Gerundnominalization

Gerundnominalization is the process by which a verb is turned into a noun through a gerund, the -ing form that functions cognitively as a noun. In English, gerundnominalization yields a gerund phrase that can occupy typical noun positions: it can be the subject or object of a sentence, be accompanied by determiners, modifiers, and occasionally take its own internal arguments.

A key feature is that a gerund retains some verbal properties while acting as a noun. For example, in Running every day helps health, the gerund running conveys an activity and can take objects and modifiers in some constructions, while also behaving like the subject of the clause. In the noun-like use, as in the phrase the running of the machine, the -ing form functions more like a deverbal noun, denoting an event or process expressed by the verb.

Linguists distinguish between gerunds (verbal nouns that can take internal arguments) and merely nominalized forms that resemble nouns more than verbs. The distinction is subtle and often language-specific. In English, gerund phrases can be embedded within clauses, carry possessors or measure expressions (two hours of running), and combine with adjectives that modify the nominalization (the quick running of the marathon). Some approaches treat all -ing nouns as part of a broader nominalization phenomenon, while others keep a sharper line between true gerunds and other nominalizations.

Examples illustrate basic uses: Eating too late can cause indigestion; The act of eating is a universal human behavior. Gerundnominalization thus covers a central way in which verbs are converted into noun-like expressions to denote events, activities, or processes within a sentence.