LoginGerund Phrases
What Are Gerund Phrases?
A gerund phrase is a phrase that includes a gerund and any modifiers, complements, or object that accompany it.
A gerund phrase acts as a single noun within a sentence, and it can serve various functions, such as a subject, object, or complement.
Gerund Phrases: Structure
A gerund phrase consist of:
a gerund
its object (also called gerund complement)
modifiers (adverbs or adverbial/prepositional phrases) which can include another gerund
Pay attention that a gerund phrase always starts with the gerund.
Let's start with a simple example:
Driving a car carelessly will cause great trouble.
In the gerund phrase above:
'Driving' is the gerund.
'A car' is the direct object of the gerund (also called the gerund complement)
'Carelessly is a modifier (an adverb).
Now take a look at a more complex example:
Driving a car without paying attention will cause great trouble.
gerund → driving
direct object → a car
modifier → without paying attention (gerund phrase)
Here, 'without paying attention' is an adverbial phrase, which itself contains a gerund phrase (paying attention) consisting of a gerund (paying) and its complement (attention).
Tip!
A gerund phrase does not necessarily need an object:
Driving carelessly is a bad idea.
Gerund phrase → Gerund (Driving) + Modifier (carelessly)
A gerund phrase can also be without a modifier:
The dog doesn't care about destroying the flowers.
Gerund phrase → Gerund (destroying) + object (the flowers)
Gerund Phrases: Functions
A gerund phrase acts as a noun, therefore it can function as:
a subject
an object (direct and indirect)
an object of a preposition
a predicate nominative (the complement of a linking verb)
Baking cakes is my favorite hobby. → Gerund phrase is the subject.
My son enjoys playing with Legos. → Gerund phrase is the direct object.
He gave winning the contest his best shot. → Gerund phrase is the indirect object.
Studying a new language is futile without practicing daily. → Gerund phrase is the object of prepostion.
My favorite activity is traveling to exotic places. → Gerund phrase is the predicate nominative.
Tip!
A gerund phrase normally does not need any punctuation.
Gerund Phrases vs. Participle Phrases
Do not confuse gerund phrases with participle phrases. Remember:
Gerund phrase acts as a noun
Participle phrase acts as a modifier (an adjective or an adverb)
Drinking a cup of tea after waking up is refreshing.
This is a gerund phrase.
Drinking a cup of tea after waking up, Mary turned on the TV.
This is a participle phrase.
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