…)
- Sometimes mean different things with special verbs (stop, remember, forget, try)
And RUNNING lived happily ever after, turning boring sentences into exciting stories!
🚀 You’ve Got This!
Gerunds are everywhere—in every book, every conversation, every song. Now that you know their secrets:
- Spot the -ING ending
- Check if it’s acting like a noun
- Notice its position in the sentence
- Remember the special verbs and their rules
The more you practice recognizing gerunds, the more natural they become. Keep learning, keep growing, keep succeeding! 🌟