Verbal noun

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Verbal nouns, also called gerundial nouns, are verb forms that act like nouns. In English, the classic example is the gerund with -ing, as in “The sacking of the city was an epochal event,” where sacking is the noun form of sack. Verbal nouns are a type of non-finite verb form and can function as the subject or the object of a sentence. They can be countable and pluralized, but they do not change for person.

Besides English, the term covers other noun forms built from verbs or infinitives. In general, a verbal noun is a noun-like form created from a verb or an infinitive.

In English, -ing forms (gerunds) are the main way verbal nouns appear. Infinitives can also be used as verbal nouns, usually with to: “To know is important.” In ellipsis, the to may sometimes be dropped.

Verbs can be turned into nouns by derivation (for example, discovery from discover) or by conversion (love from love). This process is not fully productive; you cannot form a noun from every verb (there is no *uncovery from uncover). When such deverbal nouns exist, they may replace the ordinary verbal noun (discovery rather than discovering) or subtly change the meaning.