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

What is a Present Participle?

The present participle is the -ing form of a verb, but it is used as part of a verb phrase or as an adjective.

👉 Form: verb + -ing

• eating

• walking

• studying

✔️Present Participle

Form:[verb + -ing]

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

✔️Gerunds

Form: [verb + -ing]

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

Related post

• 🔗 What is the Past Participle? How to Use + Example Sentence

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🔗 Love the Visuals? 👉 Download free PDF - A4 Poster here

When to Use Present Participles & Gerunds?

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

• Present Continuous

• Past Continuous

• Future Continuous

• Future Perfect Continuous

✔️ Adjectives

✔️ A Gerund is used like a noun & can be either the subject or object of a sentence

How to Use Present Participle & Gerund in Grammar - Example

1️⃣ 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)

2️⃣ As Adjectives

Describes a noun:

1. The movie is interesting.

2. That was an exciting trip.

📕 Related reading

• -ed & -ing Adjectives: How to Use + Example Sentences

  
  

3️⃣ In Participial Clauses

Used to add extra information:

• Walking through the park, she felt relaxed.

• Listening to music, he forgot the time.

📌 What Is a Gerund?

A gerund is also a verb + -ing, but it works as a noun.

👉 It can be the subject, object, or complement in a sentence.

✅ Uses of Gerunds

1. As a Subject

• Reading helps you relax.

• Traveling is exciting.

2. As an Object

• I enjoy cooking.

• She avoids driving at night.

3. After Prepositions

• She is good at painting.

• He left without saying goodbye.

⚡ Present Participle vs Gerund (Quick Comparison)

Function	Present Participle	Gerund
Role	Verb / Adjective	Noun
Example	She is running	Running is fun
Use	Continuous tense / description	Subject / object

🎯 Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ I am enjoy cooking.

✅ I enjoy cooking

❌ Cooking is make me happy.

✅ Cooking makes me happy

❌ She is very enjoy swimming.

✅ She enjoys swimming

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.

✔️How to make verb into the Present Participle & Gerunds

*Note the different spelling rules / changes for:

Words with:

✅ last letter 'e': we drop 'e' & add 'ing':

e.g. take → taking

✅ last letters 'consonant-verb-consonant':

e.g. t i p ➡  tipping

[double the last consonant & add 'ing' ]

✅ Words with last letters are '-ie':

e.g. lie ➡ lying

[change '-ie' to 'y' & add -ing]

✅ 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

✅ Words with last letters 'consonant-verb-consonant':

e.g. sh o p > shopping

[double the last consonant & add 'ing']

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..

✅ Words with last letters are '-ie':

e.g. die  ➡ dying

[we change '-ie' to 'y']

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

✅ 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

Uses of Present Participle for the following Tenses:

✔️Present Continuous tense:

Form: [is /am/are + present participle]

Example

1. Jeff is playing golf.

2. Are you coming tomorrow?

3. They are arriving at the airport.

Learn more about the Present Continuous

• 👉 The Present Continuous - 3 Uses & Example Sentence

Learn Tenses through Stories

• 👉A Day in the Life of Sarah and Tom - Present Continuous Story

🎥 Watch YouTube Video with 🗣️voice narration to practise listening

• 🔗 Present Continuous Story : A Day in the Life of Sarah & Tom

✔️Past Continuous

Form: [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.

   
   

• 🔗 Past Continuous - How to Use + Example Sentence + Story

✔️Future Continuous

Form: [will be + present participle]

Example:

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. Will they be coming to the concert this weekend?

   
   

Learn more

• 🔗 Future Continuous - Uses + Example Sentence

✔️Present Perfect Continuous

Form: [has / have been + present participle]

Example:

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?

• 🔗 Present Perfect Continuous - How to use + Example Sentence

✔️Past Perfect Continuous - had been + (present participle)

Example Sentence:

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.

• 🔗 Past Perfect Continuous Story - How to use + Example Sentence

✔️Future Perfect Continuous

Form: [will have been + present participle]

Example Sentence:

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 2030 this project will have been going on for 12 years.

• 🔗 Future Perfect Continuous - How to Use + Example Sentence

Gerunds

👉Verbs / Phrases usually followed by Gerunds:

- love

- like

- enjoy

- hate

- good at

- interested in, etc.

(Positive) - Example Sentence

(verb) (gerund)

1. I love walking.

2. My son enjoys cycling.

3. Jack hates working from home.

   
   

(Negative) - Example Sentence

(verb) (gerund)

1. Mel doesn't enjoy going out with friends.

2. Mum isn't good at sewing.

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

📖 Short Story: “A Relaxing Weekend”

Mia loves spending her weekends doing simple things.

Waking up early on Saturday, she starts her day with coffee. She enjoys sitting by the window and watching people walk by.

Later, she goes to the park.

Walking under the trees, she feels calm and happy. She sees a man playing the guitar and children running around.

In the afternoon, Mia tries painting. She isn’t very good at it, but she loves learning new things.

Before going to bed, she relaxes by reading a novel.

For Mia, enjoying small moments is the key to happiness.

🧠 Comprehension Questions

1. What does Mia enjoy doing in the morning?

2. Where does she go later in the day?

3. What new activity does she try?

4. Find 3 gerunds in the story.

5. Find 3 present participles in the story.

✏️ Practice Exercise

A. Choose the correct answer

1. She is ______ (cook / cooking) dinner.

2. ______ (Swim / Swimming) is good exercise.

3. He avoids ______ (drive / driving) in traffic.

4. They are ______ (watch / watching) TV.

B. Identify: Gerund or Present Participle?

1. Running is fun.

2. She is running fast.

3. I love reading.

4. The movie is exciting.

🎬Let's Recap!

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

✔️Present Participle & Gerund look the same:

➡️ Form= [verb + '-ing']

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

✔️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]

🎬 Let's Review!

(a) Change the following verbs into the '-ing' form:

1. sweep

2. bake

3. steam

4. roast

5. mop

6. live

7. text

8. chop

   
   

(b) Make your own Gerunds with the following phrases:

e.g. I enjoy watching movies.

1. love

2. like

3. enjoy

4. hate

5. good at

6. interested in

   
   

❓ FAQ Section

What is the difference between a gerund and a present participle?

A gerund acts like a noun, while a present participle acts like a verb or adjective.

Are all -ing words gerunds?

No. Some are present participles used in continuous tenses or as adjectives.

How can I tell the difference easily?

👉 Ask:

• Is it a thing/activity? → Gerund

• Is it part of a verb tense or description? → Present participle

Do gerunds always follow certain verbs?

Yes! Some common verbs:

• enjoy

• avoid

• finish

• consider

💬 Final Tip

If you’re unsure, try replacing the -ing word with “it.”

• Swimming is fun

  → It is fun ✅ (Gerund)

  
  

• She is swimming

  → cannot replace ❌ (Present participle)

📥 Want More Practice?

Download your Present Participle & Gerund Worksheet Pack (printable + answers) and improve faster!

👉 Includes:

✔ Fill-in-the-blanks

✔ Error correction

✔ Speaking prompts

✔ Mini quiz

Tense & Verb Form Guides

• The Complete Guide to English Tenses

• Present Simple (daily habits)

• Present Perfect (life experiences)

Related Grammar Topics

• Learn Modal Verbs Through Stories - The Mysterious Package

• Types of Verbs in English Grammar

• Phrasal Verbs in Daily Life

📌 Need More Practice?

Check out related Grammar and Quiz videos:

🎥 YouTube Channel Playlist

• 🔗 Grammar Made Simple

• 🔗 Learn Grammar Through Engaging Stories 

• 🔗 Grammar Challenge - Test Your English Skills

• 🔗 Learn Vocabulary Through Engaging Stories

  
  

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