Alternately titled, “What the Hell is a Gerund, Anyway?”
A gerund, quite simply, is the “ing” form of a verb that is used as a noun.
Her acting was the best in the play.
The team’s playing is the only thing that keeps them together; none of them would be friends off the field.
A gerund phrase is just that – a noun phrase where the noun is really a verb that has changed its proverbial spots:
Poking sticks into lions’ cages is just asking for trouble.
or my personal favorite, seen on a bumper sticker:
Slapping a yellow ribbon bumper sticker on the back of your gas-guzzling SUV during a war for oil makes you look like an asshole.
Have questions? Need clarification? Have Grammar Wednesday fodder? Leave me comments, please!
Have we talked about the word myriad? Like how the word “of” should never be placed after it. Ever. (Gah! It makes me grind my teeth)