THE BOOK OK

Gerunds in English

The hardest thing about learning English is understanding the gerund.   

A gerund is a VERBAL NOUN made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is "reading." You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence. Gerunds are sometimes called "verbal nouns". It should be noted that many grammarians do not like to use the term "gerund" because there is sometimes no clear difference between a gerund and a present participle.

In English, the gerund is one of the uses of the form of the verb ending in -ing. This same verb form has other uses besides the gerund: it can serve as a present participle (used adjectivally or adverbially), and as a pure verbal noun (deverbal noun).  

Example: Studying English

• Studying English is important.    [studying English = subject]
• I like studying English.   [studying English = object]
• I think a lot about studying English.   [studying English = object of preposition]
• My favorite thing to do is studying English.   [studying English = complement]

When we use the gerund “being” plus an adjective, a preposition, or a noun, we are talking about that experience or condition.

What does it mean to say: “Being shy makes life difficult” or “I hate being shy”?

In the above case, the experience or condition of being shy makes life difficult. I hate theexperience or condition of being shy.

Here are more examples using “being” with an adjective, a preposition, and a noun:

• Being stuck in between two people is uncomfortable.   [Being + adjective]
• Being on an airplane is uncomfortable.   [Being + prepositional phrase]
• Being an airline passenger is uncomfortable.   [Being + noun]

In each of these cases, the person is complaining about the experience or condition.

If you want to make the situation negative. just add “not” in front of the gerund:

• Not being comfortable makes the trip feel longer.   [Not + Being + adjective]
• I am happy not being on an airplane.   [Not + Being + prepositional phrase]
• Not being an airline passenger is better for me. I prefer to drive.   [Not + Being +noun]

People learning English find the various ways that words end with "ing" to be tricky / intimidating.  In certain sentences the distinction can be arbitrary.

You need to know that the –ing can function as part of the verb, or as an adjective, or as a noun.  That is to say, it can denote the progressive tense of a verb, or it can be a participle, or it can be a gerund (as a noun)

● The "ing" form can be used as a noun (gerund), verb, adjective, subject, object, adverb, or clause.

Gerunds, participles and forms in -ing

 Using gerunds and participles in English

►► See also: Consecutive verbs: gerund or infinitive?

1. The different types of word ending in -ing : 

The English language does not use many grammatical "endings", but  some of those it does use have several different functions. The ending -ing is one of them. Words ending in -ing can be gerunds, verbal nouns, or present participles. Distinguishing (= gerund) between these, and using them correctly is not always easy – until you understand  these three simple rules.

1. The gerund is a verb which is used as if it were a noun (Examples 1 & 2 below). Since it is a verb, it can not be qualified by an adjective, nor preceded by anarticle, but it can be modified by an adverb and take a complement .
2. A verbal noun (Examples 3 & 4)  is a noun formed formed from a verb; some of these end in -ing. It can take a determiner, and be qualified by adjectives.  
3. A participle is an adjective or part of a participial phrase qualifying a noun or a pronoun.  (Examples 5 et 6). 
4. The present participle is also used in the progressive aspect of verb tenses (Examples 7 & 8).

Words in -ing: Gerund, noun or present participle 

1.    Seeing is believing.
2.    Living cheaply in New York is quite possible.
3.    The book was easy reading !
4.    He managed to make a good living.
5.    Smiling, the lady told them they'd won the big prize.
6.    I heard them arguing last night.
7.     I'm taking my brother to the station tonight
8.    The man was phoning his friend, when the lights went out.
   

2. The gerund in English : the verb used as a noun

The gerund in English has the form of the present participle in -ing. 
It is the most common form of the verb used as a noun, and can be the subject (examples 1 to 7), or the object of a sentence (8 & 9) , or follow prepositions (10 to 13)

 Examples: 

1.    Seeing is believing.
2.    Reading that book was very interesting.
3.    Drinking is essential
4.    Drinking too much pop can make you fat.
5.    Taking the bus was rather a good idea.
6.    Swimming is very good exercise.
7.    Taking too many aspirins is dangerous.
8.    I really like sailing .
9.    This article really needs rewriting.
10.    He drove two hundred miles without ever stopping.
11.    I look forward to seeing  you again next week.
12.    I'm thinking of painting my house.
13.    I started by carefully turning off the electricity
14.    Do you mind shutting the window, please ?
15.    Will you consider taking the job?
16.    I've really enjoyed meeting you.

As the examples above show, the gerund is used as if it were a noun, but not  in the same way as a noun. In other words, it keeps its verbal qualities.  Since it is not used like a noun, it cannot be qualified by an adjective; on the contrary, it keeps some of the essential features that distinguish a verb, notably that it can take a direct object (examples 2, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 above) , and/or be qualified by an adverb (examples 4 ,5 , 12 & 13).
    When gerunds are used as verbal complements (second verbs following a first verb), as in examples  8 and 9 above, they can often be rephrased using an infinitive instead of the gerund. 
  However a few verbs require a gerund, not an infinitive (Examples 14 - 16 above). The most common of these are admit, consider, dislike, deny, enjoy, finish, involve, miss, mind,  suggest, 
► Compare : uses of the infinitive

3. Verbal nouns: nouns that are derived from verbs

There are a large number of ways of creating a noun from a verb: among the most common of these are words that use the root form of the verb and a noun ending such as -ment (as inachievement), -ance (as in disappearance), -ion (as in confirmation) , or -ing (as in The changing of the guard.)  You can see that these -ing forms really are nouns, not verbs, as they can be qualified by adjectives.
     

Examples: 

1.    That is a very nice painting
2.    We're going to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
3.    After a slow beginning, the show got a bit more lively.
4.    This story has a rather unexpected ending..
5.    The commission demanded the breaking up of the company into two separate units.
6.    The last meeting was not very productive.

4. Areas of possible confusion

Sometimes it is difficult to decide if a word is a gerund or a verbal noun; and in fact, the quality of the -ing word can change according to context.  Look at these examples:

Examples: 

1. For musicians, practising is essential.
2. For musicians, practising an instrument is essential
3. For musicians, regular practising is essential.
4. For musicians, regular practising an instrument is essential.
5. For musicians, regularly practising an instrument is essential.
6. For musicians, the regular practising of an instrument is essential.

In examples 1 and 2 above, practising is clearly a gerund; in example 2 it is followed by a complement, an instrument.  But in example 3 it is preceeded by an adjective regular; so this time it is being used differently, as a verbal noun. We can verify this if we try to add a complement, as in example 4. It is not possible. We cannot say "For musicians, regular practising an instrument is essential.".  An -ing word cannot simultaneously be preceeded by an adjective and followed by a direct complement. Other solutions are needed; the ing word must either be used as a gerund, or as a verbal noun, but not both at once. So while example4 does not work, there are two solutions. 
  Example 5 uses the word practising as a gerund, as in examples 1 and 2; and as it is a gerund, it is modified by an adverb, regularly. 
   Finally, example 6 rephrases example 5, but using practising as a verbal noun, not a gerund. We can see that it is a noun, as it is now part of a noun phrase introduced by an article and including an adjective.

5. Present participles

Participles are adjectives; they can either stand alone, before or after their noun, as the situation requires, or else they can be part of an adjectival phrase. 
Participles are often used to make a shortened form of a subordinate clause, as in examples 1 and 3 below, 

• Looking out of... is an ellipsis or contraction of As I was looking out of...,
• ... I saw the tornado coming is a contraction of ...I saw the tornado that was coming.

Elliptical phrases may come before the noun or pronoun (e.g. Looking out of the window, I saw....) or after it (e.g. I saw the tornado coming).  
    However, when the participle phrase is a shortened form of a relative clause, it MUST come after the noun (examples 4 & 7).
     Present particples are also used to form the progressive forms of present and past tenses (Examples 8 - 10)
     

Examples: 

1. Looking out of the window, I saw the tornado coming. 
2. In the course of the coming week, I have three interviews to go to.
3. I saw the child standing in the middle of the road.
4. The people living next door are very friendly.
        4b The living next door people are very friendly is impossible
5. This is a seriously interesting book.
6. The winning team will go through to the finals.
7. The team winning in the first round will go through to the finals.
8. I was looking out of the window when I saw the tornado
9.  At the moment, he's living in Bristol.
10. The company has been doing very well for the past two years.

Active and passive

Gerunds and participles are most commonly used in the active voice; they can however be easily used in the passive too. Examples 1 - 3 : gerunds, examples 4 & 5 participles.

 Examples: 

1. Being seen is more important than being heard.
2. He drove two hundred miles without ever being stopped.
3. They began their holiday by getting hopelessly lost.
4.  Everyone watched the building getting demolished.
5.  At the moment they're being sold at half price.

Gerunds and Participles

How to tell participles from gerunds (and adjectives).

 A gerund is a verbal noun (Swimming is my hobby). A participle is a verbal adjective a adverb.

When a verb ends in -ing, it may be a present participle or it may be a gerund. It is important to understand that they are not the same.
 
When we use a verb in -ing form more like a verb or an adjective, it is usually a present participle:

• Anthony is fishing. (PP as  part of a verb)
• I have a boring teacher. (PP as an adjective)
• Don't be so frickin'/ fucking stupid. (PP as an adjective/adverb)
• You can ruin your health by smoking often. (PP as an adverbial)

When we use a verb in -ing form more like a noun, it is usually a gerund:

• Fishing is fun.

Not knowing what to do next in your life can be confusing and a painful experience (gerund) VS Not knowing what to do, I asked him for advice. (present participle)

Before ordering a taxi, and after ordering a taxi the noun-verb follows a preposition and is a gerund. Waiting for a taxi, patience is needed. Or Waiting for a taxi I dropped my wallet, are both participles, 

Although death is terrifying, knowing that you are living to eternity without ever being able to die is even more terrifying.

There are many reasons why learning English is a worthwhile venture. First, English is a global language that often provides the common ground for speakers who don’t speak each other’s native languages. Next, a basic understanding of English is often recommended, or even required in some cases, for those seeking admittance to a top university or employment at a multinational company. Finally, English is the language of science and technology.

Understanding English is essential when working for multinational companies.

For people seeking employment in a multinational company, it’s worth learning the English language.

As most scientific papers and technical manuals are only published in English, learning the English language should be a top priority for anyone pursuing a career in science or technology. People with a casual interest in either of these fields may also find that English is worth learning for the same reason.

As you can see, there are many reasons why it’s worth learning the English language. Sure, the spelling and pronunciation systems may seem nonsensical at times, but despite this, English is still one of the easier languages to learn due to its relatively simple alphabet and the overwhelming amount of resources available to those wishing to learn it – two important factors that can be extremely helpful when learning a new language.

Verbal and deverbal uses

When used as a pure noun or adjective, that is to say, having lost its grammatical verbal character, the ING form may be called a deverbal noun or deverbal adjective .

* Shouting loudly is rude. ("Shouting" is a gerund - a verbal noun - modified by the adverb "loudly")
* Loud shouting is something I can't stand. ("shouting" is a pure noun - modified by the adjective "loud")

VERBAL NOUNS
There are three types of Verbal Nouns: 
Gerunds, bare infinitives and full infinitives (supines).

* Supine: The simple infinitive of a verb preceded by TO

What Are Verbal Nouns? (with Examples)

A verbal noun is a noun that has no verb-like properties despite being derived from a verb. This means that a verbal noun can be modified by adjectives, be pluralized (if the sense allows), and be followed by aprepositional phrase. Examples:

VERBAL NOUN

● A brilliant reading of the poem won the competition.
Determiner (A) / adjective (brilliant)/ verbal noun (reading) / prepositional phrase (of the poem)

A verbal noun is different from a gerund. A gerund is a noun that, having derived from a verb, retains a few verb-like properties. For example, a gerund can be modified by an adverb and can take a direct object:

GERUND

● Brilliantly reading the poem won the competion.
Adverb (brilliantly) / gerund (reading) / direct object (the poem)

Examples of Verbal Nouns

Here is another example of a verbal noun (shaded):

• This bad drawing of a dog is not acceptable for your project.
(This is a verbal noun. It is acting just like a noun. Just like any noun could have, it has a determiner (This) and an adjective (bad), and it is followed by a prepositional phrase (of a dog).)

Compare the example above to this example of a gerund:

• Badly drawing a dog is not acceptable for your project.
(This is a gerund. It is functioning as a noun, but it has two notable verb-like properties. Just like any verb could have, it has an adverb (badly) and a direct object (a dog).)

In English, verbal nouns are formed in a number of ways (usually by adding a suffix to the base form of the verb). For example:

Verb	Verbal Noun	Example in a Sentence
To build	building	It was a lovely building . The money will fund the building of a bridge.
To arrive	arrival	Their arrival has been delayed.
To repeat	repetition	I do not want another repetition of yesterday.
To decide	decision	That was an awful decision by the referee.
To attack	attack	He mounted a surprise attack with the Romans. (Note: With some verbs, the verbal noun is identical to the base form of the verb.)

VERBAL ADJECTIVES

A verbal adjective is a phrase that acts as an adjective by describing a noun. A verbal adjective, in specific, describes the noun by what the noun does. For example, take the sentence "The elephant sleeps." We can rewrite this as the phrase, "the sleeping elephant". Here, "standing" is a verbal adjective describing the elephant. Taking the sentence "The lion fell", the corresponding phrase would be "the fallen lion", where "fallen" is the verbal adjective.


DEVERBAL NOUNS: Pure (verbal) nouns

Deverbal nouns are nouns that are derived from verbs or verb phrases, but that behave grammatically purely as nouns, not as verbs. They are distinct from verbal noun types such as gerunds and infinitives, which behave like verbs within their phrase (although that verb phraseis then used as a noun phrase within the larger sentence).

The formation of deverbal nouns is one of the types of nominalization (noun formation). Examples of deverbal nouns in English includeorganization (derived from the verb organize), the noun construct /ˈkɒnstɹʌkt/ (from the verb construct /kənˈstɹʌkt/), and discovery (from the verb discover). The -ing form of any verb can serve as a deverbal noun, although the same word form can also be used verbally as a gerund or participle.

 

Verbals: Gerunds, Infinitives, and Participles

The three verbals— gerunds, infinitives, and participles—are formed from verbs, but are never used alone as action words in sentences. Instead, verbals function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. These verbals are important in phrases.

The gerund ends in -ing and functions as a noun.
Jumping is fun.
He liked skiing.
He had a unique way of whistling.

The infinitive is the base form of a verb with to. Usually it functions as a noun, although it can also function as an adjective or adverb.
To jump is fun. (noun; subject of the verb is)
I like to ski. (noun; direct object of the verb like)
She had a suggestion to offer. (adjective modifying suggestion)
He called to warn her. (adverb modifying the verb called)

A participle is a verb that ends in -ing (present participle) or -ed, -d, -t, -en, -n (past participle). Participles may function as adjectives, describing or modifying nouns.
The dancing parrots entertained the crowd.
The wrecked sailboat washed up on shore.
But participles have another function. When used with helping verbs such as to be and to have, they are action verbs and form several verb tenses.
She is thinking of the children.
The conference room had been cleaned before they arrived.

THE GERUND

A gerund behaves as a verb within a clause (so that it may be modified by an adverb or have an object); but the resulting clause as a whole (sometimes consisting of only one word, the gerund itself) functions as a noun within the larger sentence. For example, consider the sentence "Eating this cake is easy." Here the gerund is the verb eating, which takes an object this cake. The entire clause eating this cake is then used as a noun, which in this case serves as the subject of the larger sentence.
 
An item such as eating this cake in the foregoing example is an example of a non-finite verb phrase (1); however, because phrases of this type do not require a subject, it is also a complete clause. (Traditionally such an item would be referred to as a phrase, but in modern linguistics it has become common to call it a clause.) A gerund clause such as this is one of the types of non-finite clause.



The gerund is a non-finite verb form that can function as a noun. The English gerund ends in "-ing."  These nouns are nearly always uncount nouns.

A gerund is a kind of noun. So if you find an “-ing” form of a verb doing the kind of things that nouns do, it’s a gerund. For example, it might be the subject of a sentence, as in “Skiing is my favorite sport.” It might be the object of a verb, as in “I love skiing!” Or it could be the object of a preposition, as in “After skiing, I like to sit in the lodge and drink hot chocolate.” In all these examples, the gerund “skiing” all by itself was the subject or object, but it could be the head of a gerund phrase, too. For example, I could say , “Skiing with my husband on a weekday while everyone else is working is awesome.” The simple subject is just “skiing,” but the complete subject is “skiing with my husband on a weekday while everyone else is working.” 

Formation

A gerund has four forms — two for the active voice and two for the passive:


Present Continuous: Loving (active) and Being loved (passive)

Present Perfect:  Having loved (active) and Having been loved (passive) 


Possessives with Gerunds :

Possessive forms are frequently modifiers for verb forms used as nouns, or gerunds. Using the possessive will affect how we read the sentence. For instance, "I'm worried about Joe running in the park after dark" means that I'm worried about Joe and the fact that he runs in the park after dark (the word "running" is a present participle modifying Joe). On the other hand, "I'm worried about Joe's running in the park after dark" puts the emphasis on the running that Joe is doing ("running" is a gerund, and "Joe's" modifies that verbal). Usually, almost always in fact, we use the possessive form of a noun or pronoun to modify a gerund. 

 Do we say "I can't stand him singing in the shower," or do we say "I can't stand his singing in the shower"? Well, you have to decide what you find objectionable: is it him, the fact that he is singing in the shower, or is it the singing that is being done by him that you can't stand? Chances are, it's the latter, it's the singing that belongs to him that bugs you. So we would say, "I can't stand his singing in the shower."

On the other hand, do we say "I noticed your standing in the alley last night"? Probably not, because it's not the action that we noticed; it's the person. So we'd say and write, instead, "I noticed you standing in the alley last night." Usually, however, when a noun or pronoun precedes a gerund, that noun or pronoun takes a possessive form. This is especially true of formal, academic writing.

GENITIVE / ACCUSATIVE CASE   There is one respect in which ‘gerund’ and ‘present participle’ clauses differ in their internal form: with ‘gerunds’ the subject may take genitive case, with plain or accusative case a less formal alternant, but with ‘present participles’ the genitive is impossible and pronouns with a nominative–accusative contrast appear in nominative case, with accusative an alternant restricted to informal style. Compare then: She resented his/him/*he being invited to open the debate. We appointed Max, he/him/*his being much the best qualified of the candidates.

(1) What Are Non-Finite Verbs / Verbals?

A non-finite verb (also known as a verbal) is the term used to describe a verb that is not showing tense. (The tense of a verb is determined by when the action took place. The three tenses are:The Past Tense, The Present Tense and The Future Tense

In other words, it a verb form which is not acting like a verb (or, at least, the type of verb you need to form a sentence).

There are three types of non-finite verbs (verbals or uninflected verbs): gerunds, infinitives, and participles. Look at these examples (non-finite verbs shaded):

• I hate camping.
(Camping is a non-finite verb. In fact, it is a gerund, i.e., a noun formed from a verb. The giveaway for a gerund is the -ing ending.)
• I want to go there.
(To go is a non-finite verb. It is an infinitive, i.e., the base form of a verb. The giveaway for an infinitive is often, but not always, the to before it.)
• We ate our roasted marshmallows.
(Roasted is a non-finite verb. It is a participle, a type of adjective. There is no real giveaway for a participle, but lots of participles end in -ed and -ing.)

Some more examples (non-finite verbs shaded):

• I started screaming at my parents for trying to send me to camp.
(Screaming and trying - gerunds)
(To send - infinitive verb)
• Arriving late, I saw the other kids and they seemed to be excited.
(Arriving - present participle)
(to be - infinitive verb)
(excited - past participle.)
• We sang songs around the campfire and toasted marshmallows.
(There are no non-finite verbs in this example.) 

                                          **************************

The "subject" of the gerund

The doer of the action expressed by the gerund can be:

• the subject of the sentence:

  I like getting up early in summer.
  He apologised for not writing for so long.
  I am looking forward to hearing from you.
  My mom insisted on tidying my room.
  Would you mind opening the window?
  

• the noun/pronoun or possessive preceding the gerund:

  Irina doesn't like people telling her what to do.
  Sally's constant arguing is getting on my nerves.
  I objected to him/his calling me a liar.
  My mom insisted on me/my tidying my room.
  Would you mind me/my opening the window?

  (The possessive is more formal, and it is less common in everyday conversation.)

• an indefinite or generalised subject (you, one, we, people etc.):

  In those days, being a student meant spending long hours in the library.

• unexpressed and understood only from the context:

  Going home seemed to be the best idea.

Gerunds with subjects, especially subjects that require an apostrophe (as opposed to pronouns) are very rare.

The gerund in your examples takes the possessive form because the gerund is behaving like a regular noun and is unable to modify the head of the NP directly. When you are using the regular oblique case (2), the gerund is actually a participle, and because participles are in fact verbal adjectives, it is capable of modifying the head of its NP (1)  directly. That explains the difference in the two sentences below:

• It's not a question of him being a good boy, as even the good ones can turn bad around here.... (participial)
• It's not a question of his being a good boy, as even the good ones can turn bad around here.... (gerundial)

1. NP (In linguistics) A noun phrase that can serve as the subject or the object of a verb; it is usually headed by a noun, (also pronouns), with any associated dependents such as determiners or modifiers.

1. A noun phrase or nominal phrase (abbreviated NP) is a phrase which has a noun (or indefinite pronoun) as its head, or which performs the same grammatical function as such a phrase

2. Oblique case: denoting any case of nouns, pronouns, etc, other than the nominative and vocative

GERUND WITH PREPARATORY "IT"

We can use "IT" as a preparatory SUBJECT or OBJECT for a gerund):
It's nice being with you; I thought it pointless starting before two o'clock.
This is common with "any/no good", "any/no use" and  (not) worth:
It's no good talking to him. He never listen; Is it any use expecting them to be on time?; I didn't think it worth complaining about the meal.
● Possessives or OBJECT PRONOUNS (but not subject pronouns) can be used before the Gerund in this structures:
It's no use his/him apologising - I shall never forgive him. 


(2) GERUNDS AS OBJECT COMPLEMENTS:

Gerunds may also be used (though this not common)
as object complements:

Ms. Jones considers tardiness being more than five minutes late for class.
How can you call this nonsense writing creatively?

Object complements with gerunds are possible with only a few verbs. The most common ones are call and consider.

GO + ing
In English, we use the grammar structure go +ing to talk about leisure activities, or activities we do for fun in our free time. We use it to describe fun activities.

Verbs of perception I

Hear, see, watch, notice and similar verbs of perception can be followed by object + infinitive without to or object + -ing form.

There is usually a difference of meaning between the two structures.
The infinitive is used after these verbs when we want to say that we hear or see the whole of an action or event. The –ing form is used to suggest that we hear an action or event in progress.

Compare:
I heard her sing a lovely song. (As I sat listening, she started singing a song and I listened to her until she finished it.)
I heard her singing a song as I walked past her room. (When I heard her she was singing a song – she was probably in the middle of her singing. Anyway, I didn’t hear the entire song.)
The –ing form can suggest repetition.
I saw him throwing stones at the dogs. (= He kept throwing stones.)
After these verbs possessive forms cannot be used with an –ing form.
I saw Peter getting out of the train. (NOT I saw Peter’s getting out of the train.)
Object + past participle
The verbs see, hear, watch, notice etc., can also be followed by an object + past participle.
In this structure, the past participle has a passive meaning.
I heard my name repeated several times. (= My name was repeated several times.)
Look at
Look at can be followed by object + -ing form. In American English, object + infinitive is also possible.
Look at him dancing!
Look at him dance! (US)

Verbs of perception II 

Some verbs of perception see, look at, hear, listen to, and feel, along with watch and sense can be used with objects followed by other verbs (base form or gerunds, but not infinitives).

Examples:

We heard you leave. (Okay. Emphasis on our hearing.)
We heard you leaving. (Okay. Emphasis on your leaving.)
We heard you to leave. (Incorrect!)

Other examples:

I saw her go. (okay. Focus on my seeing.)
Look at that man run! (okay. Focus on their looking.)
Sylvester listened to the canary sing. (okay, focus on his listening.)
We watched them play basketball. (okay, focus on our watching.)
We watched them playing basketball. (okay, focus on their playing.)

THE GERUND IN THE PAST FORM

Most gerunds use the -ing form of a verb. There is, however, a past form for gerunds: having + past participle.

I regret saying that / I regret having said that.

Excuse me for bothering you / Excuse me for having bothered you.

I'm worried about not passing the test / I'm worried about not having passed the test.


(1) The Gerund Phrase

Recognize a gerund phrase when you see one.

A gerund phrase will begin with a gerund, an ing word, and will include other modifiers and/or objects. Gerund phrases always function as nouns, so they will be subjects, subject complements, or objects in the sentence. Read these examples:

Eating ice cream on a windy day can be a messy experience if you have long, untamed hair.

Eating ice cream on a windy day = subject of the verb can be.

A more disastrous activity for long-haired people is blowing giant bubble gum bubbles with the car windows down.

Blowing giant bubble gum bubbles with the car windows down = subject complement of the verb is.

Wild food adventures require getting your hair cut to a short, safe length.

Getting your hair cut to a short, safe length = direct object of the verb require.

Don't mistake a gerund phrase for a present participle phrase.

Gerund and present participle phrases are easy to confuse because they both begin with an ing word. The difference is that a gerund phrase will always function as a noun while a present participle phrase describes another word in the sentence. Check out these examples:

Jamming too much clothing into a washing machine will result in disaster.

Jamming too much clothing into a washing machine = gerund phrase, the subject of the verb will result.

Jamming too much clothing into the washing machine, Aamir saved $1.25 but had to tolerate the curious stares of other laundry patrons as his machine bucked and rumbled with the heavy load.

Jamming too much clothing into the washing machine = present participle phrase describing Aamir.

Bernard hates buttering toast with a fork.

Buttering toast with a fork = gerund phrase, the direct object of the verb hates.

Buttering toast with a fork, Bernard vowed that he would finally wash the week's worth of dirty dishes piled in the sink.

Buttering toast with a fork = present participle phrase describing Bernard.

My dog's most annoying habit is hogging the middle of the bed.

Hogging the middle of the bed = gerund phrase, the subject complement of the linking verb is.

Last night I had to sleep on the couch because I found my dog Floyd hogging the middle of the bed.

Hogging the middle of the bed = present participle phrase describing Floyd.

A gerund phrase consists of a gerund (verb form used as a noun) plus any objects or modifiers. No subject and verb within the gerund phrase. 

I was taught that a clause consisted of a subject and a verb.The ing ending of a verb signifies that a word could be involved in a gerund phrase. When the verb takes the ing ending and becomes a noun having an object you have a gerund phrase. I was taught to avoid gerunds like they were the plague. However they are perfectly good grammar.

Subject and object complements

Subject complements

In clauses with linking verbs (be, seem, become), complements which follow the verb and which add information about the subject are called subject complements:

Sheila is a nurse. (adding information about Sheila)

All of them seemed surprised.

Object complements

Complements which add more information about an object are called object complements:

He makes me very angry. (adding information about me)

What I'd call it is a Complementizer, like that that that introduces finite subject or object clauses:
I think (that) he's alive. (object complement)

That he's alive at all is astounding. (subject complement)

It's astounding (that) he's alive at all (object complement).

GERUND WITH A SUBJECT

Some gerunds may have a subject (usually in the possessive case, though often in the objective):

He resents my being smarter than he is. (possessive)
He resents me being smarter than he is. (objective)

Some speakers sense a small, subtle distinction between the two constructions, and others find the objective case usage prescriptively incorrect, though it is statistically the more common.

Object pronouns vs Subject pronouns + verb+ing

When I hear something going wrong, I insist on it being put right.
That's not the gerund.  That's its identical cousin, the participle.  If it were a gerund, then you would use the genitive form "my":

• The likelihood of my doing this is small

In this example, "doing this" is a gerund phrase.  "My" modifies the gerund phrase.  The modified gerund phrase is the object of the preposition "of".
 

• The likelihood of me doing this is small

In this example, "doing this" is a participial phrase.  Participial phrases can modify nouns.  This participial phrase modifies "me".  The modified objective personal pronoun is the object of the preposition "of".
 
Because there's no visible difference between the gerund and the so-called present participle, it almost looks like "me" and "my" are doing the same job.  They aren't.  The "me" acts as a modified object; the "my" acts as an object modifier.  Of course, in both cases you end up with some modified object for the preposition "for".  The overall meaning of each is much the same, and the choice between them is often no more than a question of stylistic convention.
If it helps, my personal preference is for the gerund construction.  I prefer the action, rather than the person, to be the literal object.

plural gerunds

A general rule for gerunds that our workbook gives is that gerunds are singular. This is accurate in most cases because most gerunds serve as non count or uncountable nouns and do not have a plural form. For example, in the sentence, Skiing is my favorite winter activity., skiing is always singular and can not be counted. As I wrote before, this guideline is accurate in most cases. However, a few gerunds can be countable and have a plural form. In the Collins COBUILD English Grammar, there is a list the more frequent gerunds that have plural forms.

    beginning      feeling        meeting        setting        turning
    being          finding        offering       showing        warning
    building       hearing        painting       sitting
    drawing        meaning        saying         suffering    (page 28)

The writers point out that many of these words have different meanings in the plural form than in the verb form. One example of this difference is the word feel. 

As a noun, feeling refers to the sense of touch, emotions, or opinions.

The feeling in his hands returned as his hands warmed up.
His has mixed feelings about this trip.
Their feelings were that the judge was unfair.

THE PERFECT GERUND

The perfect gerund refers to a time before that of the verb in the main clause . However, it is only used if the time of the action expressed by the gerund is not obvious from the context: He denied being married. (the simple gerund being refers to the same time as denied: He denied that he was married.)

He denied having been married. (the perfect gerund having been refers to a time before denied: He denied that he had been married.)

PERFECT, PASSIVE AND NEGATIVE -ING FORMS

A perfect gerund differs from the simple gerund in two respects: (1) It always refers to a time before that of the verb in the main clause, and (2) It is only used if the occurrence of the action expressed by the gerund is not obvious from the context of the statement.

• Having slept for twelve hours, I felt marvellous (perfect)
• She loves being looked at. (passive)
• Not knowing what to do, I went home. (negative)
• She's angry about not having been invited. (negative perfect passive)

1) He denied being married. = The past tense of: He denied being married at the time (moment) he denied it.

2)One can also say: He denies [in the present] having been married [at an undefined time in the past].The past tense of the preceding sentence is:

3) He denied having been married = He denied [at a particular moment in time] being married at some undefined time in the past BEFORE the time of denial.

Consecutive verbs in English

What structure to use when one verb directly follows another? When to use an -ing form, and when to use an infinitive

Definition
Consecutive verbs, also called catenative verbs or linked verbs, are verbs that can be followed directly by a second verb, the second verb being normally the object of the first. Depending on the first verb used, the second verb will be in the form of a gerund (-ing form) or of an infinitive with to. With a few verbs, there is a choice of structures; with most there is no choice.

While the definition of "consecutive verbs" applies also to auxiliaries and modal verbs, these are used differently, so are best considered as separate categories See ► be, have, get and modal auxiliaries of obligation or possibility.

What Is an Appositive?
 
An appositive is a noun, a noun phrase, or a noun clause which sits next to another noun to rename it or to describe it in another way. (The word appositive comes from the Latin for to put near.)

A Gerund acts like an appositive by re-naming a noun [or noun phrase] that immediately precedes it, and giving more information about the noun or phrase.

Appositives are usually offset with commas, brackets, or dashes.
An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words.

You Can Introduce an Appositive

Quite often, appositives are introduced with terms like namely, i.e., that is, and in other words. Examples:

“The best form of exercise, walking, is also the least expensive.”

Walking is the gerund in this sentence and acts as an appositive explaining the best form of exercise.

“Low-impact sports, like riding a bike, cause less stress on your knees.”

Riding a bike is the gerund phrase in this sentence and gives an example of a low-impact sport.

OBJECT COMPLEMENTS

Object complements are defined as words, phrases, and clauses that directly follow and describe or complete the direct object. Object complements are grammatical constituents embedded in the predicate of a clause. Although noun phrases and adjective phrases most frequently function as the object complement of clauses, five grammatical forms can perform the grammatical function of object complement in English grammar:

• Noun phrases
• Adjective phrases
• Noun clauses
• Verb phrases (4): Gerunds & infinitives
• Prepositional phrases

Verb Phrases as Object Complements (Gerunds & Infinitives)

The fourth grammatical form that can perform the grammatical function of object complement is the verb phrase in the form of present participles and infinitives. Verb phrases are defined as phrases formed by a verb and any modifiers, complements, particles, or infinitive markers. For example, the following italicized verb phrases function as object complements:

• My supervisor considers his least favorite duty dealing with customers. (Gerund)
• The teacher declared the extra credit homework to write a report. (infinitive)

Traditional grammars generally use the term gerund to refer to verb phrases in the form of present participles functioning as object complements.

How we use gerunds

0. Gerund as he head of a gerund phrase (1) Gerund with an object or modifier.
1. Gerund (used) as Subject, Object or Complement
       1.1. Gerund as subject of a verb: Learning English is easy.
       1.2. Gerund as the subject of a sentence: Learning is easy.
       1.3. Gerund as the direct object of a verb: We love learning English.
       1.4. Gerund as indirect object in a sentence: Charles gave running the marathon his best shot.
       1.5. Gerund as subject complement: (after be). Seeing is believing; What I really like is travelling to other countries
       1.6. Gerund as object complement (2) I find myself being unable to resist sweets.   
              

1.2.1.1. 
       
2. Gerund in the past form. (The Perfect Gerund)
       2.1. A sentence using a perfect gerund as subject
       2.2. A sentence using a perfect gerund as object of the preposition “about”.
       2.3. A sentence using a perfect gerund as direct object of the verb.
       2.4. The active perfect gerund: Having loved
       2.5. The passive perfect gerund; Having been loved
       2.6. Gerund in passive voice sense: after need, deserve, require and want
  
3   Gerund as object of preposition. (after Preposition + my / her / it being ...)
        3.1. Gerund after prepostiton that stands alone: without my having to... / getting the facts;

it happened without my having to do anything.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/tess_gerritsen_608269

it happened without my having to do anything.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/tess_gerritsen_608269

        3.2. Gerund after noun + preposition.
        3.3. Gerund after adjective + preposition
        3.4. Gerund after verb + prepostion (adjust to, adapt to, agree with/on ...)       
        3.5. Gerund after "for":  By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth
        3.7. After prepositional phrases: for fear of; instead of; in terms of; when it comes to; by means of; because of

5. Gerund after phrasal verbs
                   3.6.1. after phrasal verbs with the preposition "to" we use gerund (it)
      

4. Gerund as direct object: after certain verbs. Consecutive verbs, also called catenative verbs or linked verbs (as direct object)
         4.1  Gerund with verbs of perception: see, look at, notice, hear, listen to, and feel, along with watch and sense
         4.2. Gerund after GO (to describe leisure/fun activities)
         4.3. Change of meaning.
         4.4. Without chance of meaning.

5. Gerund with preparatory "IT" (We can use "IT" as a preparatory SUBJECT or OBJECT for a gerund):
It's nice being with you; I thought it pointless starting before two o'clock.
This is common with "any/no good", "any/no use" and  (not) worth:
It's no good talking to him. He never listen; Is it any use expecting them to be on time?; I didn't think it worth complaining about the meal.
● Possessives or OBJECT PRONOUNS (him, it, her ... ; but not subject pronouns) can be used before the Gerund in this structures:
It's no use his/him apologising - I shall never forgive him. When I hear something going wrong, I insist on it being put right.


5. Gerund with a subject: Possessives with Gerunds (Chances of my getting into that school is high) and participles with object pronoun. (Chances of me getting into that school is high)

6. Gerund after conjunctions (afer, since, while, when ...)

7. Gerund as a clause:  I heard someone saying that.

8. Gerund with there be structures
          8.1. after prepositions: There can be differences of opinion without there being personal differences

9. Gerund in compound nouns. Nominalization: There was a lot of gossip about the goings-on at the office party; when the going gets tough, the tough get going
          9.1. Plural Gerunds.
Gerund in compound adjectives. Adjectivalization: The conversion of a member of another word class into an adjective; the use of such a word: Outgoing (from the verb outgo: Each child was encouraged to outgo the others. (outdo)

10. Gerund after some expressions / special phrases.

          10. 1. Gerund after expressions + preposition.

11. Gerund in the negative form.