According to Azar, Gerund is “the-Ing form of a verb used as a
noun. A gerund is used in the same ways as a noun, i.e. as a subject or an object”.
21
And Thomson and Martinet stated that when a verb is immediately after a preposition the gerund form must be used”
22
. Foley and Hall stated in Longman Advanced Le
arner’s Grammar: A Self-Study Reference and Practice Book with Answer, they stated that
“The –ing and infinitive forms of verbs are very common in English and can act as subject, object, and compliment of verbs. When used like noun,
-ing form are often ref erred to as „Gerund’.
23
From the quotations above, it can be concluded that gerund is the - ing form of a verb, used as a noun, as it can function as subject or an
object sentence, and also as an object preposition.
2. Kinds of Gerund
Wishon and Burks noted that there are two kinds of gerund, they are: a.
Simple Gerund: is gerund that is the-ing form of the verb used as a noun. Notice that the gerund has the same form as the present participle.
However it functions differently in the sentence. It is always a noun and can function in any position noun e.g.: swimming is a good exercise.
b. Gerund Phrase: while a gerund functions as a noun, it also retains some
characteristics of a verb. Although it may have modifiers like a noun usually before it, it may also have adverbial modifiers like a verb
usually after it. If a noun or pronoun precedes a gerund, it must be in the possessive or adjectival form.
Your singing is beautiful. Everyone admires
Patrice’s expert dancing.
21
Betty Schramper Azar, Understanding and Using English Grammar New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1992, p.150.
22
A. J. Thompson and A. V. Martinet, Practical English Grammar, Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1986, p. 229.
23
Mark Foley and Diane Hall, Longman Advanced Learners’ Grammar: A Self-study
Reference and Practice Book with Answer. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.2003, p. 140.
