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The difference between thegerund and the present participle

gerund

present participleSince the simple gerund and the present participle have the same form (verb-ing), sometimes it

can be difficult to decide whether an -ingform is a gerund or a present participle.

It may be worth remembering that a gerund always functions as a noun:

Function Example sentence

Subject Hikingcan be a relaxing and rewardingactivity.

Complement What I really like is travellingto othercountries.

Object of a verb Jill suggestedgoingfor a drink.

Object of a preposition He rushed out of the room withoutsayinga

word.

Object of a prepositionalverb Could you give upsmoking?

Part of a compound noun We had no drinkingwater left.

The present participle has the following functions:

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Function Example sentence

Continuous

aspect

I wasn'tlistening.

What have you been doing?You must bejoking.

I happened to bepassingyour house.

Adjective The survey revealed some worryingresults.The results of the survey were/seemed worrying.

Participle clauses The man drivingthe car was not injured.

Tom lost his keys (while) walkingthrough thepark.

Openingthe envelope, I found two concert tickets.Havingnothing left to do, Paula went home.

Sometimes it is a matter of interpretation whether an -ingform is a gerund or a present

participle:

Huntinglions can be dangerous.

Huntingas a present participle functions as an adjective and describes lions. The sentence

means:

Lions that hunt can be dangerous.

If huntingis a gerund, lionsis its object and the sentence means:

It can be dangerous to hunt lions.

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The Gerund and the Present Participle:'ING' Form

INTRODUCTION

The'-ing'form of the verb may be apresent participleor a gerund.

The form is identical, the difference is in the function, or the job the word does in the sentence.

The present participle:

This is most commonly used:

as part of the continuous form of a verb,he ispainting; she has been waiting

after verbs of movement/position in the pattern:verb + present participle,

She sat lookingat the sea

after verbs of perception in the pattern:verb + object + present participle,

We saw himswimming

as an adjective, e.g. amazing,worrying,exciting,boringThe gerund:

This always has the same function as a noun (although it looks like a verb), so it can be used:

as the subject of the sentence:Eatingpeople is wrong.

after prepositions:Can you sneeze without openingyour mouth?

She is good atpainting

after certain verbs,e.g. like,hate,admit,imagine

in compound nouns,e.g. a drivinglesson, aswimmingpool, bird-watching, train-spotting