A gerund is the noun form of a verb that ends in -ing. For example, playing, dancing, eating. Right away this is confusing for students, as they are used to seeing that form as the continuous/progressive form of the verb (“she is eating”, “they were dancing”).
A gerund phrase will follow these rules, which can help you identify a gerund phrase in a sentence:
Types of gerunds
3:40
11:10
They can be used as the subject of a sentence the object of a sentence. They can be used afterMoreThey can be used as the subject of a sentence the object of a sentence. They can be used after prepositions. They can be used with fixed expressions.
Swimming is a verb; the present participle of swim. Here, it is the subject of a sentence and it can be called a noun. So, swimming is a gerund.
ESL students need to understand the basic idea that a gerund is an action being used as a thing or idea. When they see a gerund as an activity (a non-physical object), they begin to see the difference between the word as a verb and a noun. Examples: Reading helps students learn English.