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-ing
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Gerunds and -ing words

in English

Gerunds,
verbal nouns, present participles all ending in

-ing

►

►

 See
also:

1. The different types of
word ending in –

ing

: 

 The
English language does not use many grammatical “endings”, but
 some of those it does use have several different functions.
The  –

ing

ending is one of them. Words ending in -ing can be gerunds, verbal
nouns, or
present participles. Distinguishing (=

gerund

) between
these, and using them correctly is not always easy – until
you
understand  these three simple rules.

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Definitions

1. The

   gerund

   is a

   verb

   which is used as if it were a noun (Examples
   1
   & 2 below). Since it is a
   verb, it can

   not

   be
   qualified by an adjective,
   nor preceded by an article,
   but, like other forms of the verb, it can be
   modified by an adverb and
   take a complement .

2. A

   verbal
   noun

   (Examples 3 & 4)  is a
   noun
   formed  from a verb;

   some

   verbal nouns end in –ing.
   
   Verbal nouns, like other nouns, 

   can

   take a determiner,
   and
   be qualified by adjectives.  

3. A

   participle

   is an
   adjective
   or
   part of a participial phrase qualifying a noun or a pronoun.
    (Examples 5 et 6). The present
   participle is also used in the

   progressive

   aspect
   of verb tenses (Examples 7 & 8).

See the differences of use that are illustrated by these
examples.

Words
in
-ing:

Gerund

,

noun

or

present
participle

(and

progressive

verb form)

1.    Seeing is
   believing.

2.  
    Living cheaply in New York is quite possible.

3.   The book
   was easy reading !
4.  
    He managed to make a good living.
5.  
    

   Smiling, the lady told them
   they’d won the big prize.

6.  

    I heard them arguing
   last night.

7.   

   I’m
   taking my brother to the station tonight

8.  
    The man
   was phoning his friend, when the lights went out.

See also: Consecutive
verbs : gerund or infinitive?The English language does not use many grammatical “endings”, but some of those it does use have several different functions. The -ending is one of them. Words ending in -ing can be gerunds, verbal nouns, or present participles. Distinguishing (=) between these, and using them correctly is not always easy – until you understand these three simple rules.

2. The gerund in English: the

verb

used
as a noun

The

gerund

in English has the form of the present participle in –

ing

.

It is the most common form of the verb used as a noun, and can be
the subject (examples 1 to 7), or the object of a sentence (8 &
9)
, or follow prepositions (10 to 13).

Examples

: 

1.    Seeing is
   believing.
2.  
    Reading that book was very interesting.
3.  
    Drinking is essential
4.  
    Drinking too much pop can make you fat.
5.  
    Taking the bus was rather a good idea.
6.  
    Swimming regularly is very good exercise.
7.  
    Taking too many aspirins is dangerous.
8.  
    I really like sailing .
9.   
   This article really needs completely rewriting.
10.  
     He drove two hundred miles without ever stopping.
11.  
     I look forward to seeing  you again next week.
12.  
     I’m thinking of painting my house.
13.  
     I started by carefully turning off the electricity
14.  
     Do you mind shutting the window, please ?
15.  
     Will you consider taking the job?
16.  
     I’ve really enjoyed meeting you.

as if
it were

a noun, but

not 

in
the same way as

a noun. In other words, it keeps its verbal qualities.  Since
it
is not used like a noun, it cannot be qualified by an adjective; on the
contrary, it keeps some of the essential features that distinguish a
verb, notably that it can take a direct object (examples 2, 4, 7, 11 –
16 above)
, and/or be qualified by an adverb (examples 9 & 13).
    When gerunds are used as verbal
complements
(second verbs following a first verb), as in examples  8 and 9
above, they can often be rephrased using an infinitive instead of the
gerund.
  However a few verbs require a gerund, not an
infinitive (Examples 14 – 16 above). The most common of these are

admit, consider, dislike, deny,
enjoy, finish, involve, miss, mind,  suggest,

►

For
more details on this, see

Thein English has the form of the present participle in -It is the most common form of the verb used as a noun, and can be the subject (examples 1 to 7), or the object of a sentence (8 & 9) , or follow prepositions (10 to 13).As the examples above show, the gerund is a verb useda noun, buta noun. In other words, it keeps its verbal qualities. Since it is not used like a noun, it cannot be qualified by an adjective; on the contrary, it keeps some of the essential features that distinguish a verb, notably that it can take a direct object (examples 2, 4, 7, 11 – 16 above) , and/or be qualified by an adverb (examples 9 & 13).When gerunds are used as(second verbs following a first verb), as in examples 8 and 9 above, they can often be rephrased using an infinitive instead of the gerund.However a few verbs require a gerund, not an infinitive (Examples 14 – 16 above). The most common of these areFor more details on this, see consecutive
verb structures

3. Verbal nouns:

nouns

that are derived from verbs

There are a large number of ways of creating a noun from a verb: among
the most common of these are words that use the root form of the verb
and a noun ending such as –ment
(as in ),
–ance (as in
),
–ion (as in

confirmation

)
, or –ing (as in

The changing of the guard

.)
 You can see that these -ing forms really are

nouns

,
not verbs, as
they can be qualified by adjectives and preceded by a determiner
(article, quantifier etc) .
     
Examples: 

1.  
    That is a
   very nice painting
2.   
   We’re going to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
3.  
    After a slow beginning, the show got a bit more lively.
4.  
    This story has a rather unexpected ending..
5.  
    The commission demanded the breaking up of the company into
   two separate units.
6.  
    Our last meeting was not very productive.

4. Areas of possible confusion

Sometimes it is difficult to
decide if a word is a gerund or a verbal noun; and in fact, the quality
of the -ing word can change according to context.  Look at
these
examples:
Examples: 

1. For musicians,

   practising

    is
   essential.

2. For musicians, 

   practising

   an
   instrument is essential

3. For musicians,

   regular

   practising

    

   is
   essential.

4. For
   musicians,

   regular
   practising an instrument

   is essential

   .

   NO !

5. For musicians,

   regular

   ly

   practising

    an
   instrument is essential.

6. For musicians,

   the regular 

   practising

   of

   an instrument is essential.

1

and 2 above,

practising

is
clearly a

gerund

;
in example 2 it is followed by a complement,

an instrument

.
 
But in example 3
it is preceded by an adjective

regular

;
so this time it is being used differently, as a

verbal
noun

. We can verify this if we try to add a complement, as
in example 4.
It is not possible.
We cannot say “

For
musicians, regular practising an instrument is essential.

“.
 An

-ing

word cannot simultaneously be preceded by an adjective and followed by
a direct complement. Other solutions are needed; the
word must

either

be used as a gerund,

or

as a verbal noun, but
not both at once.

So while example 4
does not work, there are two solutions.
  Example 5
uses the word

practising

as a gerund, as in examples 1 and 2; and as it is a gerund, it is
modified by an adverb,

regularly

.

   Finally, example 6 rephrases
example
5, but using
as a verbal noun, not a gerund. We can see that it is a noun, as it is
now part of a noun phrase introduced by an article and
including
an adjective.

There are a large number of ways of creating a noun from a verb: among the most common of these are words that use the root form of the verb and a noun ending such as -(as in), -(as in), -(as in) , or -(as in.) You can see that these -ing forms really are, not verbs, as they can be qualified by adjectives and preceded by a determiner (article, quantifier etc) .Sometimes it is difficult to decide if a word is a gerund or a verbal noun; and in fact, the quality of the -ing word can change according to context. Look at these examples:In examplesandabove,is clearly a; in example 2 it is followed by a complement,But in exampleit is preceded by an adjective; so this time it is being used differently, as a. We can verify this if we try to add a complement, as in example. It is not possible.We cannot say “”. Anword cannot simultaneously be preceded by an adjective and followed by a direct complement. Other solutions are needed; theword mustbe used as a gerund,as a verbal noun, but not both at once.So while exampledoes not work, there are two solutions.Exampleuses the wordas a gerund, as in examples 1 and 2; and as it is a gerund, it is modified by an adverb,Finally, examplerephrases example 5, but usingas a verbal noun, not a gerund. We can see that it is a noun, as it is now part of a noun phrase introduced by an article and including an adjective.

5. Present participles

Participles
are adjectives;
they can either stand alone, before or after their noun, as the
situation requires, or else they can be part of an adjectival phrase.
Participles
are often used to make a shortened form of a subordinate clause, as in
examples 1 and 3 below, 

• Looking
  out of.

  .. is an ellipsis or
  contraction of

  As
  I was looking out of.

  ..,

• … I saw the
  tornado coming

  is a contraction of …

  I saw the
  tornado that was coming.

Elliptical phrases may come before the
noun or pronoun (e.g.

Looking
out of the window, I saw

….) or after it (e.g.

I saw the
tornado
coming

).  
    However, when the participle phrase is a
shortened form of a
     Present particples are also used to
form the

progressive forms

of present and past tenses (Examples 8 – 10).
     
Examples: 

1. Looking

   out of the window, I saw the tornado

   coming

   . 

2. In the course of the

   coming

   week, I have three
   interviews to go to.

3. I saw the child

   standing

   in the middle of the road.

4. The people

   living

   next door are very friendly.
        4b

   The
   living next door people are very friendly

   is impossible.

5. This is a seriously

   interesting

   book.

6. The

   winning

   team will go through to the finals.

7. The team

   winning

   in the first round will go through
   to
   the finals.

8. I was

   looking

   out of the window when I saw the tornado.

9.  At the moment, he’s

   living

   in Bristol.

10. The company has been

    doing

    very well for the past two
    years.

Active and passive

Gerunds and participles are most commonly used in the active voice;
they can however be easily used in the

Examples: 

1. Being seen

   is
   more
   important
   than

   being heard.

2. Dominic drove three hundred miles without ever

   being stopped.

3. They began their holiday by

   getting

   hopelessly

   lost

   .

4.  Everyone watched the building

   getting
   demolished.

5.  At the moment they

   ‘re
   being sold

   at half price.

Look at English grammar with Linguapress.  Simple rules, clear
examples.

; they can either stand alone, before or after their noun, as the situation requires, or else they can be part of an adjectival phrase.Participles are often used to make a shortened form of a subordinate clause, as in examples 1 and 3 below,Elliptical phrases may come before the noun or pronoun (e.g…..) or after it (e.g.).However, when the participle phrase is a shortened form of a relative
clause , it MUST come after the noun (examples 4 & 7 below).Present particples are also used to form theof present and past tenses (Examples 8 – 10).Gerunds and participles are most commonly used in the active voice; they can however be easily used in the passive too. Examples 1 – 3 : gerunds, examples 4 & 5 participles.Look at English grammar with Linguapress. Simple rules, clear examples.

10He warned me stopping stop to stop bothering her.

9I don’t mind him not talking not talk not to talk so much; he has other ways of expressing what he feels.

8I would hate you think to think thinking that I don’t appreciate your help.

7I was waiting him saying him to say for him to say sorry, but since he didn’t, I just left.

6What kind of things do you hate people to say saying say to you?

5He was made sign signing to sign the documents at gunpoint.

4He made me feel feeling to feel very bad about what I’d done.

3I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting to wait wait .

2It took us ages to find finding find the hotel.

1The supporters expect the manager to stay stay staying at least for one more season.

 

Verb + object + to + infinitive

 

After certain verbs

 
We can use the following verbs + object + to + infinitive: advise, allow, ask, beg, cause, convince, enable, encourage, expect, force, get (see get uses), help, intend, invite, mean, order, persuade, recommend, remind, take (time), teach, tell, warn. (See table with examples below)
 

want, need, would like, would hate, would prefer

 
We can also use want, need, would like, would hate, would prefer + object + to + infinitive.

• I

  need you to do

  something for me.

• She

  wants me to go

  to the doctor with her.

• They

  would like me to be

  available at all times. 

• I

  would hate you to think

  I didn’t appreciate what you did for me. 

• I

  would prefer you

  to be quiet

 

Verbs also used in other ways

 
advise, persuade, remind, teach, tell, warn

We can also use advise, persuade, remind, teach, tell, warn + object + (that) clause.

• Our mentor has

  advised us that

  we should start working on the project as soon as possible.

• The president

  persuaded them that

  the situation was critical. 

• I called him to

  remind him

   he had to take all the necessary equipment. 

• They

  taught me

   things aren’t always as they seem. 

• Danny

  told me that

  he is going to be appointed director of overseas operations. 

• He

  warned us that

  temperatures would drop dramatically the following week.

recommend

We can also use recommend + that clause (without object).

• I

  recommended him to stay

  .

• I

  recommended that he stay

  .(more formal)

• I

  recommended that he stays

  .(less formal)

advise, allow, recommend

We can use advise, allow, recommend  + object + to + infinitive. But if they are followed by the verb (without the object), this verb must take the -ing form.

• He advised

  me to go

  , but He advised

  going

  .

• They don’t allow

  us to drink

  anything, but They don’t allow

  drinking

  . 

• He recommended 

  me to take

  the course, but He recommended

  taking

  the course.  

 

Verb + for someone + to + infinitive

 
arrange, ask, plan, wait

We say arrange, ask, plan or wait + for someone + to + infinitive.

• I will

  arrange for you to have

  a meeting with him next week. 

• I asked

  for somebody to repair

  my air conditioner.

• They

  are planning for him

  to turn his ideas into action. 

• We

  waited for them

  to arrive. 

Adjectives

We can use certain adjectives + for someone + to + infinitive.

• It’s essential for us to be

  ready when we are needed. 

• It would be nice for you to be

  there the day of the rehearsal. 

• It’s difficult for Sarah to make

  ends meet now that she’s working part time. 

Nouns

We can use certain nouns such as advantage, disadvantage, demand, disaster, idea, mistake, etc. + for someone + to + infinitive.

• It was a

  mistake for you to lend

  him the money.

• It would be a

  disaster for the company to reduce

  the number of staff.

• I think it’s a good

  idea for him to go

  to the interview.

• An extra room is an

  advantage for families to use

  it as a play area.

too/enough

We can also use too or enough + for someone + to infinitive.

• The book was

  too great for me to forget

  .

• It was

  warm enough for us sit

  in the open.

Infinitive of purpose

We can also use the same structure after an infinitive of purpose.

• The purpose of this activity is

  for the students to practice

  their listening skills.

• The goal is

  for the dog to relax

  when wearing a leash.

 

Verb + object + infinitive without to

 

let, make, help

 
We can use the verbs let, make, and help followed by object + infinitive without to.

• She drives me to work and never

  lets me pay

  for the petrol. 

• The teacher

  made us write

  a very long essay. 

• Can I

  help you fix

  the fence?  (But

  help somebody to do

   is also correct)

be made to do

We say make + someone + infinitive (without to), but we say someone + be made + to + infinitive.

• They 

  made the staff wear

  their uniform every day.

• The staff 

  were made to wear

  their uniform every day.

 

hear, listen, notice, see

 
We can use  hear, listen, notice, see + object + infinitive without to to talk about a short or complete action (see B1+ verb patterns):

• I

  saw

  them

  kiss

  (I saw the action from start to end. It was probably a short kiss.)

• I

  heard

  someone

  shout

  your name. (I heard the shouting from star to end.)

But we use hear, listen, notice, see, watch + object + -ing to to talk about an action in progress; and action that is longer, and incomplete.

• I

  saw

  them

  kissing

  in the park. (The action was in progress. I didn’t see it finish)

 

Verb + object + gerund

 
In this kind of construction, the object of the main verb is the subject of the verb in the gerund form. The following verbs can be used before object + gerund: dislike, hate, imagine, involve, keep, mind, prevent, not like, remember, resent, risk, stop (See table with examples below)
 

Tables with example sentences