geringing

Geringing is a term used in linguistic and rhetorical analysis to describe the deliberate use of gerunds—the -ing forms of verbs—to nominalize actions in discourse. The coinage is informal and appears in discussions about writing style, particularly in English academic and administrative contexts.

Mechanism and function: Geringing typically involves converting verbs into nouns or noun phrases by adding -ing and often chaining several gerunds in sequence. This creates a process-focused narrative: “Geringing the project required identifying stakeholders, defining objectives, and allocating resources.” The effect is to foreground ongoing activity and process rather than discrete events.

Contexts and effects: The practice is common in bureaucratic, policy, and academic prose, where there is value placed on describing processes. It can, however, reduce sentence clarity and increase cognitive load when overused. Critics argue that excessive nominalization obscures agency and action, while proponents say it can clarify systems and workflows.

Variations and guidance: Writers may vary the degree of geringing, balance gerunds with finite verbs, or recast sentences to maintain readability. Style guides often encourage limiting nominalizations and preferring active constructions when possible.

See also: Gerund; Nominalization; English grammar. Notes: The term is informal; usage examples appear in linguistic blogs and writing guides rather than in formal grammars.