Forming Gerunds

Here is a brief review of gerunds and how to form them.

Gerunds are nouns formed from verbs.

walking, talking, thinking, listening

Gerunds are formed by adding ING to verbs.

think + ing = thinking

Spelling Rules

There are a few spelling rules that you need to know in order to form gerunds correctly. The spelling of a gerund depends on the vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and consonants (b, c, d, f, etc.) at the end of the verb.

Rule Example
If there is more than one consonant, just add ING think + ing = thinking
If there is more than one vowel, just add ING beat + ing = beating
If there is one vowel and one consonant, and the syllable is stressed, double the consonant and add ING hit + t + ing = hitting
If there are one or more consonants and E, remove the E and add ING take + ing = taking
In most other cases, just add ING study + ing = studying
see + ing = seeing

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.