gerund
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
(Redirected from Gerund)
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Late Latin gerundium, from Old Latin gerundum (“‘to be carried out’”), the gerundive of gerere (“‘to bear, carry’”). In Latin, a verbal noun used for all cases of the infinitive but the nominative.
[edit] Noun
|
Singular |
Plural |
gerund (plural gerunds)
- (grammar) A verbal form that functions as a verbal noun. (In English, a gerund has the same spelling as a present participle, but functions differently.)
- In the phrase ‘Walking is good exercise.’, walking is a gerund.
- (grammar) In some languages such as Italian or Russian, a verbal form similar to a present participle, but functioning as an adverb. These words are sometimes referred to as conjunctive participles.
- In the Russian ‘Нельзя переходить улицу читая газету.’ (One shouldn’t cross a street while reading a newspaper.), читая ‘while reading’ is a gerund.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
verb form functioning as a verbal noun
verb form functioning as an adverb
