Confusion in English grammar.?

"But I have COME across many words in sentences THAT look like VERBS…"

The verb is 'to dance'. Any verb can be changed into a VERBAL NOUN (called a gerund) by adding -ing.

"We danced all night." (verb)

compare

"A guide to the types of dancing you can try." (gerund - here, 'dancing' is a noun)

There are so many different styles of dancing, you're sure to find one that suits you."

Google:

grammar gerunds

……...and you will find a lot more explanation.

A noun is an object or thing, a verb is a doing word.

Dancing is a noun when used this way:-

the activity of dancing for pleasure or in order to entertain others.

"there will be folk music, singing, and dancing"

But it's a verb like:-

'I am dancing.'

Some words can be both nouns and verbs. For example 'The School Dance is next Saturday.' Here Dance is a noun, but 'When I am there I am going to dance.' and here it is a verb. If you can preceded the word with 'to' then it is most likely a verb (Except when 'to' is used in' I am going to bed.' but if you can say things like:-

To run, to play, to sleep, to sing then they all denote verbs.

You'll find out that many words in the English language can be used in many different ways. Example: the word surmise can be used be used as a noun or a verb, depending on where it's appropriate.

I'll give you a few examples with the word I used, "surmise".

I surmise (using it as a verb) that there are many more universes than the one we exist in

My surmises (using it as a noun) are that there are many more universes than the one we exist in.

But to get back to what you were saying, yes, dancing is a verb, but the "ing" at the end makes it a present tense, so really dance would the verb.

However, the only way I could you using "dancing" as a noun is only if it was used like this: "The word dancing is used one of the most used words in America". That statement may not be true, but it's still being used as noun.

Many verbs can also be nouns; dancing is one of them.

Here dancing is a verb: We were dancing all night.

Here it's a noun: Dancing is a great form of exercise.

Here walking is a verb: We are walking into town to meet them.

Here it's a noun: These days, walking the children to school is the only exercise I get.

Dancing and dance are both verbs. However, it depends how 'dancing' is used in a sentence. For example, if you say: I was dancing all night - this is a verb. If you say: I went to watch the dancing - this is a noun as it is the object of the sentence rather than the doing word which would here be 'watch'.

Some words can be used both as nouns and verbs. It depends how they are used in a sentence. How about this one: Dancing is fun. Here dancing is the noun and is is the verb.

First of all, it is "I have come across" -- "come" is the form the verb To Come takes with the perfect tenses >> "I have come to see you." "She had come across town just to check on me."

OK, so here is the deal with verbs and nouns.

A verb in its non-finite form can function as a noun. Simply put, if you add "ing" to the end of a verb, it can function as a noun. This is called a gerund:

"I like his singing."

"We were annoyed by their playing."

"She was not impressed with his dancing."

Note that all those words ending in "ing" are nouns, thus the use of the possessive pronouns.

Please read this http://www.tutorialpoint.org/EnglishGrammar/Partso... for noun

and read http://www.tutorialpoint.org/EnglishGrammar/Partso...