What the Hell is a Gerund?

I’m glad you asked! As an educator, I always tell my students that curiosity is requisite to success.

In non grammar-geek terms, a gerund is a verb pretending to be a noun for the afternoon. It’s when an active verb — ending in ‘ing — is being used for the name of an activity. “I enjoy swimming. Reading is her favorite hobby.”

I really hate pseudo-clever titles like “Saving Grace” or “Judging Amy” or “Fingering Jessica,” but it must please audiences because lazy writers keep doing it. Therefore, as the laziest and pseudo-cleverest writer, I give you Gerund Girl Name.

(A verb that stays still is called an infinitive. It is the preposition to + verb. Like a gerund, it can also be the object of a verb. I like to read. When I teach English learners about gerunds and infinitives, I teach them that infinitive verbs have no beginning and no end — just like infinity. Hence the image for this page).