Grammar Tips & Articles »

present participle

This Grammar.com article is about present participle — enjoy your reading!


51 sec read
3,968 Views
  Ed Good  —  Grammar Tips
Font size:

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.

Rate this article:

Have a discussion about this article with the community:

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.  
    LikeReply3 years ago

Citation

Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"present participle." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/present-participle>.

Free, no signup required:

Add to Chrome

Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

Free, no signup required:

Add to Firefox

Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

Browse Grammar.com

Free Writing Tool:

Instant
Grammar Checker

Improve your grammar, vocabulary, and writing -- and it's FREE!


Quiz

Are you a grammar master?

»
Choose the sentence with correct use of the indefinite pronoun:
A Few has completed the assignment on time.
B Everybody is invited to the party.
C Someone forgot his jacket.
D Each of the students are presenting their project.

Improve your writing now:

Download Grammar eBooks

It’s now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant messages.