Grade by Grade
B. Foundations of Language · Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation

Gerunds: When -ing Words Act as Nouns

B3.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain what a gerund is: an -ing verb form that works as a noun.
  • I can find gerunds and gerund phrases used as subjects, objects and after prepositions.
  • I can tell a gerund apart from an -ing verb and an -ing adjective (participle).
  • I can use a singular verb with a gerund subject.

Words to know

gerund
A verb with -ing that works as a noun in a sentence: Skiing is fun.
gerund phrase
A gerund plus the words that go with it: Building a snow fort takes teamwork.
present participle
An -ing form used as a verb (is running) or as an adjective (the running water).
object of a preposition
The noun that comes after a preposition, like at, about, for, by: good at drawing.

Remember from earlier grades

You know the eight parts of speech (Grade 4), and in Grade 5 you found direct objects and used participial phrases (-ing phrases that describe a noun, like Shivering in the cold, we waited).

In Grade 6 you'll meet a new job for -ing words. Sometimes they act as nouns. Then they're called gerunds.

What's a gerund?

A gerund is a verb + -ing that works as a noun. It names an activity.

  • Swimming is my favourite sport. (Swimming is the subject. What is my favourite sport? Swimming.)
  • I love skating. (skating is the direct object. I love what? Skating.)
  • She is good at drawing. (drawing comes after the preposition at.)

The noun test: replace the -ing word with a noun like it or pizza. If the sentence still works (even if it's silly), it's a gerund. I love pizza. ✓ She is good at it. ✓

SentenceThe -ing wordIts job
Skiing is fun.SkiingGerund (a noun: the subject)
We are skiing today.skiingVerb (with the helper are)
The skiing children laughed.skiingParticiple (an adjective describing children)
I tried skiing.skiingGerund (a noun: the direct object)
The same -ing word can do three different jobs
Skiing is fun.SkiingNOUN (gerund)the subjectWe are skiing today.are skiingVERBwith the helper areThe skiing children laughed.skiingADJECTIVE(participle) describes children
One -ing word, three jobs. Only when it names the activity (a noun) is it a gerund.

Gerund phrases

A gerund can bring friends along: Collecting maple sap is hard work. The whole phrase Collecting maple sap acts as one noun.

Grammar tip: a gerund or gerund phrase subject is singular, so use a singular verb:

  • Collecting stamps is fun. (not are: the subject is collecting, not stamps)
  • Reading comics helps me relax.
Tall maple trees in early spring with metal sap buckets hanging from their trunks and patches of snow on the ground.
Collecting maple sap is hard work. The gerund phrase collecting maple sap names the activity happening in this sugar bush. AI-generated image
Collecting maple sapishard work.one subject (a gerund phrase)Collecting stampsisfun.notareThe subject is collecting,not stamps, so it is singular.
A gerund phrase acts as one noun. Treat the whole phrase as a single subject and use a singular verb (is, helps).
Worked example

Let's find the gerunds

Find each -ing word and decide its job: My brother is practising his speech because speaking in public makes him nervous.

  1. is practising: the helping verb is comes before it. It's the verb.
  2. speaking in public: it's the subject of makes. What makes him nervous? Speaking in public. It's a gerund phrase.
  3. Noun test: because it makes him nervous ✓.

practising is a verb; speaking (in public) is a gerund (a gerund phrase used as a subject).

Worked example

Let's write with gerunds

Rewrite to use a gerund as the subject: It is important to wear a helmet when you bike.

  1. Find the activity: to wear a helmet.
  2. Turn the verb into a gerund: wear → wearing.
  3. Make the gerund phrase the subject: Wearing a helmet when you bike...
  4. Add a singular verb: ...is important.

Wearing a helmet when you bike is important.

Watch out

  • Spelling: the usual -ing rules apply. Drop the silent e (skate → skating) and double after a short stressed vowel (swim → swimming).
  • Don't confuse a gerund with a verb: if a form of be (am, is, are, was, were) comes right before the -ing word and the subject is doing it, it's usually a verb.
Just for fun

Funny but true: Snowshoeing breaks the drop-the-e rule! It's spelled s-n-o-w-s-h-o-e-i-n-g, keeping the e, so it doesn't turn into snowshoing, which looks like it rhymes with going.

Hands-on activity

Gerund charades and a hobbies poster

You need: small slips of paper, a bowl, a large sheet of paper and markers.

  1. Write 10 activities on slips as gerunds: skating, baking, drumming, snowshoeing, reading, gardening...
  2. Take turns acting one out. The guesser must answer in a full sentence with the gerund as the subject: "Snowshoeing is what you're doing!" or as an object: "You enjoy gardening!"
  3. Make a family hobbies poster. Write one sentence for each person using a gerund phrase: Baking bannock with Kokum is Jordan's favourite thing. or Playing the fiddle makes Dad happy.
  4. Underline each gerund phrase and check the verb is singular.

Your turn

1

Find the gerund: Hiking is good exercise.

2

Find the gerund: My sister enjoys painting.

3

Find the gerund: Thank you for helping.

4

Gerund or verb? The dogs are barking.

5

Gerund or participle? The barking dogs woke me.

6

Choose: Shovelling snow (is / are) hard work.

7

Write a sentence with camping as a gerund subject.

More practice: warm-up

1

A gerund is a verb with -ing that acts as a ___.

2

Find the gerund: Dancing makes me happy.

3

Find the gerund: He is afraid of flying.

4

Spell the gerund of skate.

5

Spell the gerund of swim.

More practice: on your own

1

Find the gerund phrase and its job: Building a quinzhee takes patience. (A quinzhee is a snow shelter.)

2

Find the gerund phrase and its job: We talked about cleaning up the park.

3

Label each -ing word as a gerund or a participle: Laughing, the boys ran outside because sledding is fun.

4

Fix the verb: Taking notes help me remember.

5

Rewrite with a gerund phrase as the subject: To recycle cans saves energy.

Challenge

1

Write three sentences using fishing as (a) a verb, (b) a participle and (c) a gerund. Label them.

2

Explain why Collecting rocks are my hobby is incorrect, and fix it.

3

Turn these choppy sentences into one sentence with a gerund phrase: We learned to make snowshoes. It was hard. It was fun.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which sentence has a gerund?

2.

What job does the gerund do in I enjoy baking?

3.

Choose the correct verb: Playing video games ___ fun.

4.

In The crying baby fell asleep, what is crying?

5.

Which is the gerund of ride?

6.

Find the gerund: Thanks for shovelling our walk.

For parents and teachers

Big idea (B3.2): The Grade 6 curriculum asks students to demonstrate an understanding of the functions of parts of speech in sentences, including nouns that are gerunds. Knowing that an -ing word can be a noun, a verb or an adjective helps children read carefully and write with variety.

How to help at home:

  • Talk about hobbies using gerunds: "What's your favourite: skating, reading or drawing?"
  • Point out gerunds in signs and slogans (No Parking, Skating Tonight).
  • When your child writes -ing words, ask: "Is that word a thing, an action or a describing word here?"

Common difficulties:

  • Confusing gerunds with verbs. A helper like is/are/was before the -ing word usually signals a verb.
  • Verb agreement with gerund phrases (Collecting stamps are...). Find the true subject.
  • -ing spelling (drop the e, double the consonant). Review the rules if needed.
  • Some -ing words are tricky even for grammar experts; focus on the clear cases.