The Editor’s Manual
Free learning resource on English grammar, punctuation, usage, and style.
A gerund is a verb form ending in “-ing” (“baking,” “swimming,” “dancing”) that acts as a noun.
Some verbs can take gerunds and infinitives as the object interchangeably (e.g., “start,” “love,” “prefer”). But certain verbs can take only infinitives (e.g., “need,” “plan,” “agree”), while others can take only gerunds (e.g., “finish,” “consider,” “suggest”).