What is a "gerund"?

Question

That's it - what is a gerund? What is the best way to teach it? Examples? Thank you!

Answer 1

It's the form of a verb, ending in "ing" that acts like a noun in a sentence.  Some good examples are activities like walking, running, boating, camping, etc.  They're all verbs, but you can use them like nouns:

"Camping is a fun summer activity."  Camping here is acting like a noun.

Answer 2

A gerund is a verb form that functions as a noun.  It ALWAYS ends in "ing."  examples:

Running is her favorite activity.  "Running" is the gerund, because it's the subject.  You can also switch it around to say:

Her favorite activity is running.  "Running" is still the gerund, but now it's the predicate nominative.

He watched Olympic swimming on tv.  "Swimming" is the gerund, because it's the direct object.

In each example, the "ing" word acts as a noun, and performs a noun function (subjects, direct objects, predicate nominatives) in the sentence.

I teach the three verbals (gerund, participle, infinitive) in one unit, and I present them as theater actors.  They each have a role (as noun, adjective, or adverb) and costume(s) as follows:

Gerund:  Only plays  1 role--noun

                wears the same costume always:  -ing ending

Participle:  Only plays one role--adjective

                 Best Dressed Actor:  5 costumes--the endings

                 -ing, -d, -ed, -t, -en

                 (Also Hardest Verbal to spot in a sentence)

Infinitive:  Most Talented Actor:  3 roles (N, ADV, ADJ)

                 Easiest to Spot:  One costume-- "to" + verb

Have fun with grammar!