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
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)
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
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)
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
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
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!
Comments