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

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.