There are lots of different kinds of phrases in English, like verb phrases, adjective phrases, prepositional phrases, and noun phrases.

I don’t advise running with scissors at this time (or ever).Ī phrase is a small group of words that communicates a concept but can’t be an independent sentence on its own.

My brother enjoys underground exploring with his friends.

Apologizing to them is important to me.

Take a look at how these gerund phrases play this role: Here are three examples of gerund phrases:Ī gerund phrase, just like a gerund, acts as a noun in a sentence. Gerund phrasesĪ gerund phrase is a phrase that contains a gerund and a modifier or an object and, in some cases, both of these. An adjective phrase is a phrase that describes a noun the way an adjective typically does. For example, an adverbial clause is a clause that functions as an adverb. Gerunds aren’t the only instance where a word (or group of words) plays a role that’s typically taken on by another type of word.

As I was walking to school, I tripped on uneven pavement.

She is seeing the painting for the first time.Present participle verbs are not gerunds when they describe the action in a sentence, like the verbs in these: To be a gerund, a verb has to act as a noun in its sentence. This means they’re the root verb + “ing”:īut that’s not what makes them gerunds. Īs you see in these examples, gerunds are verbs in the present participle form. Fazal turned off his phone and shut the door so he could focus on studying.As a food blogger, eating is an involved production for Shoshanna.Here are two examples of sentences that contain gerunds: It doesn’t stop being a verb, but the role it plays in a sentence shifts from describing the action to being a focal point.

By that, we mean that the verb -the word that describes the action that’s happening, like “biking,” “thinking,” “running,” or “speaking”-becomes a thing, a concept that can now be the sentence’s subject, direct object, indirect object, or the object of a preposition.

Grammarly helps you communicate efficiently Write with Grammarly What is a gerund and what is its function?Ī gerund (pronounced JER-und) is a verb that’s acting as a noun.