Gerund Phrases
Essential Question
How can one form of a verb join forces with other words to transform itself into a rich, vivid noun?
Grammar in the World
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What Do I Know?
What do you already know about transforming verbs into nouns? Use this interactive to find out.
Building Blocks
Grammar is a complex system and structure of language. Mizzou Academy Grammar Lab spotlights one skill (or block) at a time, but it’s often helpful to see how a skill works together with other, related blocks to build the language structure as a whole. You may find the following resource topics helpful as context for this lesson:
Learn About Gerund Phrases
A gerund is one type of verbal -- a word that combines the characteristics of a verb and a noun. In the case of a gerund, the verb (an action word) takes on an -ing at the end and then functions as a noun in a sentence.
In other words, when you add -ing to the end of a verb, you turn the word into the name of a thing. As you know, things are nouns. That creates a gerund -- a verb that acts like a noun.
- Traveling to Brazil is an adventure. (Traveling is the subject, and an adventure is the subject complement.)
- Watching the sun set over the beach makes me feel calm. (Watching is the subject.)
- I enjoy swimming in the ocean. (Swimming is the object.)
Phrase
A phrase is a group of words that works together to give more information about a clause or sentence. Phrases do not contain a subject and verb, so they can’t stand on their own as a complete thought.
- to Brazil
- the sun set over the beach
- in the ocean
Gerund Phrases
A gerund phrase is the gerund plus its object and modifiers. All the words that give us more information about the gerund belong to the gerund phrase.
- Traveling to Brazil is an adventure.
- Traveling = gerund
- to Brazil = phrase that modifies (give more information about) “traveling”
- Traveling to Brazil = complete gerund phrase
- Watching the sun set over the beach makes me feel calm.
- Watching = gerund
- the sun set over the beach = phrase that modifies watching
- Watching the sun set over the beach = complete gerund phrase
- One of my favorite activities is swimming in the ocean.
- swimming = gerund
- in the ocean = phrase that modifies swimming
- swimming in the ocean = complete gerund phrase
Gerund phrases always function as nouns. They will be subjects, subject complements, or objects in the sentence.
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Gerund Phrases |
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Subject |
Subject Complement |
Object |
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Eating cupuacu ice cream makes my taste buds happy. |
On a sunny day, my main goal is eating cupuacu ice cream. |
I enjoy eating cupuacu ice cream. |
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Paddleboarding in the blue-green water is one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon. |
What I really love is paddleboarding in the bay. |
I love paddleboarding with turtles that swim beside me. |
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Relaxing by the pool is a great way to end a fun day. |
A great way to end a fun day is relaxing by the pool. |
My friends are relaxing by the pool while I make supper. |
Do I Get It?
What have you learned about gerund phrases? Take this short quiz to check your understanding.
Each of the following sentences is based on the classic beach song by the Zac Brown Band, “Knee Deep” -- about forgetting all of your troubles at the beach.
Read carefully each of the sentences below, and then identify which part of the sentence is the gerund phrase.