Some examples of how to use gerunds in sentences
The Gerund, or the ‘-ing’ form of a verb, is most often used with certain other verbs (for example, like, love, enjoy, suggest, recommend, avoid, miss, hate, and many more – see a longer list here).
- I like eating.
- I enjoy swimming in the sea.
- I suggest going out for dinner.
- I hate cleaning my room.
Or when using the gerund in the negative form:
- I don’t like doing my homework.
- I don’t enjoy eating.
- We don’t recommend staying at that hotel.
Gerunds are also often used as nouns in a sentence as the subject or the object:
- Eating healthy food is good for you.
- Bicycling is my favourite hobby.
- Driving fast can be dangerous.
Remember: there is no article (definite or indefinite) before a gerund:
- WRONG: I enjoy the
- WRONG: The swimming is my favourite hobby.
- WRONG: The reading is good for improving your English.
How do I make the Gerund?
The gerund is made by taking the infinitive of the verb and adding ‘ing.’
Be + ing = being
Go + ing = going
Come + ing = coming if the verb ends in an e, then you must remove the e before adding —ing (except in be, see above)
Swim + ing = swimming If the verb ends in a vowel and a consonant, then you must double the consonant (in one-syllable verbs)
Die + ing = dying If the verb ends in ie then you must replace the ie with a y-ing