names or identifies

[GoldfishLord]

"When a present participle operates as a gerund, it, like nouns, names something. But being in the form of a verb, a gerund names or identifies actions, states of being, and states of mind rather than people, places, things, and ideas."

Talk About Gerunds - The Editor's Blog

Gerunds look like verbs but function as nouns. They end in -ing and can be used as subjects, objects, and appositives. Gerunds give variety to writing.

theeditorsblog.net

"names" does not mean "to say the name of".
What do "names" and "identifies" mean?

 

[PeterCW]

Please use quotation marks around quoted text.

 

[SoothingDave]

It's not saying a name, it's giving something a name. Assigning a name.

 

[Tarheel]

It seems that you answered your own question.

www.dictionary.com

 

[GoldfishLord]

It seems that you answered your own question.

www.dictionary.com

It seems to me that "identifies" means "to give identity to something", but the problem is that the entry for "identify" does not include that meaning.

 

[emsr2d2]

@GoldfishLord Please stop putting words both in bold and in quotation marks!

 

[jutfrank]

What do "names" and "identifies" mean?

I'm not sure how you want us to answer this question. They mean 'denote'.

The world consists of things. Language consists of words. Some words denote things. Gerunds denote actions, states of being, and states of mind.

 

[Tarheel]

It seems to me that "identifies" means "to give identity to something", but the problem is that the entry for "identify" does not include that meaning.

That's not a problem. That's not a meaning of "identify".