45 Gerunds as Nouns - Subject of Sentence

When the “-ing” suffix is used as a Noun, it is considered a Gerund.

We can use Gerund as a Subject of the Sentence.

When the Gerund is a noun, it has these structures:
Subject (gerund -“ing”) + verb;
Subject + verb + complement (gerund -“ing”).

Below are some characteristics of Gerunds as the Subject of a Sentence:

• It is singular in agreement with the verb;
• It is conjugated as the third person singular;
• It does not accept degree adverbs.

• My main goal is building a house on the outskirts of a mountain.
• Buying a house is his dream.
• Living in the center can be stressful.

Gerunds can have the same function as Nouns and be used as Subjects.

The “ing-form” is used commonly as both to create Nouns and Verbs. When used as a Noun it is considered a Gerund. In this case, it can be used as the Subject or Complement of the Sentence.

• When it is used as the Subject of the Sentence, it has this structure:
  Subject (gerund -ing) + verb (e.g. Driving fast is dangerous.);
• When it is used as the Complement of the Sentence, it has this structure:
  Subject + verb + complement (gerund -ing) (e.g. Caring is sharing.).

When it is used as the Subject, it is singular in agreement of the verb, conjugated as the third person singular and doesn’t accept degree verbs.

For example:
— “Driving fast is dangerous.” = Gerund “driving” can be used as the Subject of the Sentence.
— “Caring is sharing.” = Gerund “sharing” can be used as the Complement of the Sentence.

Let’s revise this content within the [Form] section. Take a look at the [Example] section that shows its use within a context.