When you add “-ing” to a verb, you form a present participle. Or a gerund. The two parts of speech look identical, but you use them differently. A present participle is a verb. A gerund is a noun.

Reading.

What part of speech is that?

Actually, it’s impossible to know unless you see in in context. Right now, you are reading this article. “Are reading” is the present progressive tense of read. In other words, “reading” is the present participle.

But if you enjoy reading, “reading” is the object of the verb. A verb can’t be an object of a verb. When word ends with “-ing” and looks like a verb but acts like a noun, we call it a gerund. Using gerunds and present participles is usually straightforward, but beware of a couple of traps.

Using present participles

Some form of “to be” as an auxiliary verb plus a present participle forms progressive tenses. So if you see an “-ing” word used with “to be,” it can’t be a gerund. It is a present participle. We call it present participle, but that doesn’t tell us anything about time.

The tense of “to be” determines the actual tense of the verb phrase. Here are examples of progressive tenses with the present participle “barking.”

• Present progressive: The dog is barking.
• Past progressive: The dog was barking.
• Future progressive: The dog will be barking.
• Present perfect progressive: The dog has been barking.
• Past perfect progressive: The dog had been barking.
• Future perfect progressive: The dog will have been barking.

Present participles can also function as adjectives: the barking dog, the exciting book, the closing event, etc.

Again, it tells us nothing about time, and the participle’s form doesn’t change with the verb tense.

• Present: You hear a barking dog.
• Past: You heard a barking dog.
• Future: You will hear a barking dog. (Etc.)

Using gerunds with possessives

Gerunds act like any other noun. They can be the subject of a sentence, the direct object of a verb, or the object of a preposition. As nouns, they can be singular or plural. They just look like verb forms.

People can get confused if they have to put a noun or pronoun before a gerund. Consider the following pair of sentences:

• She appreciates me being a good cook.
• She appreciates my being a good cook.

“Being” is the direct object of “appreciates,” therefore a gerund. Substitute any other noun: She appreciates __ good looks. Or even, she appreciates __ good cooking. Would anyone fill either of those blanks with “me”? So the use the possessive in front of “being,” too.

The same principle applies if you substitute a noun for the pronoun:

• She appreciates her husband’s being a good cook.
• She appreciates David’s being a good cook.

Neither “husband” nor “David” can be the direct object of “appreciate.” It’s possible to possess “being” or any other gerund. So use a possessive noun or pronoun with it.

That’s the rule for formal writing. Informal writing and speech often flout it. Who knows if the rule will be considered obsolete or more strictly observed in a couple more generations?

Grammar vs usage

Here’s something else that’s odd, come to think of it. We have probably all heard that it’s bad grammar to split an infinitive, end a sentence with a preposition, or start one with a conjunction (and, but, or, yet). Those “rules” have nothing to do with grammar. They’re matters of usage. And good writers can feel free to ignore them.

Using possessives in front of gerunds, on the other hand, is a matter of grammar. In the sentence, “she appreciates me being a good cook,” the direct object would be “me.” What, then, is the function of “being”? It can only be the true direct object in the sentence, which precisely explains why “me” is incorrect and should be “my” instead.

Using gerunds with infinitives

Using gerunds in the same sentence with infinitives can be even more confusing. Consider the following choices:

• I suggested walking in the park.
• I suggested to walk in the park.

If English is your native language, you just know that the second choice is incorrect, but you probably don’t know why. If English is your second language, you may have had to memorize lists of verbs that require the gerund or the infinitive.

Some English verbs and verb phrases must be followed by a gerund. These include  suggest, avoid, dislike, finish, remember, or understand, etc. Others must be followed by an infinitive. These include afford, agree, plan, seem, or want, etc.

English being English, there are some verbs that can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive and mean the same thing. And trying to understand which ones? It makes no sense at all.

One example is “like.” I like walking or I like to walk. Either way, the statement makes the same thing. But remember, if you dislike something, you have to use the gerund!

On the other hand, verbs such as forget, remember, or stop can take either the gerund or the infinitive, but the meaning might change.

Fortunately, all prepositions require gerunds. I can be afraid to fall (with “to” being part of the infinitive), but I cannot be afraid of to fall. After all, the object of a preposition must be a noun, pronoun, or gerund. It can’t be an infinitive. When “to” is a preposition, it takes a gerund, as in, “I look forward to traveling.” Or “I prefer cooking to cleaning.”

Remembering these few rules should help you us gerunds (with or without infinitives) and present participles with confidence.