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-ing forms: introduction

‘participles’ and ‘gerunds’​

We can use -ing forms (e.g. smoking, walking) not only as verbs, but also like adjectives or nouns. Compare:

  • You’re smoking too much these days. (verb: part of present progressive)
  • There was a smoking cigarette end in the ashtray. (adjective-like: description of cigarette end)
  • Smoking is bad for you. (noun-like: subject of sentence)

When -ing forms are used verbally or adjectivally, they are often called ‘present participles’. (This is not a very suitable name, because these forms can refer to the past, present or future.) When they are used more like nouns, they are often called ‘gerunds’.

Before nouns, both noun-like -ing forms (gerunds) and adjective-like -ing forms (participles) can be used. The two structures do not have quite the same kind of meaning. Compare:

  • a waiting room (= a room for waiting. Waiting is a gerund, used rather like a noun. Compare a guest room.)
    a waiting train (= a train that is waiting. Waiting is a participle, used rather like an adjective. Compare an early train.)
  • a sleeping pill (sleeping is a gerund)
    a sleeping child (sleeping is a participle)
  • working conditions (gerund)
    working men and women (participle)

Perfect, passive and negative -ing forms​

Note the structure of perfect, passive and negative -ing forms.

  • Having slept for twelve hours, I felt marvellous. (perfect)
  • She loves being looked at. (passive)
  • Not knowing what to do, I went home. (negative)
  • She’s angry about not having been invited. (negative perfect passive)

‘participles’ and ‘gerunds’: an unclear difference​

The distinction between ‘participles’ and ‘gerunds’ is not always clear-cut, and it can sometimes be difficult to decide which term to use. For this reason, some grammarians prefer to avoid the terms ‘participle’ and ‘gerund’. For a detailed discussion of this point, see Comparison.54 of A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, by Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech and Svartvik (Longman, 1985). In Practical English Usage the expression ‘-ing form’ is used except when there is a good reason to use one of the other terms.

note

For spelling of -ing forms, (see here).