phrasegerund

Phrasegerund is a coined term used in some linguistic descriptions to refer to a gerund phrase whose structure can be expanded with modifiers and complements, producing a larger noun phrase. The core is a gerund—the -ing form of a verb that functions as a noun—together with any dependent material that forms part of the phrase.

Formation and structure: A phrasegerund begins with a gerund and may be extended by a direct object, a prepositional phrase, or a relative clause. Examples include: “Running every morning in the park” as a subject in “Running every morning in the park improves health”; “I enjoy running every morning in the park” where the phrase functions as the object of enjoy; and “Her habit is running every morning in the park” where the phrase complements the subject-linking verb.

Function: Phrasegerunds behave as noun phrases. They can function as subjects, objects, or predicative complements, and their modifiers add information about time, place, manner, or purpose.

Notes: The term phrasegerund is not part of standard grammars; most analyses simply call such forms gerund phrases or non-finite clauses. The label underscores the internal phrase structure, but the underlying syntactic status matches that of a typical gerund phrase in English grammar.

See also: Gerund; Gerund phrase; Non-finite clause; Noun phrase.