Question

How can I use a gerund as an indirect object?

Answer 1

Hint: Gerunds are a very common part of speech, they are words that are formed with verbs but act as nouns. They’re very easy to spot, since every gerund is a verb with an ending -ing attached to its tail. There are no exceptions to this rule. The complexity here is that present participles also end with the letters ing. Apart from being able to spot gerunds, you should also be clear about the difference between a gerund and a present participle. We will see how they are used as an indirect object.

Complete answer:
Let us see how we use gerunds as an indirect object.

Now let us first clarify a couple of definitions in our minds.
Gerund: As already discussed it is a noun made from a verb amd acts as a verb, in the form "-ing"
Indirect object: It is the one that receives the direct object.

Example: "Chintu gave swimming the river his best shot"
Explanation: Here, the word ‘swimming’ is the gerund as it is also used as the indirect object as it is the recipient of the direct object ‘his best shot’.
An example that is a verb that often takes an indirect object is "to give".

For example, in the sentence "Stacy gave the beggar a bread," bread is the direct object and beggar is the indirect object, since the beggar is receiving the direct object, the bread.
Instead of using a common noun like "beggar" as the indirect object, we can use a gerund, which functions as a noun.

Note: Gerunds can also function as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, objects of prepositions, and predicate nouns. Example: Reading is relaxing. (‘Reading’ is a gerund used as a subject). Example: I love swimming. (Gerund ‘swimming’ used as an object ).