Gerunds as subjects and objects
What is Gerund?
A gerund is the ing form of a verb, but it functions as a noun.A gerund always refers to an action, activity or occurrence.
A gerund can be used as the subject of a sentence and it is followed by a singular verb.
Gerund as subject of a sentence
A gerund is used as a subject of a sentence
For example, the word “swimming” is a verb, but when used as a gerund, it functions as a noun referring to the activity of swimming.
Swimming is my favourite hobby.
The sentence will be incorrect if it says “Swim is good exercise,” because “swim” is just the infinitive form of the verb and it doesn’t function as a noun in this context.
Other examples:
Teaching is an excellent profession.
Driving is a useful skill.
Gerund as object of a sentence
A gerund is also used as an object of a sentence.
I enjoy swimming.
He likes teaching.
She loves driving.
In the above examples, the words “swimming, teaching and driving are used as objects of verbs.
It is usually used with the words like, love, hate, enjoy,dislike, hate , prefer etc
Practicing Gerunds as Subjects and Objects
Regular practice is the fastest way to master gerunds as subjects and objects in everyday writing and speaking. Once you can confidently identify a gerund acting as the subject of a sentence, or as the object of a verb or preposition, your sentences become clearer and more natural. For more structured practice, explore our free English grammar quizzes, which cover gerunds alongside dozens of other grammar topics.
Gerunds as subjects and objects often trip up learners because a gerund looks like a verb but behaves exactly like a noun. A helpful test: if you can replace the -ing word with a noun (for example, swap “swimming” for “the activity”) and the sentence still makes sense, you are looking at a gerund functioning as a subject or object. For a deeper grammatical explanation, see the Cambridge Dictionary guide to gerunds.
Try rewriting a few of your own sentences so that a gerund becomes the subject or the object. This small habit trains your ear to spot gerunds as subjects and objects automatically, which is exactly the skill tested in the quiz below.
