Can gerunds ever function as adverbs?

[JoeCalifornia]

Can gerunds or participles ever function as adverbs?

 

[Mister Micawber]

A gerund cannot, because by definition it is an '-ing' form used as a noun. The form can arguably appear as an adverbial, however, as in 'I sat thinking of my old girlfriend'.

 

[Casiopea]

Can gerunds or participles ever function as adverbs?

Re: Mister M
I'll second that. :up:

Gerunds and participles belong to the class Verbal because they carry verb-like morphology (-ing, -ed). In terms of syntax, though, they function as nominals.

Check out this source: Click here

By the way, a to-infinitive functions as an adverb when it answers the question "Why?". In that context, the infinitive is short for 'in order to'.

Sam: I went to the bank to pay my bills.
Pat: Sorry. I wasn't listening to you. Why did you go to the bank?
Sam: In order to pay my bills. (Adverb)

I went to the bank in order to pay my bills.

Consider:

I would love to go.
I would love in order to go. (Not an adverb)