A Gerund Is a Verb and a Noun in One

A Gerund Is a Verb and a Noun in One A Gerund Is a Verb and a Noun in One A Gerund Is a Verb and a Noun in One By Mark Nichol A gerund is a verb that also functions as a noun. For example, one can say one is engaged in the act of writing, but one can also say that what one is doing is a thing called writing. A gerund can be part of the subject of a sentence (â€Å"Writing takes a lot of effort†) or part of the object (â€Å"I’ve done a lot of writing†). Most writers generally employ gerunds without difficulty, but one aspect of their use can be confusing: the genitive case. In the genitive case, the pronoun associated with the gerund takes a different form than it would when associated with the same word used as a verb. For example, when expressing that you listened to some people talking, you would write, â€Å"I heard them talking.† However, if you are emphasizing talking as a thing rather than an action, you would write, â€Å"I heard their talking.† Or, consider the difference between â€Å"They heard it breaking† (breaking is a verb) and â€Å"They heard its breaking† (breaking is a gerund). Writers should also make a distinction with possessive forms of nouns: â€Å"The girl shouting awakened her parents† uses shouting as a verb (girl is the subject); in â€Å"The girl’s shouting awakened her parents,† however, shouting is a gerund (and shouting, not girl, is the subject). In many instances, the difference in connotation is insignificant, but whether one employs a simple verb or uses it as a gerund can change the sense of the sentence. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names3 Types of HeadingsDealing With A Character's Internal Thoughts