Verbs:
* Action words: They describe what someone or something does (e.g., run, jump, think, eat).
* Can be conjugated: They change form depending on the tense (present, past, future) and subject (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).
* Function as predicates: They are the main part of a sentence, telling us what the subject is doing or being.
Gerunds:
* Verb forms ending in "-ing": They look like the present participle of a verb.
* Act as nouns: They function as subjects, objects, or complements in a sentence.
* Often describe activities or actions: They have the sense of an action happening, but they don't change their form based on tense or subject.
Here's a table to illustrate the difference:
| Feature | Verb | Gerund |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| Function | Predicate (main action) | Noun (subject, object, complement) |
| Form | Changes depending on tense & subject | Always ends in "-ing" |
| Example | "The dog ran across the yard." | "Running is good exercise." |
Examples:
* Verb: She reads a book every night. (Describes the action of reading)
* Gerund: Reading is her favorite hobby. (The gerund "reading" acts as the subject of the sentence)
Key takeaway: While gerunds are derived from verbs, they have a different grammatical function and act as nouns within a sentence.