What Are Present Participles? (with Examples)

A present participle is a word that (1) ends “-ing,” (2) is formed from a

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Let’s look at the verb to laugh:

• Here’s the present participle: laughing
• Here it is used as an adjective: The laughing gnome
• Here it is used to form a verb tense: The gnome was laughing.

There are two types of

• The Present Participle

(ending “-ing”)

• The Past Participle

(usually ending “-ed,” “-d,” “-t,” “-en,” or “-n”)

Present and past participles are

Examples of Present Participles Being Used As Adjectives

Here are some examples of present participles being used as adjectives:

The VerbThe Present Participle

To runrunning water

To flourishflourishing business

To discouragediscouraging glance

More Examples of Present Participles Used as Adjectives

Here are some real-life examples of present participles (shaded) being used as adjectives:

• Always be wary of any helpful item that weighs less than its

  operating

  manual. (Author Terry Pratchett)

• Somewhere on this globe, every ten seconds, there is a woman

  giving

  birth to a child. She must be found and stopped. (Comedian Sam Levenson)

• Love is the big

  booming

  beat which covers up the noise of hate. (Comedian Margaret Cho)

• All

  existing

  business models are wrong. Find a new one. (Cartoonist Hugh Macleod)

Present Participles in Participle Phrases

It is really common to see present participles in

• My mother is next to the lady

  wearing the red hat

  .

(The participle phrase “wearing the red hat” describes “the lady.”)

• I know a pond

  teeming with fish

  .

(The participle phrase “teeming with fish” describes “a pond.”)

• Frantically shuffling through her coppers

  , Jackie hoped to find another silver coin.

(The participle phrase “Frantically shuffling through her coppers” describes “Jackie.”)

• Relying on Mark’s inability to cast accurately

  , Lee plonked his bait exactly where Mark had just caught the small pouting.

(The participle phrase “Relying on Mark’s inability to cast accurately” describes “Lee.”)

Read more about participle phrases.

Present Participles Used in Verb Tenses

As well as being used as adjectives, present participles are also used to form

Note that present participles are used to form the

Read more about the progressive tenses.

A Video Summary

Here is a video summarizing this lesson on present participles.

A present participle is a word that (1) ends “-ing,” (2) is formed from a verb , and (3) is used as an adjective or to form verb tense . For example:Let’s look at the verbThere are two types of participles Present and past participles are non-finite verbs . (A non-finite verb is a verb that, by itself, does not show tense. This means if you look at just a participle, you cannot tell if you’re dealing with the past tense present tense , or future tense .)Here are some examples of present participles being used as adjectives:Here are some real-life examples of present participles (shaded) being used as adjectives:It is really common to see present participles in participle phrases . A participle phrase also acts like an adjective. In the examples below, the participle phrases are shaded and the present participles are in bold:As well as being used as adjectives, present participles are also used to form verb tenses . Here are the verb tenses (present participles shaded):Note that present participles are used to form the progressive (or continuous) tenses . The progressive tenses show an ongoing action.Here is a video summarizing this lesson on present participles.

Do Not Confuse Present Participles with Gerunds

Present participles should not be confused with

GerundsParticiples

Running was tough on my knees.

There is no

running

water in the apartment.

(This is a present participle used as an adjective.)

I hate moving house.

The ground was

moving

under our feet.

(This is a present participle used for verb tense.)

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph. (Actress Shirley Temple)

Now, God be praised, that to

believing

souls gives light in darkness, comfort in despair. (Playwright William Shakespeare)

Read more about gerunds.

Forming the Present Participle

A present participle is formed like this:

Add “ing” to most verbs:

• play > playing
• shout > shouting

For verbs that end “e,” remove the “e” and add “ing”:

• prepare > preparing
• ride > riding

For verbs that end “ie,” change the “ie” to “y” and add “ing”:

• lie > lying
• untie > untying

For verbs whose last syllable is written [consonant-vowel-consonant] and is stressed, double the final consonant and add “ing”:

• run > running
• forget > forgetting

The Five Forms of a Verb

The graphic below shows the five forms a verb. This page is about the present participle form, which is also called the “-ING” form.

Why Should I Care about Present Participles?

Understanding participles (present participles and past participles) is essential if you’re learning or teaching English because adjectives and verb tense are fundamental building blocks…in any language.

Generally speaking, present participles do not cause writing errors among native speakers. The same is not true for

Here are two good reasons to think a little more about present participles (specifically when they’re used in participle phrases). Let’s start with the benefit.

(Benefit 1) With a fronted participle phrase, you can say two things about your subject efficiently.

Participles can be used to create a sentence structure that allows you to say two or more things about your subject efficiently. For example:

• Demonstrating level headedness in all business dealings

  , Matt listens actively and engages appropriately when in disagreement.

(This example features a present participle (bold) in a participle phrase (shaded).)

This participle-phrase upfront structure is particularly useful when writing personal appraisals. It allows you to shoehorn in an extra observation about your subject in a single sentence.

Read more about the benefits of using participles on the “non-finite verbs” page.

(Trap 1) Beware misplaced modifiers and dangling modifiers!

When using the sentence structure in “Benefit 1,” writers sometimes create ambiguity by failing to put the participle phrase next to the word it’s modifying. For example:

• Demonstrating level headedness in all business dealings

  , customers routinely offer positive feedback on Matt.

(In this example, the participle phrase (shaded) could be modifying “customers” instead of “Matt.” This is called a misplaced modifier.)

A misplaced modifier makes your sentence ambiguous or wrong. You can avoid a misplaced modifier by placing your modifier next to whatever it’s modifying. Let’s fix the example.

• Demonstrating level headedness in all business dealings

  , Matt routinely receives positive feedback from customers.

(The participle phrase is now next to “Matt.” The ambiguity has gone.)

Sometimes, writers create a worse error called a

• Demonstrating level headedness in all business dealings

  , customers routinely offer positive feedback and return to place more orders.

(In this example, the participle phrase (shaded) has nothing to modify. “Matt” isn’t mentioned. This is called a dangling modifier.)

Read more about misplaced modifiers.
Read more about dangling modifiers.

Key Points

• Present participles are key building blocks in any language.
• Using an upfront participle phrase lets you cram more information into a sentence.
• If you use an upfront participle phrase, put the word being modified next.

Ready for the Test?

Here is a confirmatory test for this lesson.

This test can also be:

• Edited (i.e., you can delete questions and play with the order of the questions).
• Printed to create a handout.
• Sent electronically to friends or students.

Here is afor this lesson.This test can also be:

Take a different test on present participles.

Present participles should not be confused with gerunds , which are nouns formed from verbs. Gerunds also end “-ing.” There is no difference between gerunds and present participles in terms of spelling. They differ by function. Gerunds are nouns. Present participles are adjectives or used in verb tenses. In these examples, the words in bold are gerunds, and the shaded words are present participles.is formed like this:Add “ing” to most verbs:For verbs that end “e,” remove the “e” and add “ing”:For verbs that end “ie,” change the “ie” to “y” and add “ing”:For verbs whose last syllable is written [consonant-vowel-consonant] and is stressed, double the final consonant and add “ing”:The graphic below shows the five forms a verb. This page is about the present participle form, which is also called the “-ING” form.Understanding participles (present participles and past participles) is essential if you’re learning or teaching English because adjectives and verb tense are fundamental building blocks…in any language.Generally speaking, present participles do not cause writing errors among native speakers. The same is not true for participle phrases though. Participle phrases are responsible for an error called a misplaced modifier . But, it’s not all bad news with participle phrases. They also offer a benefit.Here are two good reasons to think a little more about present participles (specifically when they’re used in participle phrases). Let’s start with the benefit.Participles can be used to create a sentence structure that allows you to say two or more things about your subject efficiently. For example:This participle-phrase upfront structure is particularly useful when writing personal appraisals. It allows you to shoehorn in an extra observation about your subject in a single sentence.When using the sentence structure in “Benefit 1,” writers sometimes create ambiguity by failing to put the participle phrase next to the word it’s modifying. For example:A misplaced modifier makes your sentence ambiguous or wrong. You can avoid a misplaced modifier by placing your modifier next to whatever it’s modifying. Let’s fix the example.Sometimes, writers create a worse error called a dangling modifier . With a dangling modifier, the word being modified isn’t even present in the sentence. For example:

Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect tense is a rather important tense in English, but it gives speakers of some languages a difficult time. That is because it uses concepts or ideas that do not exist in those languages. In fact, the structure of the Present Perfect is very simple. The problems come with the use of the tense. In addition, there are some differences in usage between British and American English.

In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the Present Perfect tense, as well as the use of for and since, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.

The Present Perfect tense is really a very interesting tense, and a very useful one. Try not to translate the Present Perfect into your language. Just try to accept the concepts of this tense and learn to “think” Present Perfect! You will soon learn to like the Present Perfect tense!

How do we make the Present Perfect tense?

The structure of the Present Perfect is:

subject
+
auxiliary have
+
main verb

conjugated in Present Simple

 

have, has
past participle

The auxiliary verb (have) is conjugated in the Present Simple: have, has

The main verb is invariable in past participle form: -ed (or irregular)

For negative sentences we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb.

For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.

Look at these example sentences with the Present Perfect tense:

 
subject
auxiliary verb
 
main verb
 

+
I
have
 
seen
ET.

+
You
have
 
eaten
mine.

–
She
has
not
been
to Rome.

–
We
have
not
played
football.

?
Have
you
 
finished?
 

?
Have
they
 
done
it?

Contraction with Present Perfect

When we use the Present Perfect in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb. We also sometimes do this in informal writing.

I have
I’ve

You have
You’ve

He has
She has
It has
John has
The car has
He’s
She’s
It’s
John’s
The car’s

We have
We’ve

They have
They’ve

• You’ve told me that before.
• John’s seen Harry Potter.

In negative sentences, we may contract the auxiliary verb and “not”:

• You haven’t won the contest.
• She hasn’t heard from him.

He’s or he’s??? Be careful! The ‘s contraction is used for the auxiliary verbs and . For example, “It’s eaten” can mean:

• It has eaten. (Present Perfect tense, active voice)
• It is eaten. (Present Simple tense, passive voice)

It is usually clear from the context.

or??? Be careful! Thecontraction is used for the auxiliary verbs. For example, “It’s eaten” can mean:It is usually clear from the context.

How do we use the Present Perfect tense?

This tense is called the Present Perfect tense. There is always a connection with the past and with the present.

We use the Present Perfect to talk about:

• experience
• change
• continuing situation

Present Perfect for experience

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about experience from the past. We are not interested in when you did something. We only want to know if you did it:

I have seen an alien.
He has lived in Bangkok.
Have you been there?
We have never eaten caviar.

past
present
future

!!!
 

The action or state was in the past.
In my head, I have a memory now.
 

Connection with past: the event was in the past
Connection with present: in my head, now, I have a memory of the event; I know something about the event; I have experience of it

Present Perfect for change

We also use the Present Perfect to talk about a change, or new information:

I have bought a car.

past
present
future

–
+
 

Last week I didn’t have a car.
Now I have a car.
 

John has broken his leg.

past
present
future

+
–
 

Yesterday John had a good leg.
Now he has a bad leg.
 

Has the price gone up?

past
present
future

+
–
 

Was the price $1.50 yesterday?
Is the price $1.70 today?
 

The police have arrested the killer.

past
present
future

–
+
 

Yesterday the killer was free.
Now he is in prison.
 

Connection with past: the past is the opposite of the present
Connection with present: the present is the opposite of the past

Americans do use the Present Perfect but less than British speakers. Americans often use the Past Simple tense instead. An American might say “Did you have lunch?”, where a British person would say “Have you had lunch?”

Present Perfect for continuing situation

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about a continuing situation. This is a state that started in the past and continues in the present (and will probably continue into the future). This is a situation (not an action). We usually use for or since with this structure.

I have worked here since June.
He has been ill for 2 days.
How long have you known Tara (for)?

past
present
future

 

 

The situation started in the past.
It continues up to now.
(It will probably continue into the future.)

Connection with past: the situation started in the past.
Connection with present: the situation continues in the present.

For and Since with Present Perfect tense

We often use for and since with perfect tenses:

• We use for to talk about a period of time: five minutes, two weeks, six years
• We use since to talk about a point in past time: 9 o’clock, 1st January, Monday

for
since

a period of time
a point in past time
– – – – – – – – – – – –
– • – – – – – – – – – –

20 minutes
6.15pm

three days
Monday

6 months
January

4 years
1994

2 centuries
1800

a long time
I left school

ever
the beginning of time

etc
etc

Look at these example sentences using for and since with the Present Perfect tense:

• I have been here for twenty minutes.
• I have been here since 9 o’clock.
• John hasn’t called for six months.
• John hasn’t called since February.
• He has worked in New York for a long time.
• He has worked in New York since he left school.

For can be used with all tenses. Since is usually used with perfect tenses only.

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