Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds and infinitives are sometimes referred to as verb complements. They may function as subjects or objects in a sentence.

A gerund is a verb in its ing (present participle) form that functions as a noun that names an activity rather than a person or thing. Any action verb can be made into a gerund.

Spelling Tip

Verbing (Present Participle)

Add ing to most verbs. Ex. play playing, cry crying, bark barking

For verbs that end in e, remove the e and add ing. Ex: slide sliding, ride riding

For verbs that end in ie, change the ie to y and add ing. Ex: die dying, tie tying

For a verb whose last syllable is written with a consonant-vowel-consonant and is stressed, double the last letter before adding ing. Ex: beg begging, begin beginning. However: enter entering (last syllable is not stressed)

Gerund Examples

Gerunds can appear at the beginning of a sentence when used as a subject:

Jogging is a hobby of mine.

Gerunds can act as an object following the verb:

Daniel quit smoking a year ago.

Gerunds can serve as an object after a preposition:

I look forward to helping you paint the house.