What Is Present Participle: Meaning & Examples

A present participle is a verb form that can be used as an adjective and for making continuous verb tenses. Along with past participles, it is one of the two categories of participles.
Both regular and irregular verbs have present participles that finish in “-ing” (e.g., “travelling”).

Let’s know more about the Present principle’s meaning and its example in the article below.

Present Participle

A present participle is a form of the verb that ends in “ing”. It works as both an adjective and a verb. When using it as an adjective, it describes a noun or pronoun, often showing an action in progress. For example, “The laughing children raced down the street”. Here laughing describes “children”.

Rules for Forming Present Participle

When forming present participles in English, there are some rules and guidelines to keep in mind. Here are the key rules to follow:

1. Add “-ing” to the Base Form: For regular verbs, the present participle is formed by adding “-ing” to the base form (infinitive) of the verb. For example,
   • Base form: walk → Present participle: walking
   • Base form: jump → Present participle: jumping
2. Drop the Final “-e”: If the base form of the verb ends in an “e,” drop the “e” before adding “-ing.” For example,
   • Base form: bake → Present participle: baking
   • Base form: write → Present participle: writing
3. Keep the Final Consonant + Vowel + Consonant Pattern Intact: If the verb has a single syllable and ends with a consonant followed by a single vowel followed by a consonant then double the final consonant before adding “-ing” if the stress is on the final syllable. For example,
   • Base form: run → Present participle: running
   • Base form: hop → Present participle: hopping
4. Irregular Verbs: Some verbs have irregular present participle forms that do not follow the standard rules. It’s essential to memorize the irregular forms of these verbs. For example,
   • Base form: go → Present participle: going
   • Base form: see → Present participle: seeing

When discussing the introduction of the present participle, it’s important to understand its fundamental characteristics and how it differs from other verb forms.

Read More

• What is Tense
• Verbs

How to Use Present Participles

Participles can be used in various ways within a sentence, including:

• Creating Participial Phrases:
  • Participial phrases are phrases formed by a present participle and its modifiers, which function as adjectives to provide additional information about a noun or pronoun.
  • Examples:
    • Running quickly, she arrived at the finish line first. Here, the participial phrase “running quickly” describes the subject “she.”
    • Eating dinner, the family discussed their plans for the weekend. Here, the participial phrase “eating dinner” describes the subject “the family.”
• Forming Verb Tenses:
  • Present participles are used to form the continuous or progressive tenses in English, indicating actions that are ongoing or in progress.
  • Examples:
    • Present Continuous: She is studying for her exam. Here, the present participle “studying” is combined with the auxiliary verb “is” to form the present continuous tense.
    • Past Continuous: They were playing basketball when it started to rain. Here, the present participle “playing” is combined with the auxiliary verb “were” to form the past continuous tense.
• Functioning as Adjectives:
  • Present participles can also function as adjectives, modifying nouns or pronouns to provide descriptive information.
  • Examples:
    • The smiling child waved to her friends. Here, the present participle “smiling” modifies the noun “child.”
    • He saw the sleeping dog lying on the porch. Here, the present participle “sleeping” modifies the noun “dog.”
• Functioning as Gerunds:
  • Present participles can function as gerunds which are verb forms ending in “-ing” that act as nouns.
  • Examples:
    • Skiing is her favorite winter activity. Here, the present participle “skiing” acts as the subject of the sentence.
    • She enjoys reading in her free time. Here, the present participle “reading” acts as the object of the verb “enjoys.”

Examples of Present Participle

• “Swimming in the pool, Sarah felt refreshed.”
  • Explanation: “Swimming” is the present participle here. It forms a participial phrase “Swimming in the pool,” which describes the action Sarah was engaged in. This phrase acts as an adjective modifying the subject “Sarah.”
• “Running late, Tom rushed to catch the bus.”
  • Explanation: “Running” is the present participle. It forms a participial phrase “Running late,” describing the reason or circumstance of Tom’s rush. Again, this phrase acts as an adjective modifying the subject “Tom.”
• “The howling wind made it difficult to sleep.”
  • Explanation: “Howling” is the present participle. It acts as an adjective modifying the noun “wind,” describing the characteristic of the wind. It indicates that the wind is making a howling sound.

What is a Present Participle – FAQs

What is a present participle?

The present participle is a verb form that ends in “-ing” and is used for actions happening now or as adjectives describing things.

How do you identify the present participle?

When you see a word that ends in “-ing” and it’s acting like a verb (showing an action) or an adjective (describing something), then it is a present participle.

What is the rule for present participles?

The rule is simple to form a present participle, you can simply add “-ing” in the end for the verb or adjective.

Example:

• Base form of the verb: “read”
• Present participle: “reading”

Why is present participle used?

The present participle is used to describe actions that are happening right now or are ongoing. It adds detail and immediacy to the action in a sentence. Also, present participles can function as adjectives, describing characteristics or qualities of nouns.