What is the difference between a gerund and a past tense verb?

A gerund is a verb form that is used to talk about an action that is being done or that has been done. A past tense verb is a verb form that is used to talk about an action that was done in the past.

For example, the gerund form of the verb "run" is "running," and the past tense form of the verb "run" is "run."

Another example, the gerund form of the verb "eat" is "eating," and the past tense form of the verb "eat" is "ate."

Gerunds are often used in clauses that contain a subject and a verb, while past tense verbs are often used in clauses that contain a subject and a past participle.