gerundverb

Gerundverb is a nonstandard term sometimes used in linguistic and language-education contexts to describe two related phenomena involving the interface between verbal and nominal functions. It is not part of the core grammar and is not widely adopted in mainstream reference works. When the term is used, it may refer to either the gerund as a verbal form used as a noun, or to verbs that take gerund-like clauses as complements.

Gerund usage refers to the category of verbs formed with the -ing ending that function as nouns in a sentence. For example, in “Running is fun,” the word Running acts as the subject noun. Gerunds can be the subject or object of a sentence and can take determiners or modifiers: “The running of the marathon was exhausting.” In many descriptions, gerunds are contrasted with participles and with infinitives.

Verbs that take gerund complements are another common phenomenon. A wide range of verbs can be followed by a gerund phrase, such as “enjoy reading,” “avoid talking politics,” or “consider moving.” In these cases, the core verb remains finite, and the following form is a non-finite gerund or gerund clause. Some analyses refer to these as gerund-taking or gerund-complement verbs.

Cross-linguistic perspectives note that many languages nominalize verb forms differently, leading to terminological variation between “gerunds,” “verbal nouns,” and related constructions. The label gerundverb is therefore mainly a descriptive shorthand rather than a fixed grammatical category.

See also: gerund, verbal noun, non-finite clause, infinitive.