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Gerunds: When to Use -ing
The short answer
A gerund names an activity rather than describing an action that is currently unfolding. Because it functions as a noun, a gerund can serve as the subject of a clause, follow the linking verb be, or appear directly after prepositions and certain main verbs. The form always ends in -ing, but its grammatical position determines whether it is a gerund.
Key points
- To choose between an -ing form and a base verb, check the word that comes right before it.
- Use a gerund when naming a whole activity as a subject, after a preposition, and after verbs like enjoy or suggest.
- Remember that to in look forward to is a preposition, so an -ing form must follow.
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Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
Examples
Carrying heavy bags of soil builds strength quickly.
Why it works: Carrying heavy bags of soil acts as the subject of the sentence.
2 more examples
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Elena avoids working outside during the hottest hour of the afternoon.
Working follows the main verb avoids as its object.
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We prepare the raised beds by pulling weeds early in the morning.
Pulling follows the preposition by to show the method.
Read the full guide
Choose Tasks for a Shared Garden
Two neighbors, Sam and Priya, meet to divide the chores for their community garden plot. Sam enjoys planting vegetable seeds and carrying water cans, while Priya prefers preparing the soil and pulling weeds. When you talk about dividing responsibilities, naming activities clearly helps both people agree on their roles without confusion.
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Sam: I really enjoy planting tomato seeds, but I avoid carrying heavy bags.
Why it works: Planting and carrying name specific chores Sam discusses.
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Priya: Watering the garden is easy for me, so I can handle that task.
Why it works: Watering names the chore that serves as the subject of Priya's sentence.
Your turn
Why do Sam and Priya use words like planting and watering when discussing garden work?
Answer: They use them to name the specific tasks they are discussing.
Show the answer
Answer: They use them to name the specific tasks they are discussing.
The -ing words turn action verbs into names of tasks, which allows the speakers to discuss garden duties as topics.
Use -ing to Name an Activity
In English, an action word like plant can become the name of an activity by adding the suffix -ing. When plant becomes planting, the new word functions as a noun. Grammars call this noun form a gerund. It lets you discuss an action as a thing, a topic, or a personal preference.
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Watering keeps the young vegetable seedlings alive during dry weather.
Why it works: Watering acts like a noun because it names the activity that produces the result.
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Gardening gives both neighbors a peaceful way to spend Saturday morning.
Why it works: Gardening names the leisure activity acting as the subject of the clause.
You can practise this again in Doubling Final Consonants Before -ing and -ed and Using Commas: Where Commas Belong.
Your turn
What happens when you add -ing to an action verb to name an activity?
Answer: The verb turns into a noun form called a gerund.
Show the answer
Answer: The verb turns into a noun form called a gerund.
Adding -ing creates a gerund, which allows the action to function as a noun in the sentence.
Build and Spell the -ing Form
Most verbs simply add -ing to the base form, as in plant becoming planting. Most verbs ending in a silent e drop that letter, giving make into making and write into writing, but verbs ending in double e keep both letters, such as see becoming seeing. Verbs ending in ie change those letters to y, turning lie into lying.
When a one-syllable verb ends in one vowel followed by one consonant, double the final consonant, as in sit becoming sitting and swim becoming swimming. For many two-syllable verbs, final stress determines doubling, like begin becoming beginning. Some spellings also vary between British and American English. Letters w, x, and y are never doubled, keeping play as playing and carry as carrying.
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Sitting on the garden bench allows us to rest between heavy chores.
Why it works: Sitting doubles the t after a single vowel in a one-syllable base.
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Carrying small tools is much easier than moving large stones.
Why it works: Carrying retains the letter y before adding -ing.
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Beginning the morning early helps the gardeners beat the afternoon heat.
Why it works: Beginning doubles the final n because the stress is on the second syllable.
Your turn
Which spelling correctly follows the consonant-doubling rule for the verb begin?
Answer: beginning
Show the answer
Answer: beginning
Because begin has its stress on the second syllable and ends in one vowel plus one consonant, the n doubles.
Make an Activity the Sentence Subject
You can place an entire activity phrase at the start of a sentence as the subject. When one activity phrase serves as the subject, it takes a singular verb. Learners often get confused when the activity includes plural objects, but the subject is the single activity itself, not the individual objects mentioned inside the phrase.
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Pulling weeds takes patience and a pair of sturdy gloves.
Why it works: Pulling weeds is one activity, so it takes the singular verb takes, even though weeds is plural.
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Growing tomatoes requires rich soil and plenty of direct sunlight.
Why it works: The singular verb requires matches the single activity of growing tomatoes.
Your turn
Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement with a gerund phrase?
Answer: Planting rows of carrots takes three hours.
Show the answer
Answer: Planting rows of carrots takes three hours.
The subject is the single activity planting rows of carrots, which takes the singular verb takes.
Name a Hobby After the Verb Be
An -ing form can follow the verb be to define or identify an interest, a chore, or a hobby. In this pattern, the gerund acts as a noun complement that renames the subject. This is different from a continuous verb where a person is actively doing the action at that exact moment.
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Priya's favorite morning chore is watering the herb garden.
Why it works: Watering renames the chore; it explains what the chore is rather than showing Priya in action.
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Priya is watering the herb garden right now with a green hose.
Why it works: Here is watering is a present continuous verb phrase showing an ongoing action.
Your turn
In the sentence 'My main task today is cleaning the garden shed,' what is the role of cleaning?
Answer: It is a gerund that identifies and renames the main task.
Show the answer
Answer: It is a gerund that identifies and renames the main task.
Cleaning renames the subject task after the linking verb is, functioning as a noun complement.
Choose -ing After Specific Verbs
Certain English verbs connect directly to an activity rather than to an infinitive with to. When you use enjoy, avoid, finish, keep, mind, suggest, consider, practice, or miss, place an -ing gerund right after them. This selected list covers common everyday patterns for sharing personal preferences, routines, and polite suggestions.
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Sam enjoys digging deep trenches for the bean plants.
Why it works: Digging follows enjoys.
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Priya avoids working outside under the midday sun.
Why it works: Working follows avoids.
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They finish planting before the afternoon clouds gather.
Why it works: Planting follows finish.
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The neighbors keep checking the soil moisture every morning.
Why it works: Checking follows keep.
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Do you mind holding the watering can while I fill it?
Why it works: Holding follows mind.
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Sam suggests buying organic fertilizer for the vegetables.
Why it works: Buying follows suggests.
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We should consider building a wooden fence around the plot.
Why it works: Building follows consider.
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Priya practices pruning berry bushes with sharp shears.
Why it works: Pruning follows practices.
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I miss spending quiet evenings in my old garden.
Why it works: Spending follows miss.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly pairs the main verb with an -ing form?
Answer: Sam suggested building a small compost bin.
Show the answer
Answer: Sam suggested building a small compost bin.
The verb suggest takes a gerund directly after it, so building is correct.
Use -ing Immediately After Prepositions
Whenever a preposition is followed directly by an action, that action must take the -ing form. You will hear this pattern with words like before, after, without, and by, as well as adjective phrases like interested in and good at. Using by followed by an -ing form explains the method or way someone achieves a goal.
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Always wash your hands after handling garden compost.
Why it works: Handling follows the preposition after.
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Priya checks the weather forecast before opening the greenhouse vents.
Why it works: Opening follows the preposition before.
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You cannot grow sweet strawberries without giving them enough sun.
Why it works: Giving follows the preposition without.
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We keep garden pests away by planting fragrant marigolds.
Why it works: Planting follows by to explain the method used to deter pests.
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Sam is good at repairing broken wooden handles.
Why it works: Repairing follows the preposition at in the phrase good at.
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Both neighbors are interested in growing heirloom peppers.
Why it works: Growing follows the preposition in in the phrase interested in.
Your turn
Which word correctly completes the sentence: 'We improved the soil by ___ organic compost'?
Answer: adding
Show the answer
Answer: adding
The preposition by requires a gerund to explain the method, making adding the correct choice.
Separate Look Forward to from Want to
The expression look forward to often tricks learners because the word to looks like an infinitive marker. In this phrase, to is actually a preposition showing anticipation toward something. Because prepositions take nouns, you must use an -ing gerund: I look forward to harvesting. In contrast, verbs like want, hope, and decide take to plus a base verb: I want to harvest.
Notice that the first verb sets the pattern for what follows. You cannot assume every to takes a base verb, nor that every to takes a gerund. Some verbs accept both forms with little change, while verbs like stop, try, remember, and need change meaning depending on the form, as covered in our guide at /grammar/gerunds-and-infinitives-1-stop-try-remember-need/.
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Sam looks forward to picking ripe melons next month.
Why it works: Picking follows look forward to because to is a preposition.
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Sam wants to pick ripe melons before the first autumn frost.
Why it works: Pick follows want to as a base verb with the infinitive marker.
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Priya decided to install a new drip hose along the garden path.
Why it works: Install follows decide to as an infinitive base form.
Your turn
Which sentence uses the correct verb form after the introductory phrase?
Answer: We look forward to seeing the first green shoots this spring.
Show the answer
Answer: We look forward to seeing the first green shoots this spring.
In look forward to, the word to is a preposition, so it must be followed by the gerund seeing.
Tell Gerunds Apart from Continuous Verb Forms
Both gerunds and continuous verb forms end in -ing, which causes confusion. To tell them apart, look at what the word does in the sentence. A gerund names an activity and functions as a noun. A continuous verb works with a form of be to describe an action that is ongoing or in progress around a specific time.
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Pruning the grape vines takes skill and careful attention.
Why it works: Pruning is a gerund naming the activity that acts as the subject.
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Priya was pruning the grape vines when the rain began yesterday.
Why it works: Was pruning is a past continuous verb showing an action that was in progress.
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They are pruning the grape vines this week before summer arrives.
Why it works: Are pruning is present continuous, describing an ongoing project around this period.
Your turn
In the sentence 'Collecting rainwater saves money during summer,' what is collecting?
Answer: A gerund acting as the subject of the sentence.
Show the answer
Answer: A gerund acting as the subject of the sentence.
Collecting names the activity and fills the subject position before the main verb saves.
Use Gerunds in Questions and Negative Sentences
When you make a question or a negative statement, the auxiliary verb changes around the main verb, but the gerund itself keeps its -ing form. For example, Do you mind weeding? and He does not enjoy weeding keep weeding unchanged. To negate the activity directly, place not immediately before the gerund.
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Does Priya enjoy weeding the flower patches by the gate?
Why it works: The question format uses does, while enjoy still requires the gerund weeding.
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Sam does not mind carrying the empty pots back to the shed.
Why it works: The negative verb does not mind keeps the gerund carrying.
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Not wearing garden gloves left Sam with small splinters on his fingers.
Why it works: Placing not before the gerund wearing negates the activity itself.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly negates the activity itself rather than the main verb?
Answer: He prefers not watering the plants during midday heat.
Show the answer
Answer: He prefers not watering the plants during midday heat.
Placing not directly before the gerund watering negates the activity.
Check the Pattern Before Choosing -ing
Before you write or speak, identify which pattern your sentence requires. Check whether the activity acts as a subject, follows the linking verb be, follows a specific trigger verb, follows a preposition, or connects to an infinitive verb. Reviewing these five core structures will help you choose the correct form consistently.
| Pattern | Example Sentence | Reason for Choice |
|---|---|---|
| Activity subject | Mulching the beds keeps the soil moist. | The activity phrase acts as the subject. |
| Hobby after be | His favorite pastime is gardening. | The gerund renames the subject after linking verb be. |
| Verb plus -ing | They avoid working in the midday heat. | The main verb avoid connects directly to a gerund. |
| Preposition plus -ing | Wear thick gloves before pulling thorny vines. | The word before functions as a preposition. |
| Verb plus to-infinitive | They decided to build a garden gate. | The main verb decide requires to with a base verb. |
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Sorting seeds takes patience, but we enjoy planning our summer harvest.
Why it works: Sorting is a subject gerund, while planning follows the verb enjoy.
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We plan to start early by preparing the soil on Friday afternoon.
Why it works: Start follows plan to as an infinitive, while preparing follows the preposition by.
Your turn
Why does the sentence 'She is skilled at grafting fruit branches' use grafting?
Answer: Because grafting follows the preposition at.
Show the answer
Answer: Because grafting follows the preposition at.
The word at is a preposition, and actions immediately following prepositions take the -ing form.
Hear Activity Names in Garden Sentences
In careful pronunciation, the -ing ending has a nasal /ŋ/, without a hard /g/ after it. That /ŋ/ can link to a following vowel, as in planting early. Do not read planting-nearly as an instruction to add /n/: the target here is the /ŋ/ sound in planting. Listen to the whole phrase and practise joining the words without adding a consonant.
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Watering early prevents moisture from evaporating quickly under the midday sun.
Why it works: Notice how the unstressed -ing sound links smoothly into early.
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Sam finished clearing the narrow gravel path between the garden boxes.
Why it works: Listen for the -ing ending in clearing before the next words.
Your turn
How is the -ing ending typically pronounced in everyday spoken English?
Answer: It is pronounced as a nasal /ŋ/ sound without an audible hard /g/.
Show the answer
Answer: It is pronounced as a nasal /ŋ/ sound without an audible hard /g/.
The letters -ing produce a nasal sound /ŋ/ rather than a pronounced /g/ at the end.
Recall Patterns and Explain Your Task Choice
Now test your understanding by explaining your own garden preferences in writing. When drafting your sentences, combine an activity subject, a verb followed by a gerund, and a prepositional phrase with -ing. Checking each pattern before you finish will help you use gerunds naturally and accurately in your everyday communication.
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Pruning rose bushes takes care, but I enjoy shaping the branches every spring.
Why it works: Pruning acts as the subject, while shaping follows the verb enjoy.
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You can protect your hands by wearing heavy canvas gloves when digging.
Why it works: Wearing follows the preposition by, and digging follows the conjunction when.
Your turn
Which of the following sentences correctly combines a subject gerund and a prepositional gerund?
Answer: Planting seeds takes time, but you save money by growing your own food.
Show the answer
Answer: Planting seeds takes time, but you save money by growing your own food.
Planting acts as the subject gerund, and growing correctly follows the preposition by.
Use it naturally
How people really use “verb + -ing”
Neutral Fine almost anywhere, at work or with friends.
Words it often goes with
- enjoy cookingMy brothers enjoy cooking dinner together.
- suggest borrowingI suggest borrowing a chair from our neighbor.
- by packingWe can save space by packing fewer clothes.
- look forward to learningI look forward to learning more about your town.
Questions about "Gerunds: When to Use -ing"
What is a gerund?
A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun in a sentence. It names an activity, hobby, or process rather than showing an action currently in progress. Because it behaves like a noun, a gerund can serve as a subject, an object after certain verbs, or the object of a preposition.
Gardening helps me relax after a stressful day.
She enjoys planting herbs on her balcony.
How do I know whether an -ing word is a gerund?
Look at the grammatical job the word performs in the sentence. If the -ing word acts as a noun by naming an activity, being the subject, or following a preposition, it is a gerund. If it combines with an auxiliary verb like be to describe ongoing action, or describes a noun, it is not a gerund.
Watering plants is an essential morning chore.
The neighbors are watering their plants right now.
Which verbs take -ing?
Many common English verbs connect directly to a gerund rather than an infinitive. Standard examples include enjoy, avoid, finish, keep, mind, suggest, consider, practice, and miss. When these verbs are followed by an action, that action must appear in the -ing form.
We finished harvesting the squash before noon.
Would you mind carrying this basket to the table?
Why do we say look forward to doing but want to do?
In look forward to, the word to is a preposition expressing anticipation toward an event, and prepositions must be followed by nouns or gerunds. In want to, the word to is an infinitive marker that must be followed by a base verb form.
I look forward to visiting the botanical garden.
I want to visit the botanical garden this weekend.
Can an -ing phrase be the subject of a sentence?
Yes, an -ing phrase can act as the complete subject of a clause. When a single activity phrase serves as the subject, it always takes a singular verb, even if the objects inside the phrase are plural.
Growing organic vegetables requires rich compost.
Cleaning garden tools protects them from rust.
Is every -ing word after is or are a continuous verb?
No. When an -ing word follows the linking verb be to define or rename the subject, it is a gerund acting as a subject complement. It is only a continuous verb when the subject is actively performing that action around a particular time.
His favorite weekend hobby is woodworking.
He is woodworking in his garage right now.
Before you go
Remember this
To choose between an -ing form and a base verb, check the word that comes right before it. Use a gerund when naming a whole activity as a subject, after a preposition, and after verbs like enjoy or suggest. Remember that to in look forward to is a preposition, so an -ing form must follow.
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Describe two garden chores you enjoy doing and one task you avoid doing, explaining your reasons in complete sentences.
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