Grammar
Gerunds in English: form and common patterns
Reading on the train can turn a long commute into useful time. Here, reading names the activity itself.
Recognize gerunds and use them after prepositions and common English verbs.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
After finishing the report /ˈɑːftə ˈfɪnɪʃɪŋ ðə rɪˈpɔːt/
The short answer
Use a gerund when an -ing form names an activity or follows a word that requires that pattern. Prepositions take gerunds, and several common verbs do too.
Cooking at home saves money.
Why it works: Cooking is the subject of the sentence, so it names an activity.
4 more examples
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After finishing the report, I sent it to my manager.
After is a preposition, so it is followed by a gerund.
Not this:I
finishedthe report before lunch. What changes: Finished is the main past-tense verb in this sentence. -
The museum is worth visiting on a rainy day.
Worth is followed by a gerund when you describe an activity as a good use of time.
Not this:We
visitedthe museum on a rainy day. What changes: Visited is the main past-tense verb, not a gerund. -
Her job involves organizing weekly workshops.
Involve is commonly followed by a gerund when it describes part of a role or task.
Not this:Her job
is organizedaround weekly workshops. What changes: Is organized describes the job; it does not name an activity after involve. -
They left without saying goodbye.
Without is a preposition, so saying is a gerund.
Not this:They
saidgoodbye before leaving. What changes: Said is the main past-tense verb in this sentence.
Read the full guide
Find the word before the -ing form. If it is a preposition such as after, without, or by, use a gerund. If it is a verb such as enjoy, avoid, or suggest, learn the pattern as a short phrase. Then check whether the -ing form names an activity or forms part of the main verb.
Recognize a gerund
A gerund has an -ing ending, but its place in the sentence matters more than its shape. It often names an action in the same way that a noun names a thing. Ask whether the sentence is talking about the activity itself.
Cooking at home saves money.
Cooking is the subject. The sentence is about the activity, so cooking is a gerund.
Luis is cooking at home tonight.
Is cooking is the verb phrase. It tells us what Luis is doing now or around this time.
Use a gerund after a preposition
After a preposition, English normally uses a gerund. Common prepositions include after, before, by, for, in, on, and without. The same rule applies when the preposition is part of a longer phrase.
After finishing the report, I sent it to my manager.
After introduces the next action, so finishing follows it as a gerund.
She improved by practicing for ten minutes each day.
By names the method, and practicing names the activity used as that method.
Learn common verb patterns
Some verbs are followed by gerunds. Learn the verb and its pattern together: enjoy doing, avoid doing, consider doing, finish doing, and suggest doing. A long list is hard to remember, so collect useful patterns from sentences you need.
The committee considered moving the meeting.
Consider is followed by moving because the committee is thinking about that possible action.
My neighbors enjoy growing tomatoes.
Enjoy takes a gerund when it names the activity a person likes.
Spot gerunds in fixed phrases
Some useful expressions end with a preposition, even though they contain the word to. In look forward to, be used to, and object to, to is a preposition. Follow it with a gerund, not an infinitive.
I am looking forward to seeing you next week.
To belongs to the phrase look forward to, so seeing follows it as a gerund.
Nora is used to working late during the festival.
Used to here means accustomed to. It is different from used to work, which describes a past habit.
Avoid two common mistakes
Do not use to plus a base verb after a preposition. Also avoid treating every -ing form as a gerund. Check the word before the form and the job the form has in the sentence.
-
Not this:
She left without to ask a question.Say: She left without asking a question.
Without is a preposition, so it needs a gerund.
-
Not this:
We are enjoying to watch the match.Say: We are enjoying watching the match.
Enjoy is followed by a gerund.
Choose the correct form: They talked about ___ a weekend class.
Use joining: They talked about joining a weekend class. About is a preposition.
Check the whole sentence
Use a short check when you edit. First, find the word before the -ing form. Next, ask whether the form names an activity, follows a preposition, or completes a continuous verb. This will help you choose the pattern with more confidence.
The museum is worth visiting on a rainy day.
Worth is followed by a gerund, so visiting names the activity that is a good use of time.
They left without saying goodbye.
Without controls the pattern. Saying is the gerund after that preposition.
Before you go
Remember this
A gerund is an -ing form that works like a noun. Use one after prepositions and after verbs with gerund patterns. When you see an -ing form, first check whether it names an activity or belongs to a continuous verb.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Gerunds in English: form and common patterns"
What is a gerund in English?
A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that works like a noun. It can name an activity as the subject of a sentence, as an object, or after a preposition. In a sentence about cooking as an activity, cooking has a noun-like job.
Cooking at home saves money.
How can I tell a gerund from a present continuous verb?
Look at the job of the -ing form in the whole sentence. In a present continuous form, it follows be and helps describe an action in progress. A gerund names the activity itself, such as an activity that helps someone relax or saves time.
Luis is cooking at home tonight.
Why do prepositions take gerunds?
English normally uses an -ing form after a preposition. This includes words such as after, by, without, and about, as well as longer expressions ending in a preposition. Learn the preposition and the following gerund as one pattern.
After finishing the report, I sent it to my manager.
Which verbs commonly take gerunds?
Useful gerund patterns include enjoy doing, avoid doing, consider doing, finish doing, keep doing, mind doing, and suggest doing. Learn a new verb with one short sentence, because the verb before the activity controls the pattern.
I finished the report before lunch.
Does to always introduce an infinitive?
No. In expressions such as look forward to, be used to, and object to, to is a preposition. Use a gerund after it. In want to leave, to introduces an infinitive, so the next form is the base verb leave.
The museum is worth visiting on a rainy day.