What are gerunds?

Although the term might sound foreign, the gerund is a common part of speech that
most of us use every day, whether we know it or not. Here, we’ll take an in-depth look at
gerunds and provide you with several examples of gerunds so you’ll feel comfortable
using them in your writing, and so that you will be able to recognize them when you see
them.

Gerunds: The Basics

Gerunds are words that are formed with verbs but act as nouns. They’re very easy to
spot, since every gerund is a verb with ing tacked to its tail. There are no exceptions to
this rule.
Like all things grammar, gerunds do take a tiny bit of detective work to spot. The
problem here is that present participles also end with the letters ing. Besides being able
to spot gerunds, you should be able to tell the difference between a gerund and a
present participle.

Let’s go back to the definition of a gerund for a moment. Remember that gerunds are
words that are formed with verbs but act as nouns. Present participles do not act as
nouns. Instead, they act as modifiers or complete progressive verbs. To find gerunds in
sentences, just look for a verb + ing that is used as a noun. It’s that simple.

Examples of Gerunds
As you read these examples of gerunds, notice the verbs they contain, and notice that
every single one of them ends in ing. By the end of this quick lesson, you’ll have no
problem recognizing gerunds when you see them.

1. Swimming in the ocean has been Sharon’s passion since she was five years old.
2. Let’s go dancing at the club tonight.
3. I’ve been dreaming of summer all winter long.
 4. Holly decided that flying above the clouds was the most incredible experience she’d
ever had.
5. Bill avoided doing his math assignment because the World Series was on.

What is the Gerund?

-ing form used as a noun

2. Form
infinitive + -ing

3. Examples

 Gerund as Subject:

Going to parties is fun.

 Gerund as Object:

I enjoy reading.

4. Gerund after the following verbs

 admit

He admitted having driven too fast.

 avoid

They avoid going on holiday on Saturdays.

 carry on
 If we carry on sleeping so badly, we may need help.

 consider

Ralph is considering buying a new house.

 delay

I delayed telling Max the news.

 deny

She denies reading the book.

 dislike

We dislike reading poems.

 can't/couldn't help

He couldn't help falling in love with her.

 enjoy

I enjoy playing chess.

 finish

They finished working in the garden.

 give up

Susan gives up playing ice-hockey.

 imagine

He imagined driving a new car.

 include

Your responsibility includes taking reservations on the phone.

 involve

The project will involve growing plants.

 justify

I cannot justify paying $100 for this ticket.

 keep (on)

They keep on running.

 mention

Did Alex ever mention playing baseball?

 mind

I don't mind sleeping on the couch.

 miss

They miss playing with their friends.

 practise
 She practised playing hockey.

 regret*

Do you regret having mentioned it?

 risk

You risk catching a cold.

 suggest

She suggested flying to Cairo.

* After regret the to-infinitive is used when announcing bad news:

We regret to inform you that the flight to Munich has been cancelled.

5. Gerund after special phrases

 to be busy

He is busy reading the paper.

 don't mind

I don't mind telling them my opinion.

 feel like

We feel like having a cup of tea.

 how about
 How about walking home instead of taking the car?

 it's (no) good

It's no good talking to this girl.

 it's no use

It's no use talking to the headmaster.

 spend one's time

They spend their time reading.

 there's no

There's no cheating anymore.

 there's no point

There's no point in complaining further.

 what about

What about going to the zoo?

 worth

The book is worth reading.

Gerund adalah kata benda yang dibentuk dengan menambahkan akhiran -
ing pada kata kerja. Sebagai contoh, read (kata kerja) + ing = reading (kata
benda).

Seperti to infinitive, gerund memiliki 3 peran:

1. Sebagai Subjek

Misalnya:

 Reading newspapers is not her habit.

 Fishing is fun.
 Smoking costs a lot of money.
 Drinking too much coffee gives him a headache.

2. Sebagai objek

Contohnya:

 He doesn’t like writing.

 She likes painting.
 Susilo needs to be sleeping.
 I look forward to seeing you soon.

3. Sebagai komplemen

Peran ini muncul ketika suatu kalimat menggunakan linking be sebagai

predikatnya. Contohnya:

 His hobby is writing novel.

  Her problem is not having money.
 My favourite occupation is reading.
 His problem is not coming to class on time.

Bedanya dengan present continuous tense, subjek dalam gerund sebagai

pelengkap mengandung kata ganti (his, him, my, dan lain-lain). Agar lebih
jelas, lihat contoh di bawah ini:

 His hobby is writing novel. (gerund)

 He is writing novel. (Present continuous tense)
Kaidah Pembentukan Gerund

Ada beberapa kaidah untuk membentu gerund secara benar:

1. Jika ada lebih dari satu konsonan (b, c, d, f, dsb), tambahkan ing.
Contoh: think + ing = thinking.

2. Jika ada lebih dari satu kata hidup (a, i, u, e, dan o), tambahkan ing.
Contoh: beat + ing = beating dan see + ing = seeing.

3. Jika ada satu huruf hidup dan konsonan yang diiringi dengan penekanan
pada suku kata, gandakan konsonan dan tambahkan ing. Contohnya: hit +
ing = hitting.

4. Jika ada satu atau lebih konsonan dan e, hilangkan e dan tambahkan
ing. Contoh: take + ing = taking.

5. Jika huruf terakhirnya y, tambahkan ing. Contoh: study + ing = studying.

Pengertian

Gerund adalah kata benda yang dibentuk dari penambahan akhiran -ing pada kata kerja.

Contoh :

- buy ---> buying

- read ---> reading

- teach---> teaching

- play ---> playing

- learn ---> learning

B. Penggunaan

1. Subjek

Gerund dapat berfungsi sebagai subjek pada sebuah kalimat.

Contoh :

- Dancing is my hobby.

(Menari adalah hobi saya.)

- Playing football is my favorite sport.

(Bermain sepak bola adalah olahraga favorit saya.)

2. Objek

Gerund dapat berfungsi sebagai objek dari kata kerja transitif dalam suatu kalimat.

Contoh :

- I like reading.
 (Saya suka membaca.)

- They practice speaking English.

(Mereka mempraktikan berbicara bahas Inggris.)

3. Objek Preposisi

Gerund dapat berfungsi sebagai objek yang hadir setelah preposisi.

Contoh :

- They are thinking of going home late.

(Mereka memikirkan pulang termbat ke rumah.)

- I am tired of waiting.

(Saya lelah menunggu.)

4. Adjective

Gerund dapat berfungsi sebagai adjective atau kata sifat yang berfungsi menerangkan suatu kata
benda.

- He doesn't have a driving licence.

(Dia tidak memiliki surat izin mengemudi.)

- She needs a walking stick.

(Dia memerluakan tongkat untuk berjalan.)

5. Larangan pendek

Gerund dapat digunakan dalam kalimat larangan pendek.

 Contoh :

- No smoking.

(Dilarang merokok.)

- No fishing.

(Dilarang memancing.)

C. SUSUNAN

Kalimat yang menggunakan bentuk gerund memiliki beberapa variasi susunan, yaitu :

1. Verb + Gerund

Pola :

S + V + Gerund

Contoh :

- They avoid discussing too much.

- She enjoys talking about the topic.

2. Adjective + Gerund

Pola :

S + To Be + Adjective + Gerund

Contoh :

- We are busy finishing the school report.

- The book is worth reading.

3. Preposition + Gerund

Pola :

S + V + Gerund + to + Gerund

Contoh :

- They prefer dancing to singing.

- He prefers playing badminton to football.

Pola

Preposition + Gerund + S + V

Contoh :

- Before watching TV, they have to finish their task.

- After reading the letter, he looked very sad.

4. Prepositional phrase + Gerund

Pola :

S + V + Preposition + Gerund

Contoh :
- They keep on discussing about the problem.

- She is thinking of sending a letter of complaint.

5. Object + Gerund

Pola :

S + V + O + Gerund

Contoh :

- They don't mind you talking too much.

- She likes her telling the case.

6. Infinitive + Gerund

Pola :

S + V-inf + Gerund

Contoh :

- They go fishing with their friends.

- He goes climbing the mountain.

D. Daftar Kata Yang Diikuti Gerund.

Tidak semua kata dapat diikuti dengan bentuk gerund. Ada kelompok kata yang diikuti bare infinitive dan
ada pula kelompok kata yang diikuti to infinitive. Kelompok kata yang diikuti gerund dapat dilihat dalam
daftar berikut :
 Kelompok Kata yang Arti
Diikuti Gerund

admit mengakui

appreciate menghargai

avoid menghindari

be accustomed to terbiasa dengan

consider menimbang

be used to terbiasa dengan

can’t help tidak dapat tahan untuk tidak

can’t stand tidak dapat bertahan

complete melengkapi

delay menunda

deny menolak

discuss mendiskusikan

enjoy menikmati

finish menyelesaikan

hate membenci

keep terus

like menyukai

look forward to menanti

mention menyebutkan

mind berkeberatan

object to berkeberatan dengan

postpone menunda
practice mempraktikan

quit berhenti

regret menyesal

risk beresiko

suggest menyarankan

understand memahami
Verb yang diikuti gerung
verb yang diikuti oleh gerund dapat berupa verb tanpa tambahan agent atau
dengan tambahan agent.

Kondisi Contoh Verb Contoh Kalimat Gerund

acknowledge, I hate working with him.

admit, advise,
anticipate,
appreaciate,
avoid, begin,
celebrate,
consider,
Tanpa continue, deny,
tambahan discuss, dislike,
agent endure, enjoy,
finish, forget, give
up, hate, help,
practice, prefer,
recommend,
regret, remember,
start, stop, teach,
understand The student hasfinished studying.

Perlu We heard him singing the song. (him= agent)

tambahan
agent hear, watch, see I saw the man walkin gon the street. (the man= agent)

Beberapa expression juga dapat diikuti oleh verbal ini, yaitu: worth, rather
than, dan instead of.
Expression Contoh Kalimat

Worth It is worth reading the book.

Rather than I prefer to sleep rather than going to the party.

Instead of Instead of paying the baggage fees, she will only carry a small backpack.