When to Use a Gerund

3 types of Verbs in English

Verb 1) Verbs that can only be followed by infinitives [to + verb]

Example

“I want to go to school today.”

Verb 2) Verbs that can only be followed by gerunds [verb + -ing]

Example

“I enjoy going to school.”

Verb 3) Verbs that can be followed by either infinitives or gerunds

Example

“I like to go/going to school.”

So, the verb used in the sentence would tell you whether to use an infinitive or a gerund following it.

Are Gerunds Verbs?

Gerunds are funny — they:

√ look like verbs,

√ sound like verbs

√ seem like verbs

….but they are NOT verbs — they’re nouns!

Specifically, gerunds are

action-oriented, verb-like words that function as nouns.

Why is that important?

English is an SVO language. English sentences must have the word order of:

Subject – Verb – Object

Because gerunds are nouns–and not verbs–they can move around to different locations in a sentence, including acting as:

a subject (SVO)
an object (SVO)
following a preposition

Whereas a verb must be between the subject and the object [SVO], so a verb’s movement in the sentence is very limited.

Because gerunds are nouns and can move in a sentence, they give you greater flexibility in expressing yourself, as opposed to the verb, which is stuck in that one spot (SVO).

Got it?

Let’s practice.

Also notice how I stress and de-stress certain words, and how I connect my speech in the examples.