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Grammar: Present Participle & Gerunds - How to Use + Example Sentence

Updated: Jul 20

1. How to Use Present Participles & Gerunds in Grammar?



NOTE !

Present Participles & Gerunds look the same but they have different functions.


Examples : eating, drinking, enjoying, etc



i) Present Participle - (Form) = verb (base form) + -ing

Form :( verb + -ing ) e.g. drinking, enjoying etc.
Present Participles & Gerunds

e.g. Tom and Coco are having dinner at a nice restaurant.



ii) Gerunds - (Form) = verb (base form) + -ing


e.g. Tom and Coco love having dinner at a nice restaurant.




2. When to Use Present Participles & Gerunds?


i) Present Participles are used with Auxiliary Verbs to make Continuous tenses:


- Present Continuous

- Past Continuous

- Future Continuous

- Future Perfect Continuous



ii) Gerunds

- used like a noun

- can be either the subject or object of a sentence



3. How to Use Present Participle & Gerund in Grammar - Example


i. Continuous Tenses:

e.g.

1. My husband is walking to the supermarket. (Present)

2. We were having dinner when suddenly the lights went out.(Past)

3. I will be working from home twice a week. (Future)

4. Sheila will have been living in Paris for 20 years this June.(Future)



ii. Gerunds - used as a Noun (can be a subject or object in the sentence)

I love shopping.
Gerunds

e.g.


1. Walking is a good form of exercise.

2. Shopping is my favourite pastime.

3. She loves watching anime.

4. Ivy enjoys travelling around Asia.







5. How to Form the Present Participle & Gerunds?

We form Present Participles & Gerunds by adding '-ing' to the base form of verb.

- Note! There are spelling changes to some of the base forms.


a. How to make verb into the Present Participle & Gerunds

*Note the different spelling rules / changes for:


Words with:

i. last letter 'e': we drop 'e' & add 'ing':

e.g. take > taking


ii. last letters 'consonant-verb-consonant': e.g. tip

- double the last consonant & add 'ing' : > tipping

iii. Words with last letters are '-ie': e.g. lie

- change '-ie' to 'y' & add -ing: > lying



i) Words with last letter 'e': we drop 'e' & add 'ing':

Present Past Participle Present Participle

rinse > rinsed > rinsing

calculate > calculated > calculating

close > closed > closing

arrange > arranged > arranging

change > changed > changing




ii) Words with last letters 'consonant-verb-consonant':

- double the last consonant & add 'ing' e.g. shop > shopping


Present Past Participle Present Participle

He's mopping the floor.
Present Participle - mop > mopping

clip > clipped > clipping

mop > mopped > mopping

top > topped > topping

crop > cropped > cropping

plan > planned > planning



Vocabulary Check!

*Letters of the Alphabet - ( a to z )

- vowel = a, e, i, o, u

- consonant = b, c, d, f, g, h, etc..


iii. Words with last letters are '-ie':

> we change '-ie' to 'y' e.g. die > dying




6. Past Participle vs Present Participle / Gerunds - Word List


Base Form Past Participle Present Participle/Gerunds

be been being

break broken breaking

calculate calculated calculating

stir stirred stirring

wash washed washing

splash splashed splashing

rinse rinsed rinsing

work worked working

clean cleaned cleaning

cook cooked cooking

mop mopped mopping

close closed closing

tie tied tying

make made making



i. We use the auxiliary verb e.g. 'be', 'have' + (Present Participle) to form the following tenses:


Present Continuous

Past Continuous

Future Continuous


Present Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect Continuous

Future Perfect Continuous



7. Uses of Present Participle for the following Tenses - Example Sentence


i) Present Continuous tense: is /am/are + (present participle)

They are looking for a new place.
is, am are + present participle = Present Continuous tense

e.g.

1. Jeff is playing golf.

2. Are you coming tomorrow?

3. They are arriving at the airport.

4. Pat is staying with her parents.

5. They are looking for a new place to stay.







Check out Present Continuous Grammar tips, forms, rules, exercises:

Go to >> Present Continuous - 3 Uses & Example Sentence





He was practising the guitar last night
was / were + participle = Past Continuous



ii) Past Continuous

- was /were + (present participle)






Example Sentence


1. Nic was playing the guitar at the concert last night.

2. They were talking and laughing at the party last night.

3. My husband was washing the dishes when I left for work this morning.

4. Winnie was drinking with friends at the balcony when the doorbell rang.

5. It was getting dark and cold as she hurried to catch the last bus home.




Check out Past Continuous Grammar tips, forms, rules, exercises:

Go to >> Past Continuous - How to Use + Example Sentence



iii. Future Continuous - will be + (present participle)

e.g.

1. We'll be attending the conference next week.

2. In 2 month's time, I'll be starting my new life in Paris.

3. This time next year, we'll be working at the main office.

4. My little sister will be starting kindergarten in spring.

5. Will they be coming to the concert this weekend?


Check out Future Continuous Grammar tips, forms, rules, exercises:

Go to >> Future Continuous - Uses + Example Sentence



Has he been waiting at the right place?
Present Participle


iv. Present Perfect Continuous -

has /have been + (present participle)







1. Miko has been working in the same company for about 15 years.

2. How long has he been working as an interior designer?

3. Have we been waiting at the right location? Yes, we have.

4. Brad hasn't been doing the household chores at all.

5. Has Uncle James been hiking a lot these days?



Check out Present Perfect Continuous Grammar tips, forms, rules, exercises:

Go to >> Present Perfect Continuous - How to use + Example Sentence



v. Past Perfect Continuous - had been + (present participle)


e.g.

1. My sister had been living in Canada before she moved to London.

2. Lila had been working as a teacher before she became a florist.

3. By the time he finished, Phil had been painting the gate the whole day.

4. My mum had been cooking all day by the time I reached home.

5. By the time I reached my new flat, my husband had been waiting outside for over an hour.



Check out Present Perfect Continuous Grammar tips, forms, rules, exercises:

Go to >> Past Perfect Continuous - How to Use + Example Sentence



vi. Future Perfect Continuous - will have been + (present participle)


e.g.

1. By December, this shop will have been selling doughnuts for 50 years.

2. I'll have been learning Japanese for 3 years by the end of this year.

3. By end 2023 this project will have been going on for 2 years.

4. My dad will have been working for 35 years by the time I graduated.

5. By Christmas, we'll have been attending pottery classes for 6 months.


Check out Future Perfect Continuous Grammar tips, forms, rules, exercises:

Go to >> Future Perfect Continuous - How to Use + Example Sentence



8. Gerunds


iii) Verbs / Phrases usually followed by Gerunds:

- love

- like

- enjoy

- hate

- good at

- interested in, etc.



- (Positive) - Example Sentence


e.g.

(verb) (gerund)

1. I love walking.

2. My son enjoys cycling.

3. Jack hates working from home.


- (Negative) - Example Sentence


e.g.

- Mel doesn't enjoy going out with friends.

- Mum's not good at sewing.

- My sister-in-law doesn't like cooking.


9. Let's Recap!


We've learnt Grammar - Present Participles & Gerunds and practised how to use them in example sentences:


i. Present Participle & Gerund look the same:

- Form - verb + '-ing'


e.g. cooking, running, talking, etc.



ii. Present Participle & Gerunds have different uses:


e.g.

- I'm cooking dinner. ( am + cooking - Present Continuous tense)


- Cooking is my hobby. or My hobby is cooking. (Gerund - used as a Noun)


Review!


1. Change the following verbs into the '-ing' form:


i. sweep

ii. bake

iii. steam

iv. roast

v. mop

vi. live

vii. text

viii. chop


2. Make your own Gerunds with the following phrases:


e.g. I enjoy watching movies.


- love

- like

- enjoy

- hate

- good at

- interested in



Thank you so much for reading. Have Questions? Contact us on the form below.


Happy learning!




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