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PRESENT PARTICIPLES: The meaning and the Using

A present participle is the -ing form of the verb like talking, playing, running, swimming, typing, looking, etc. A present participle can cause confusion because it can be either a part of the verb or an adjective. It is part of the verb when it is preceded by some form of the verb be.

The man is talking to his friend.

In this sentence, talking is part of the verb because it is accompanied by is.

Present participle is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some form of the verb be.

The man talking to his friend has a beard.

In the sentence above, talking is an adjective and not part of the verb because it is not accompanied by some form of be. The verb in this sentence is has.


Example




Look at the example above. If you look at only the first words of the sentence, it appears that child is the subject and playing is part of the verb.
The best answer here is (A).
Analysis:
You might choose answer (B), is, or answer (D), was, to complete the verb, if you think that playing is part of the verb. However, these two answers are incorrect because playing is not part of the verb. You should recognize that playing is a participial adjective rather than a verb because there is another verb in the sentence (is). There is a complete subject in this sentence (child) and a complete verb (is). So, this sentence does not need another subject or verb.

You must always remember that:

A present is the -ing form of the verb. The present participle can be (1) part of the verb or (2)
an adjective. It is part of the verb when it is accompanied by some form of the verb be. It is an
adjective when it is not accompanied by some form of the verb be.
The chart below outlines what you should remember:


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