Gerunds are -ing forms of verbs, but they are not part of any
verb tense. Instead, they are used as nouns. Notice that

1.         Most gerunds are the -ing form (base form + -ing)
of a verb .
       
2.         Gerunds may be affirmative or negative. Negatives
are formed by putting not before the -ing form.

Gerunds may be used exactly as nouns are used. Their most
common uses are

1.         as subjects;
       
2.         as objects of verbs and prepositions;
       
3.         as subject complements.

Examples:

Subjects

Swimming is excellent exercise.

Drinking too much coffee gives him a headache.

Eating too quickly gave him an upset stomach.

Not doing his homework caused him to fail the test.

Not having an answering machine causes him
to miss many calls.

Objects

He dislikes doing homework.

The manager suggested having our meeting
away from the office.

He proposed meeting in a restaurant.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

She’s worried about missing her bus.

Are you tired of studying?

She’s depressed about not passing the test.

He’s nervous because of not being on time.

He’s tired from not getting enough sleep.

Subject Complements

His hobby is playing computer games.

My least favorite chore is cleaning the bathroom.

His problem is not coming to class on time.

When making a gerund, there are a few things to watch out for:

  1.  Unless a verb ends in -ee or -ie, we drop the final -e in a verb before adding -ing as in joking, taking, and making.
  2.  If a verb ends in -ee, add -ing like normal as in agreeing, fleeing, and seeing.
  3.  If a verb ends in -ie, replace it with –y before adding -ing as in lying (lie), tying (tie), and dying (die).

As with present participles, sometimes we double a final consonant when making a gerund. For example, the gerund of run is running. Generally speaking, these are the rules of when to double a final consonant to form a gerund:

  1.  If a one-syllable verb ends in consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant, as in strumming, cutting, blurring, and spinning.
  2.  Rule 1 is ignored if the verb ends in –w or –y as in knowing or playing.
  3.  For longer verbs that end in consonant-vowel-consonant, we only double the final consonant if the last syllable is stressed:

        Stressed: omitting, referring, forgetting
        Unstressed: visiting, eliciting, fidgeting

List of gerunds

You can turn any verb you want (except a modal verb) into a gerund. Here is a list of gerunds formed from a variety of verbs:

    singing
    meditating
    cooking
    being
    having
    dancing
    philosophizing

Gerunds after prepositions

Exercise 1
Complete the sentences with prepositions + gerunds (-ing forms).
Example: My dad is used …………………………….. up early. (get)
My dad is used to getting up early.

My brother is good …………………………………. . (dive)
I’m not very keen ……………………………… computer games. (play)
I have no objection ………………………………. the football match tonight. (watch)
She is afraid ………………………… her boyfriend. (lose)
We are fed …………………………. nothing all the weekend. (do)
I’m tired ……………………………… in the queues at the airports. (wait)
We had difficulty ………………………………. the way to the museum. (find)
Are you interested ……………………………… your professional career? (build)
There’s no point …………………………… an old car. (buy)
I disapprove ………………………….. in restaurants. (smoke)
We are happy ……………………………. a new house. (have)
My daughter dreams …………………………………… a film star. (become)
John can’t cope ……………………….. unemployed. (be)
Sarah is thinking ………………………….. to Greg’s place. (move)
The children were accused ……………………………. the window. (smash)

Gerunds after phrasal verbs
Exercise 2

Use the words in brackets to respond to the following situations.

Example: Do you mind queues? (not care for | stand)
I don’t care for standing in queues.

1. Have you seen the film? (look forward | to see)
No, I haven’t. But I am …………………………………………………………………. it tonight.

2. How did you get rid of the dogs? (leave off | bark)
Fortunately, they ……………………………………………… .

3. Why didn’t Jack do his homework? (put off | do)
He ……………………………………. his homework till he fell asleep.

4. Have you ever played darts? (take to | play)
Of course, I have. I …………………………………………. them a couple of years ago.

5. Let’s go to the zoo on Sunday. (be against | keep)
I’m sorry. I ………………………………………….. wild animals in cages.

6. Are you going to take the driving test again? (give up | get)
Yes, I am. I would never …………………………………. my driving licence.

7. Why were you so angry with Matt? (keep on | shout)
I wanted to talk to him, but he just ………………………………………. at me.

8. Are you going on holiday next week? What are you going to do with your cats? (see about | feed)
Our neighbour promised that she would …………………………………………….. them.

9. Did your daughter enjoy her birthday party? (end up | cry)
Not at all. Her best friend didn’t come and she ………………………………………………..

10. I am told that Sarah split up with her boyfriend last week. (go on | pretend)
Yes, she did. She couldn’t ……………………………………………. that everything was fine with all his affairs.

Verbs followed by gerund
Exercise 3. Complete the sentences with the verbs given below.

complain    become    sell    play    cheat    eat    lie    tell    work    get    leave    write    do    wake    have

He admitted ……………………… on the test.
You should avoid …………………………. so much meat.
Please, consider ……………………….. your house if you need money.
I detest …………………. up when it’s dark outside.
She denied …………………………… the taxi without paying.
I enjoyed …………………… on the beach all day.
My sister fancies ………………………….. a pop star.
We finished …………………………… our essays before noon.
The job in the supermarket involved ………………………. at night.
I don’t mind …………………. homework. Ha, ha.
My colleague kept …………………………. all the time. It was annoying.
I took my umbrella. I didn’t want to risk ……………………. wet.
She practised ………………………. the piano all day.
I really appreciate ……………………. your advice.
She couldn’t resist ……………………. us what she’d found out