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present participle

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  Ed Good  —  Grammar Tips
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All main verbs have a present-participial form. Just add ‑ing and you've got a present participle. Sometimes you have to drop a silent ‑e as in writing. And sometimes you double an ending consonant, as in occurring.

The present participle shows up in the progressive tenses, sometimes called the progressive aspect of a verb. The progressive tense is formed by using the verb to be and adding the present participle, as in We were winning the race.

The present participle can also form a present-participial phrase. If the present-participial verb is transitive, the phrase can have an object in it, as in winning the case.

Present-participial phrases can act as adjectives, as in the judge sitting next to the law clerk. The present participle itself can act as a one-word adjective, as in the smoking gun.

Finally, the present participle can act as a noun. When it does, it's called a gerund. Thus, an -ing phrase can act as a noun, as in He was fond of watching movies.

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1 Comment
  • peter_k
    How would "He was fond of watching movies" include a gerund? You would have to make it something like "He always had time for the watching of movies". Then the "watching" is a thing in itself, and can act as a noun (the gerund). In the former example, "watching" is still a thing that is done to the movies - i.e. a verb.  
    LikeReply4 years ago

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Identify the sentence with correct use of the past continuous tense:
A We will be arriving at the airport shortly.
B They were playing tennis when it started to rain.
C She has already finished her work.
D He finished his book before the movie started.

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