Gerunds (verbING) – English Grammar Profiler
Here’s a student example of using a verb-ing form as a noun subject:
Studying for an exam won’t be hard for you if you follow these steps.
PELIC: Chinese male level 3 writing class.
Here’s an example in educational materials of the news:
Closing the gas pipeline is one action Western nations have taken against Russia.
BreakingNewsEnglish
Here’s an example of verb-ing after ‘to’:
The find goes a long way to solving the mystery of why the Stonehenge bluestones were brought from so far away
when all other stone circles were erected within a short distance of their quarries.
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
In the English Grammar Profile, point 22 in NOUNS at A2 is defined as:
‘-ing’ forms of verbs as nouns, in object position, to refer to activities.
Examples include: like_II swimming_VVG, and_CC going_VVG shopping_VVG, I_PPIS1 prefer_VV0 dancing_NN1, practised_VVD windsurfing_NN1
*notice the tagger has added _nn1 to dancing and windsurfing. This also partly overlaps:
Point 6 in PREPOSITIONS/phrases at A2 is defined as:
the ‘-ing’ form of verbs as complements.
Point 50 in NOUNS at B2 is defined as:
‘-ing’ form of verbs as nouns in subject position.
- Working_VVG until_II
- Climbing_NN1 is_VBZ
- Living_VVG in_RP
*There is also some overlap with point 98 in clauses at B2 too. Note also that there is no entry in the EGP for gerunds subjects in questions. This would be at least B2, but C1 is more appropriate since questions are generally more complex.
Point 51 in NOUNS at C1:
‘-ing’ form of verbs as abstract nouns.
EGP examples include:
- Learning_VVG English_NN1 has_VHZ,
- Advertising_NN1 seems_VVZ,
- Teaching_NN1 is_VBZ
Point 51 is too difficult to locate in corpora because it depends on an interpretation of whether you can perceive something. Can I see someone teaching? Most would say yes, but it’s not really a simple action like speaking to the class or writing on the board. I can see someone reading, but not see whether they are actually learning. I can see someone putting paper in my letterbox, but it might not be advertising. The other problem is that the same verb could be used in both concrete and abstract ways. For example:
- Adding salt to the soup is optional. (I can see the person put salt in.)
- Adding to the confusion is the right arrow key. (I can’t see the key doing anything.)
Concrete nouns are perceptible and tangible. Abstract nouns are not perceptible and tangible, such as qualities, states of mind, and events.
*All examples for subject need to be split between B2 and C1. The most logical way would be defined by vocabulary.
B1 vocabulary and above would suit the C1 and the A1 and A2 vocabulary would suit the B2 grammar.
. _vvg
A2:
following (but this is often a preposition),
adding,
1 . ADDING INSULT TO INJURY, 382 C2 idiom
If that were true,
it‘s adding insult to injury.
listen
2 . ADDING TO THE CONFUSION, 93 3 . ADDING A FEW DROPS OF 87
4 . ADDING TO THAT, THE 76
5 . ADDING FUEL TO THE FIRE 73
6 . ADDING A SMALL AMOUNT OF 70
7 . ADDING TO THE CONFUSION IS 59 (‘add to’ = B2 phrasal) 
keeping
1 . KEEPING THIS IN MIND WILL 37 2 . KEEPING AN OPEN MIND IS 19 3 . KEEPING THIS IN MIND CAN 16
4 . KEEPING A FOOD DIARY CAN 15
B1:
21 . CREATING 32570
1 . CREATING AN ACCOUNT IS FREE 45 2 . CREATING A SENSE OF URGENCY 27
3 . CREATING AN ACCOUNT IS EASY 23
29 . SETTING 27846 33 . PROVIDING 22340 53 . REMOVING 15524 59 . APPLYING 14371 69 . ALLOWING 12578 73 . JUDGING 11552 75 . SELECTING 11386 86 . OPERATING 10660 87 . PLANNING 10577 93 . COMPARING 10080 95 . REDUCING 9986 97 . REPLACING 9731
A search for lemmas with _vv *ing_vvg_nn1
1 [START] [THINK] 35251
2 [CONTINUE] [READ] 28193 3 [KEEP] [READ] 17341 4 [START] [WRITE] 11637 5 [STOP] [THINK] 10348 6 [KEEP] [THINK] 10126 7 [START] [LEARN] 9293 8 [START] [RUN] 8697 9 [START] [READ] 7815 10 [ENJOY] [READ] 7789 11 [START] [SELL] 7308 12 [REMEMBER] [READ] 7043 13 [MACHINE] [LEARN] 6576 14 [START] [PLAN] 6560 15 [KEEP] [RUN] 6462 16 [START] [SAVE] 6365 17 [LOVE] [HEAR] 5948 18 [START] [FEEL] 5879 19 [MAKE] [LEARN] 5612 20 [START] [WALK] 5525 21 [ENJOY] [LEARN] 5493 22 [LOVE] [READ] 5463 23 [KEEP] [HEAR] 5122 24 [START] [EAT] 4948 25 [STOP] [EAT] 4899 26 [START] [DATE] 4871 27 [REMEMBER] [THINK] 4768 28 [START] [SHOOT] 4605 29 [ENJOY] [LISTEN] 4603 30 [START] [LISTEN] 4575 31 [COME] [RUN] 4424 32 [RECOMMEND] [START] 4354 33 [START] [MAKE] 4269 34 [STOP] [READ] 4237 35 [START] [TEACH] 4150 36 [LEAVE] [FEEL] 4047 37 [ENJOY] [HELP] 3771 38 [START] [BUY] 3746 39 [START] [DRINK] 3620 40 [LOVE] [HELP] 3499 41 [DRAG] [RACE] 3426 42 [LOVE] [LEARN] 3394 43 [START] [CRY] 3326 44 [STOP] [BUY] 3274 45 [LOVE] [LIVE] 3194 46 [GO] [SWIM] 3192 47 [KEEP] [FIGHT] 3130 48 [START] [HAPPEN] 3109 49 [START] [SHOP] 3051 50 [CONSIDER] [BUY] 3039 51 [REMEMBER] [HEAR] 2962 52 [STOP] [DRINK] 2827 53 [STOP] [TALK] 2823 54 [COME] [KNOCK] 2687 55 [ENJOY] [WRITE] 2639 56 [GIVE] [MEAN] 2614 57 [STOP] [LISTEN] 2606 58 [STOP] [RUN] 2600 59 [BASE] [LEARN] 2592 60 [LOVE] [LISTEN] 2588 61 [ENJOY] [LIVE] 2502 62 [START] [POST] 2448 63 [START] [SHIP] 2398 64 [START] [OFFER] 2359 65 [STOP] [SELL] 2289 66 [START] [TALK] 2276 67 [KEEP] [SAY] 2249 68 [ENJOY] [HIKE] 2247 69 [CONTINUE] [LIVE] 2216 70 [GO] [HIKE] 2215 71 [START] [TYPE] 2215 72 [REQUIRE] [READ] 2209 73 [ENJOY] [TRAVEL] 2186 74 [QUIT] [SMOKE] 2180 75 [COME] [CALL] 2179 76 [FIND] [MEAN] 2153 77 [SUGGEST] [START] 2145 78 [START] [LIVE] 2127 79 [RECOMMEND] [READ] 2087 80 [KEEP] [WALK] 2080 81 [FINISH] [READ] 2041 82 [ENJOY] [HEAR] 2014 83 [IMAGINE] [LIVE] 2014 84 [AVOID] [EAT] 1995 85 [START] [DRAW] 1993 86 [GO] [FLY] 1970 87 [SEE] [WALK] 1967 88 [RECOMMEND] [BUY] 1959 89 [LOVE] [WRITE] 1953 90 [MAKE] [SHOP] 1930 91 [START] [RECORD] 1918 92 [LOAD] [BALANCE] 1912 93 [SEE] [HAPPEN] 1908 94 [KEEP] [ASK] 1867 95 [KEEP] [WRITE] 1828 96 [KEEP] [BUY] 1823 97 [KEEP] [RISE] 1808 98 [CONSIDER] [SWITCH] 1805 99 [HELP] [THINK] 1790
100 [LOVE] [TEACH] 1790
_i _vvg
1 BY USING 473413
2 OF USING 265016 3 OF GETTING 263917 4 OF MAKING 235579 5 FOR MAKING 210708 6 BY CLICKING 197906 7 FOR SHARING 193044 8 BY PROVIDING 161342 9 BY MAKING 159053 10 OF WORKING 151870 11 IN MAKING 149984 12 BY ADDING 149789 13 BY TAKING 139287 14 TO MAKING 122591 15 FOR GETTING 113728 16 FOR TAKING 112461 17 OF TAKING 111743 18 FOR CREATING 109889 19 OF CREATING 108028 20 TO USING 103724 21 ABOUT GETTING 98728 22 BY CALLING 98045 23 IN HELPING 97518 24 AFTER READING 97403 25 TO PROVIDING 97311 26 OF GOING 96443 27 FOR USING 94905 28 TO GETTING 94754 29 TO WORKING 93135 30 BY CREATING 92519 31 IN GETTING 91911 32 IN WRITING 91433 33 OF TRYING 88857 34 BY GIVING 87920 35 BY SAYING 87262 36 FROM GETTING 82341 37 BY GOING 81434 38 IN CREATING 80629 39 OF PLAYING 79679 40 BY LOOKING 79106 41 TO SEEING 76560 42 OF PROVIDING 76094 43 BEFORE GOING 75448 44 ON GETTING 74957 45 OF LIVING 74093 46 OF GIVING 73440 47 IN PROVIDING 73368 48 ABOUT MAKING 72624 49 OF FINDING 72200 50 OF LEARNING 71970 51 BEFORE MAKING 70097 52 FOR HELPING 69254 53 OF BECOMING 69125 54 OF WRITING 68600 55 BY OFFERING 68348 56 TO HELPING 67530 57 FOR PROVIDING 67355 58 ABOUT USING 67186 59 BY FOLLOWING 66757 60 ON MAKING 65984 61 OF KEEPING 65981 62 ON USING 65160 63 FOR KEEPING 65040 64 IN DEVELOPING 64859 65 IN USING 64660 66 FROM USING 64232 67 TO JOINING 63290 68 AFTER TAKING 62889 69 BEFORE MOVING 61309 70 OF RUNNING 60588 71 IN DETERMINING 60367 72 OF SEEING 60288 73 OF MOVING 59008 74 BY PUTTING 58945 75 FOR WORKING 58264 76 OF WINNING 58188 77 BY SELECTING 57949 78 BEFORE TAKING 57769 79 IN WORKING 57584 80 OF BUYING 57531 81 AFTER GETTING 56113 82 FOR READING 56049 83 IN LEARNING 55614 84 OF PUTTING 55033 85 TO CREATING 54879 86 OF LOSING 54659 87 BY GETTING 54636 88 IN FINDING 53888 89 AFTER SEEING 53321 90 BY WORKING 53262 91 WORTH NOTING 52614 92 AFTER COMPLETING 52335 93 BEFORE STARTING 52170 94 OF LOOKING 51372 95 OF BUILDING 50682 96 BY ALLOWING 50371 97 BY SENDING 49896 98 BY PLACING 49623 99 BY SETTING 49290
100 BEFORE USING 49289
Here we did a search for possible questions + gerunds in NOW corpus:
. _VBZ _VVG
*note that many examples are informal comments, not questions.
1 . IS LOOKING 147
Is looking beautiful like a job or hobby to you?
independent.ng
2 . IS GOING 137 3 . IS SEEKING 135 4 . IS TAKING 111 5 . IS WORKING 111 6 . IS TRYING 102 7 . IS AVERAGING 98 8 . IS PLANNING 94 9 . IS MAKING 90
10 . IS ACTING 85