G is for Gerund

Which is something I probably use far too often. Like: You should be checking out the other blog in the A to Z Challenge. Hehehe, but really, I do use -ing words far too much in attempt at avoiding overuse of was(to be) so the topic does come up during editing.

The Gerund

What is it?
A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is "reading." You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

The trick is these aren't always the easiest to spot because the -ing can also be a present participle, or it may act much like a verb. According to Grammar Girl there are nouny gerunds, verby gerunds and gerunds in compound nouns. But most of the sources say that they always end in -ing.

And that reaches the extent of my knowledge on gerunds... I haven't done an edit with a full focus on searching for them in particular. I tend to focus on things I have used too often and try to figure out then how to rewrite the sentence to make it better. Some of that involves finding a way to cut down on -ing, which I hope is eliminating a few gerunds when they aren't needed, but hard to say for sure.


There are others who know way more than me about gerunds. Here are a few links to ponder:
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/gerund.htm
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/gerunds.htm
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/what-is-a-gerund


How do you gerund? Do you need to edit some out now?