Remember that gerunds are words that are formed with verbs but act as nouns.

Present participles do not act

as nouns. Instead, they act as modifiers or complete progressive verbs. To find gerunds in sentences, just
look for a verb + ing that is used as a noun.

Gerunds: The Basics

Gerunds are words that are formed with verbs but act as nouns. Theyre very easy to spot, since every gerund is a
verb with ing tacked to its tail. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Like all things grammar, gerunds do take a tiny bit of detective work to spot. The problem here is that present
participles also end with the letters ing. Besides being able to spot gerunds, you should be able to tell the difference
between a gerund and a present participle.
Lets go back to the definition of a gerund for a moment. Remember that gerunds are words that are formed
with verbs but act as nouns. Present participles do not act as nouns. Instead, they act as modifiers or complete
progressive verbs. To find gerunds in sentences, just look for a verb + ing that is used as a noun. Its that simple.

Examples of Gerunds
As you read these examples of gerunds, notice the verbs they contain, and notice that every single one of them
ends in ing. By the end of this quick lesson, youll have no problem recognizing gerunds when you see them.
1.

Swimming in the ocean has been Sharons passion since she was five years old.

2.

Lets go dancing at the club tonight.

3.

Ive been dreaming of summer all winter long.

4.

Holly decided that flying above the clouds was the most incredible experience shed ever had.

5.

Bill avoided doing his math assignment because the World Series was on.

GERUND NOUNS
A gerund (often known as an -ing word) is a noun formed from a verb by adding -ing. It can follow a preposition,
adjective and most often another verb.
For example:

I enjoy walking.

The gerund is a verb which is used as if it were a noun. Since it is a verb, it can not be qualified by
an adjective, nor preceded by an article, but it can be modified by an adverb and take a complement
(Examples 1 & 2 below). A participle is an adjective or part of a participial phrase qualifying a noun or a
pronoun.

Participles
A participle (abbreviated PTCP) is a form of a verb that is used in a sentence to modify
a noun, noun phrase, verb, or verb phrase, and then plays a role similar to an adjective or adverb. It is one of
the types of nonfinite verb forms. Some participles (like 'bored' or 'boring') can be used as adjectives.

These are used in a slightly different way from normal adjectives. We usually use the past participle
(ending in -ed) to talk about how someone feels:

I was really bored during the flight (NOT: I was really boring during the flight).

She's interested in history (NOT: She's really interesting in history).

John's frightened of spiders (NOT: John's frightening of spiders).

Participle-a word formed from a verb (e.g., going, gone, being, been ) and used as an adjective
(e.g., working woman, burned toast ) or a noun (e.g., good breeding ). In English, participles are also
used to make compound verb forms (e.g., is going, has been ).

Gerunds-a form that is derived from a verb but that functions as a noun, in English ending in -ing,
e.g., asking in do you mind my asking you?.