Occasionally, a verb can function as a noun if “ing” is added to the end of it. As you may know, a noun can perform or receive an action, and when an “ing” is added to the end of a verb, this is possible. For instance, <em>write </em>is a verb is in <em>I write </em>where “I” is the subject, and “write” is the verb. However, if you add “ing” to “write” as in “writing,” it becomes a noun as it can therefore perform or receive the action as in <em>Writing makes me happy</em> or <em>I like writing</em>, respectively.
"Her husband drew the talisman from his pocket, and all three burst into laughter as the Sergeant-Major, with a look of alarm on his face, caught him by the arm."
