I'm having trouble understanding why fish is a verb and fishing is a noun?

Question

I know fish can mean both the creature or the act of catching . Why is fishing a noun and not a verb? I don't know why this does not compute in my brain. Please help.

Answer 1

"fishing" is a gerund - a form of a verb (usually ending (oops there's one!) in "ing") that is used as a noun.

Answer 2

Kinda depends on how you think of it. Take the sentence "I like fishing" and replace it with "I like volleyball."

 

So in the above example, fishing is used as a noun, the name of the activity.

 

But if you say "I like fishing for trout," then you're using it as a form of the verb 'to fish.'

 

Hope this helps!

 

Matt in NY