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

How to Use Present Participles & Gerunds in Grammar?

🎯NOTE !

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

Example : eating, drinking, enjoying, etc

✔️Present Participle

- (Form) = [verb (base form) + -ing]

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

✔️Gerunds

- (Form) = [verb (base form) + -ing]

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

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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) 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

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.

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

- Example Sentence

✔️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:

🔗Present Continuous - 3 Uses & Example Sentence below ⬇️

✔️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:

🔗Past Continuous - How to Use + Example Sentence below ⬇️

✔️Future Continuous - will be + (present participle)

Example Sentence:

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

✔️Present Perfect Continuous - has / have been + (present participle)

Example Sentence:

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:

🔗Present Perfect Continuous - How to use + Example Sentence below ⬇️

✔️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.

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 Past Perfect Continuous Grammar tips, forms, rules, exercises:

Present Perfect Continuous - How to use + Example Sentence

✔️Future Perfect Continuous - 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 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:

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.

🎬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

   
   

📌Need More Practice?

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