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A gerund is a verb form that appears in positions that are usually reserved for nouns. In English, a gerund has the same form as a progressive active participle and so ends in -ing. Gerunds typically appear as subject or object noun phrases or even as the object of a preposition:
An -ing form is termed gerund when it behaves as a verb within a clause (so that it may be modified by an adverb or have an object); but the resulting clause as a whole (sometimes consisting of only one word, the gerund itself) functions as a noun within the larger sentence.
Gerunds do not normally take determiners except for possessives (as described below). Both deverbal nouns and gerunds can be preceded by possessive determiners to indicate the agent (logical subject) of the action: my taking a bath (see also above under gerund and at fused participle for the possible replacement of my with me); my taking of a ...
Trying to succeed makes success more likely. Here trying is a gerund; the verb phrase trying to succeed serves as a noun, the subject of the main verb makes. He hurt his knee trying to get over the fence. Here trying is a present participle; the verb phrase trying to get over the fence has the function of an adverb in the main clause.
The base form or plain form of an English verb is not marked by any inflectional ending.. Certain derivational suffixes are frequently used to form verbs, such as -en (sharpen), -ate (formulate), -fy (electrify), and -ise/ize (realise/realize), but verbs with those suffixes are nonetheless considered to be base-form verbs.
In many cases, such as spell (spelt vs. spelled), learn (learnt vs. learned), and spill (spilt vs. spilled), American English and Canadian English normally use the regular form, while British English, Australian English, New Zealand English and South African English tend to favour the irregular.
a. Jim has to do it. - has to is a modal auxiliary verb. b. Jim refuses to do it. - refuses is a subject control verb. a. Jill would lie and cheat. - would is a modal auxiliary. b. Jill attempted to lie and cheat. - attempted is a subject control verb. The a-sentences contain auxiliary verbs that do not select the subject argument.
For the regular verbs, the gerund is formed from the infinitive of the verb by taking the stem and attaching the appropriate gerund suffix: -are verbs take -ando and the -ere and -ire verbs both take -endo. The table shows the conjugations of stare in the present tense with a gerund to exemplify the present continuous: