English For Music Students

V. Grammar

Gerunds

Gerunds are the noun form of a verb.
Form: Verb + ing
Use: Certain words are followed by a gerund:

Use Example

as the subject of a

clause

Cycling is good for your health.

after certain adjectives He’s afraid of going by plane.

after certain

prepositions

Before going to bed he turned

off the lights.

after certain verbs I enjoy cooking.

after certain nouns We had problems finding our

way back home.

Exceptions in spelling when adding ‘ing’:

 A single, silent ‘e’ at the end of the word is dropped before ‘ing’.

Example: come → coming

But ‘ee’ at the end of the word is not changed.

Example: agree → agreeing

 The final consonant after a short, stressed vowel is doubled before

‘ing’.

Example: sit → sitting

 The letter ‘l’ as final consonant after a vowel is always doubled

before ‘ing’.

Example: travel → travelling