Gerunds (Ing Forms)

When -ing forms are used like nouns, they are often called gerunds.

• Smoking is injurious to health. (Here the ing form is the subject of the verb is.)
• I like shooting. (Here the ing form is the object of the verb like.)
• Trespassing is prohibited. (Here the ing form is the subject)
• Trading means buying or selling securities, goods and services.
• We got the job finished by working fourteen hours a day. (Here the ing form is the object of the preposition by.)
• To become a successful investor consider enrolling in an options trading education program.
• My English writing skills improve with every grammar exercise I do.
• Reading the Wall Street Journal will help you learn to manage your money.

Not all -ing forms are gerunds. Present participles are also -ing forms. While gerunds act like nouns, present participles act like adjectives or verbs. For example, we can use present participles to modify nouns. Examples are: rolling stone, falling leaves, boring class, interesting lesson etc.

We also use present participles to make continuous tense forms.

• It is raining. (Here the present participle raining helps to form the present continuous tense form.)
• They are waiting for us.
• You are annoying me.
• It has been raining for hours.
• She has been teaching here since 2005.