Gerund sounds to be quite a complicated word.
But it is easy to understand!
A gerund is the words that are formed with a verb but act as a noun. They are very easy to identify since every gerund is a verb tacked with 'ing' as its tail.
Now you may have a question as even to present participles have a verb with "ing". The gerund can act as nouns whereas present participle can't act as a noun.
Look at some examples:
1. Brushing your teeth is essential.
2. swimming is my passion.
3. Playing outdoor sport is good for health.
Gerunds can act as the subject or object of the main verb.
Gerunds are used after certain verbs, adjectives, prepositions, and nouns.
Example of verbs followed by the Gerund:
admit, advise, allow, appreciate, avoid, suggest, understand, miss, reject, enjoy, consider, imagine, etc.
Example: 1. I enjoy cooking.
2. They missed playing with their friends.
3. I delayed telling Reema about the project.