Gerund and Participle
Both come from verbs, and both can end in -ing. The difference is the job each one does in the sentence.
Verbals: the big picture
A verbal is a word made from a verb that does not work as the main verb of a sentence. Instead it works as a noun, an adjective or an adverb. English has three verbals.
| Verbal | Works as | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | Noun | Swimming is good exercise. |
| Participle | Adjective | The swimming boy waved. |
| Infinitive | Noun, adjective or adverb | I like to swim. |
Key idea: Notice that “swimming” appears twice above. The word looks the same, but the job is different. Always ask what work the word does.
Gerund
A gerund is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun. It names an action, so it can do everything a noun can do.
What a gerund can be
| Use in the sentence | Example |
|---|---|
| Subject | Reading improves your vocabulary. |
| Object of a verb | She enjoys singing. |
| Object of a preposition | He is good at drawing. |
| Complement | My hobby is collecting stamps. |
Gerund phrase
A gerund with its object or modifiers forms a gerund phrase.
Walking in the park every morning keeps me fit.
Quick test: Replace the -ing word with “it” or “something”. If the sentence still works, it is a gerund. “It is good exercise” works for “Swimming is good exercise”.
Participle
A participle is a verb form used as an adjective. It describes a noun or pronoun. It can also help to form verb tenses.
The barking dog woke the baby.
The broken window was repaired.
We saw a rising sun.
Two jobs of a participle
- As an adjective: The tired traveller slept.
- In verb tenses: She is reading. He has finished.
Participle phrase
A participle with its object or modifiers forms a participle phrase. It describes a noun and is usually set off by a comma when it begins the sentence.
Walking down the road, I met an old friend.
The boy standing near the gate is my cousin.
Kinds of participle
| Kind | Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present participle | verb + -ing | Action going on | a smiling child |
| Past participle | verb + -ed, -en, or irregular | Action completed | a broken toy, a written note |
| Perfect participle | having + past participle | Action finished before another | Having finished lunch, he left. |
Common past participles
| Base | Past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| write | wrote | written |
| break | broke | broken |
| take | took | taken |
| cook | cooked | cooked |
Remember: A present participle describes an action in progress (falling leaves). A past participle describes a result or finished state (fallen leaves).
Gerund vs participle
Both can end in -ing, so tell them apart by the job of the word.
| Gerund | Participle | |
|---|---|---|
| Works as | Noun | Adjective |
| Answers | What? (names an action) | Which one? What kind? |
| Ends in | -ing only | -ing, -ed, -en or irregular |
| Example | Dancing is fun. | The dancing girl smiled. |
Same word, different job
| Sentence | Word | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I like cooking. | Gerund | It is the object, a noun. |
| She is cooking dinner. | Participle (part of the verb) | It helps form the present continuous tense. |
| a frying pan | Gerund (used as a noun adjunct) | It says what the pan is used for. |
| the frying bacon | Participle | It describes what the bacon is doing. |
Use-purpose test: A “walking stick” is a stick for walking, so “walking” is a gerund. A “walking man” is a man who is walking, so “walking” is a participle.
Gerund vs infinitive
Some verbs must be followed by a gerund, some by an infinitive (to + verb), and some by either. Learn the common lists.
| Followed by a gerund | Followed by an infinitive |
|---|---|
| enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest, practise, keep, consider, deny, miss | want, decide, hope, promise, agree, refuse, plan, manage, learn, afford |
| She enjoys dancing. | She decided to dance. |
After a preposition, always use a gerund
He is fond of reading.
She left without saying goodbye.
Thank you for helping me.
Verbs that change meaning
| Verb | With a gerund | With an infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| stop | He stopped smoking. (gave it up) | He stopped to smoke. (paused in order to smoke) |
| remember | I remember meeting her. (a past memory) | Remember to post the letter. (do not forget) |
Common mistakes
Dangling participle
A participle phrase must describe the noun that comes right after it. If it does not, the sentence becomes confusing or funny.
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| Walking down the road, the trees looked lovely. (The trees were not walking.) | Walking down the road, I saw lovely trees. |
| Having finished the exam, the bell rang. (The bell did not take the exam.) | Having finished the exam, we heard the bell ring. |
Other errors
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I look forward to meet you. | I look forward to meeting you. | “to” is a preposition here, so use a gerund. |
| She avoided to answer. | She avoided answering. | “avoid” takes a gerund. |
| He is used to get up early. | He is used to getting up early. | “used to” (be accustomed) takes a gerund. |
| The boy was crying was my brother. | The boy who was crying was my brother. | Use a relative clause, or “The crying boy”. |
Fix for dangling participles: Read the sentence and ask, “Who is doing the action of the -ing word?” That person or thing must come right after the comma.
Check yourself
Say whether each underlined word is a gerund or a participle. Answers are below.
- Cooking is her favourite hobby.
- The crying baby needed her mother.
- We saw a broken chair.
- He is fond of reading novels.
- Having eaten lunch, they went out.
- I heard a bird singing sweetly.
- She left without saying a word.
Show answers
1. Gerund 2. Participle 3. Participle (past) 4. Gerund 5. Participle (perfect) 6. Participle 7. Gerund
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