GERUNDS

GERUNDS

The gerund (/ˈdʒɛrənd/ or /ˈdʒɛrʌnd/) is a non-finite verb form that can function as a noun in Latin and English grammar. The English gerund ends in -ing (as in I enjoy playing basketball). The same verb form also serves as the English present participle (which has an adjectival or adverbial function) and as a pure verbal noun. Thus the -ing form in the English language can function as a noun, verb, adjective or sometimes adverb; in certain sentences the distinction can be arbitrary.

The gerund is the form that names the action of the verb (for instance, playing is the action of "to play"). In some cases, a noun ending in -ingsometimes serves as a gerund (as in I like building / I like building things, I like painting / I like painting pictures, and I like writing / I like writing novels), while at other times serving as a non-gerund indicating the product resulting from an action (as in I work in that building, That is a good painting, and Her writing is good). The latter case can often be distinguished by the presence of a determiner before the noun, such as that, a, or her in these examples.

The Latin gerund (gerundium) is a verb form that behaves similarly to a noun, although it can only appear in certain oblique cases. (It should not be confused with the Latin gerundive, which is similar in form, but has a passive, adjectival use.)

In relation to other languages, the term gerund may be applied to a form which has noun-like uses like the Latin and English gerunds, or in some cases to various other non-finite verb forms, such as adverbial participles.

Gerund comes from the Latin gerundium, which itself derives from the gerundive of the Latin verb gero, namely gerundus, meaning " to be carried out".

Meanings of the term gerund as used in relation to various languages are listed below.

• As applied to Arabic, it refers to the verb's action noun, known as the masdar form (Arabic: المصدر). This form ends in a tanwin and is generally the equivalent of the -ing ending in English.
• As applied to English, it refers to the -ing form of a verb when it is used as a noun (for example, the verb reading in the sentence "I enjoy reading.").^[1] See the sections below for further detail.
• As applied to French, it refers either to the adverbial participle—also called the gerundive—or to the present adjectival participle.
• As applied to German, Dutch, and the other continental West Germanic languages it refers to a neuter verbal noun that is identical or similar in form to the infinitive.
• As applied to Hebrew, it refers either to the verb's action noun, or to the part of the infinitive following the infinitival prefix (also called theinfinitival construct).
• As applied to Italian, it refers to an adverbial participle (a verbal adverb), called the gerundio, formed by appending -ando or -endo, to the verb stem, like how litigare becomes litigando and cadere becomes cadendo.
• As applied to Japanese, it designates verb and verbals adjective forms in dictionary form paired with the referral particle no, which turns the verbal into a concept or property noun, or also can refer to the -te form of a verb.
• As applied to Korean, it refers to the word '것'('thing') modified by the adjective form of the verb.
• As applied to Latin, its form is based on the participle ending, similarly to English. The –ns ending is replaced with -ndus, and the preceding ā or ē is shortened. However, the gerund is only ever seen in the accusative form (-ndum), genitive form (-ndi), dative form (-ndo) or ablativeform (-ndo). (See Latin conjugation.) If the gerund is needed in the nominative form, the present infinitive is used instead.
• As applied to Macedonian, it refers to the verb noun formed by adding the suffix -јќи (-jki) to the verb form, like in јаде (jade, he eats) — јадејќи (jadejki, while eating).
• As applied to Persian, it refers to the verb's action noun, known as the ism-masdar form (Persian: اسم مصدر).
• As applied to Portuguese, it refers to an adverbial participle (a verbal adverb), called gerúndio.
• As applied to Hungarian, it practically refers to the verbal noun, formed by appending a suffix. Common suffixes are -ás (adás, giving), -és(kérés, asking).
• As applied to Romanian, it refers to an adverbial participle (a verbal adverb), called the gerunziu, formed by appending -ând or -ind, to the verb stem, like in cântând/fugind".
• As applied to Spanish, it refers to an adverbial participle (a verbal adverb), called in Spanish the gerundio.
• As applied to Turkish, it refers to a large number of verb endings subject to vowel harmony and sometimes used in conjunction with postpositions. Turkish gerunds may act as an adverb or constitute a part of an (adverbial) clause.
• As applied to Polish, it refers to the verbal noun, formed by appending a suffix. Common suffixes are -anie (pływanie, swimming), -enie(jedzenie, eating)

In other languages, it may refer to almost any non-finite verb form; however, it most often refers to an action noun, by analogy with its use as applied to English or Latin.