Verbs: present participle
The present participle is another word that simply uses the continuous form you already know. (Walking, talking, eating, speaking, …)
Unlike the gerund, it actually functions as a verb. It is used after another verb to communicate two actions at the same time.
More specifically, these are the uses.
Movement or position
Placed after verbs of movement and position.
- She lay looking at the stars. => We know she is lying down and looking at the same time
- We sat staring out of the window. => We are sitting and starting at the same time
Do note that this construction is often needlessly long. People often add another verb which is already implied through the present participle. Try to recognize this and just use the short version.
- They went hiking. => They hiked. (You usually don’t hike right where you are, so you go hiking.)
- I came running towards him. => I ran towards him. (If you run, you already come to someone.)
Perception
Placed after verbs of perception or sense. (Like to hear, to see, to smell, to watch, to feel.)
I felt the wind blowing in my face.
I heard someone singing down the street.
Describing two distinct actions
You want to convey two actions, not closely related, in the same sentence.
The present participle is placed in its own clause. (A small sentence seperated from the main one, through a comma.)
Singing to herself, she cycled to school.
“Hands behind your head,” he said, pulling his gun.
Special verbs
Some verbs typically get the present participle after them: spend, waste, catch and find
- The doctor spends five hours a day sleeping.
- I wasted a hundred dollars trying to get there.
- I caught him stealing my wallet.
- They found two old coins lying in the sand.
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