Talk:present participle

This def in too English-centric. Many languages have a present participle but without an "-ing" ending. It's better to define it by its grammatical function than by its superficial appearance in one language. — Hippietrail 08:01, 10 Jul 2004 (UTC)

It is the English Wiktionary, therefore it would be important to give notes about how to use each grammatical term that exists in English. However, as you said, it is a bad idea to explain that at the definition of the word. So I have changed it. Daniel. 01:39, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Usage notes

Usage notes are about usage of the term "present participle". The best place for this might be in an appendix on the subject. We are in the process of determining how to write such an appendix in light of contemporary thought on English grammar (See CGEL.). Some grammarians don't believe that there should be a lexical distinction between gerund and present participle, which always are formed identically. The terminology does not capture the various ways (possibly four type) in which the form is used. DCDuring TALK 00:33, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

[Below is material copied from usage notes.]

In English, the present participle takes the suffix -ing and is preceded by a form of the verb to be to make the progressive tenses of a verb. When it functions as a noun it is called a gerund. It may also function as an adjective, especially in attributive use. It can evolve to become either a true noun or a true adjective, or both, with a shift in meaning, sometime substantial. To see examples, look for words ending in -ing in Category:English adjectives and Category:English nouns. What is the present participle? The present participle is a participle that ends in ing. It can be used with the auxilliary verb 'to be' to form the continuous tense. It always takes the ‘ing’ form of the verb, even irregular verbs have an ‘...ing’ form, in fact virtually all English words that end with ‘ing’ are present participles. For example:- I am learning English. (Learning is part of the continuous verb phrase 'am learning') We were running through the woods. (Running is part of the continuous verb phrase 'were running' ). It can also be used as an adjective. For example:- As an adjective: I am a working woman. (Working is used here as an adjective.) !Note :- The present participle can also be used as a noun denoting the action of a verb a gerund. But remember the present participle can be used as a verb or an adjective whilst the gerund is used as a noun