A gerund is what is called a verbal noun. This means that it occupies a middle ground between a verb
and a noun and shows characteristics of both. It is active in meaning and only exists in the singular form.
Gerund: Verbal noun
| Verb properties | Noun properties |
|---|---|
|
A gerund is formed from a verb A gerund can be described using an adverb A gerund can govern a case |
A gerund declines like a neuter singular noun |
The gerund is formed by removing the '-s' from the present participle, adding '-d', and then the relevant ending and is translated in English by '-ing'
| Verb | Present participle (adjective) | Gerund (noun) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latin | English | Latin | English | Latin | English |
| vocare (1) | to call | vocans | calling | vocandum | calling |
| habere (2) | to have | habens | having | habendum | having |
| mittere (3) | to send | mittens | sending | mittendum | sending |
| audier (4) | to hear | audiens | hearing | audiendum | hearing |
Deponent verbs also have gerunds that are formed in a similar way.
For example:
| Verb | Present participle | Gerund | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latin | English | Latin | English | Latin | English |
| ingredior (3) | to enter | ingrediens | entering | ingrediendum | entering |
When you decline a gerund, it will look like a neuter singular noun in Group 2 across all the cases, except for the nominative, where it will rarely appear.
| Conjugation 1 | Conjugation 2 | Conjugation 3 | Conjugation 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | – | – | – | – |
| Accusative | vocandum | habendum | mittendum | audiendum |
| Genitive | vocandi | habendi | mitendi | audiendi |
| Dative | vocando | habendo | mittendo | audiendo |
| Ablative | vocando | habendo | mittendo | audiendo |
In each case the gerund is translated slightly differently and is often preceded by a particular preposition.
| Preposition | Gerund | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | – | – | – |
| Accusative | ad | vocandum | with a view to calling, towards calling |
| Genitive | causa | vocandi | of calling, for the sake of calling |
| Dative | – | vocando | to/for calling |
| Ablative | ab, de, ex, in, pro | vocando | about/by/from/in/concerning calling |
You will notice examples of Latin gerunds still in use in modern English today.
For example:
Modus vivendi - a way/style of living
Modus operandi - a way/style of working
Are you confident with:
