Gerund as Subject

Usually, subjects are people or objects.

Sarah is happy.

The car is fast.

But sometimes, the subject is an activity.

Running is my favorite way to relax.

Here, Running is the subject of the sentence.

It is the thing we are talking about.

It works just like a regular noun.

You can describe it with adjectives.

You can follow it with a verb.

Most often, we use the verb to be.

This pattern is great for general statements.

It feels more direct than other sentence structures.

Think of it like a grammar traffic light.

It stops the action and turns it into a concept.

1. 1Choose a base verb like read.
2. 2Add the suffix -ing to the end.
3. 3You now have the gerund Reading.
4. 4Place this word at the very beginning.
5. 5Add a singular verb like is or takes.
6. 6Add the rest of your idea.
7. 7Reading books helps you learn English.
8. 8Remember to capitalize the first letter.
9. 9The gerund is now your sentence subject.
10. 10It is always treated as a singular noun.

Use this when talking about your hobbies.

Cooking is a great skill to have.

Use it in professional settings for skills.

Managing a team requires a lot of patience.

It is perfect for giving advice or warnings.

Smoking is bad for your health.

Use it to express opinions about daily life.

Waking up early is difficult for me.

It works well for travel and directions too.

Finding the hotel was quite a challenge.

In a job interview, it sounds very confident.

Solving problems is what I do best.

It is a very versatile and modern tool.

Do not use it for specific commands.

Use the imperative form for those instead.

Say "Stop!" instead of "Stopping is required."

Avoid using it if the sentence is too long.

If the subject is ten words, it is confusing.

Do not use it with the word it.

Avoid saying "It is swimming is fun."

That is a very common mistake for learners.

Choose either It is fun to swim or Swimming is fun.

Do not mix these two different patterns together.

Keep your sentences clean and very simple.

Many people use plural verbs by mistake.

Playing video games are fun is wrong.

Even if games is plural, Playing is singular.

Always use is or was with a gerund.

Playing video games is fun is correct.

Another mistake is forgetting the -ing ending.

Cook is my hobby sounds very strange.

Always use the gerund form for the subject.

Watch out for spelling changes with -ing.

Dance becomes dancing without the e.

Run becomes running with a double n.

Think of these like small speed bumps.

Slow down and check your spelling carefully.

You might know the infinitive as a subject.

To travel is to live.

This sounds very formal and like a poem.

You will rarely hear this in a cafe.

Gerunds are much more common in daily speech.

Traveling is living sounds much more modern.

Also, do not confuse this with Present Continuous.

"I am eating" is an action happening now.

Eating is a noun in our current lesson.

One is a verb tense; one is a noun.

Look at the position to tell them apart.

If it starts the sentence, it is likely a noun.