The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

The "subject" of the gerund

The doer of the action expressed by the gerund can be:

the subject of the sentence: I like getting up early in summer.

He apologised for not writing for so long.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

My mom insisted on tidying my room.

Would you mind opening the window?

the noun/pronoun or possessive preceding the gerund: Irina doesn't like people telling her what to do.

Sally's constant arguing is getting on my nerves.

I objected to him/his calling me a liar.

My mom insisted on me/my tidying my room.

Would you mind me/my opening the window?

(The possessive is more formal, and it is less common in everyday conversation.)

an indefinite or generalised subject (you, one, we, people etc.): In those days, being a student meant spending long hours in the library.

unexpressed and understood only from the context: Going home seemed to be the best idea.

Related topics:

The "subject" of the infinitive

The "subject" of the participle