Gerunds

First and foremost, a gerund is the form of a verb, but it is not a verb. Second, it is a noun. And finally, it ends in "ing."

[In the following examples, the gerund is bold and the verb is underlined.]

Many local governments and school districts forbid releasing student information to any outside group, including the military, colleges or corporations.
- First find the subject and verb: GOVERNMENTS and DISTRICTS are the subjects and FORBID is the verb. Is it an action verb? Yes? Do they forbid something? Yes. What? RELEASING. So, RELEASING is a direct object, which is a noun. A form of a verb that ends in ING and acts as a noun is a gerund.
Burning oil and smashing atoms are good for the environment.
- First find the subject and verb: BURNING and SMASHING are the subjects and ARE is the verb. Therefore, BURNING and SMASHING are nouns. A form of a verb that ends in ING and acts as a noun is a gerund.
Coal mining yields 5,000 watts per square meter per day, and an oil field yields close to 10,000.
- First find the subject and verb of the clause: MINING is the subject and YIELDS is the verb. Therefore, MINING is a noun. A form of a verb that ends in ING and acts as a noun is a gerund.
The story is the same for high-tech farming.
- STORY is the subject. IS is the verb. FARMING is the object of the preposition FOR. An object is a noun. A form of a verb that ends in ING and acts as a noun is a gerund.
Kids enjoy surfing the 'Net, but it doesn't mean that their minds are engaged.
- KIDS is the subject. ENJOY is the verb. SURFING is the direct object of the verb. An object is a noun. A form of a verb that ends in ING and acts as a noun is a gerund.
The study does not show a link between using computers and improving student performance
- The subject is STUDY. The verb is DOES SHOW. USING and IMPROVING are objects of the preposition BETWEEN.

To learn more about participles, turn the page.