12 Infinitive and -ing forms of verbs (2) -ing Forms

-ing Forms

Dialog

Um, excuse me? You said you could help me with, like, English grammar? I keep getting stuck on these "-ing" words. They're everywhere!

Hmph. Of course I can help you. It's not like it's a big deal for *me* to explain something so simple. You just have to actually listen this time.

I promise I will! So, what exactly are these "-ing" forms? They look like verbs, but sometimes they aren't, right?

That's... surprisingly observant of you. Fine. First, what they look like is easy: they're just words that end with -ing, like drinking or eating or laughing. See? Simple.

Oh, okay. That part I get. But what do they do? Why do we use them?

Good question. You're actually paying attention for once. We use -ing forms for a bunch of reasons. Think of them as ways to add more information or to talk about activities. For example, sometimes they come right after certain verbs, like enjoy or avoid. You wouldn't say "I enjoy to look," you'd say "I enjoy looking."

So, like, "I avoid studying for tests?"

Exactly! Ugh, but you shouldn't be avoiding studying. Anyway, they can also come after a verb and an object. Like, "Do you mind me smoking?" The "me" is the object.

Ah, I see! What else?

You're really on a roll today, huh? Fine. We use -ing forms after prepositions too. Remember those little connecting words like "in," "on," "for"? If you use a verb after one, it has to be -ing. Like "Are you interested in dancing?" You wouldn't say "in dance."

So, "Thank you for helping me"?

Precisely. See? It's not rocket science if you just listen to *my* brilliant explanations. And sometimes, the -ing form acts like the main thing you're talking about in a sentence, like the subject. "Grumbling is a waste of time." Here, "Grumbling" is like the subject, not "to grumble."

So, the action itself is the subject? Like "Running is good for you"?

Yes! Finally, something you understand easily. It's also used for lists of activities, like "No spitting, pushing, or shoving in the corridors." And to add extra info to a main sentence, like "He walked out of the room smiling."

Wow, that's a lot of uses! What about those "continuous tenses"? Like "I am learning English"?

That's another big one. We use an -ing form with a form of the verb "to be" – like "am," "is," "are," "was," "were," "have been" – to show something is happening right now, or was happening, or will be happening. "I have been trying to learn Japanese." You got the idea with "am learning."

This sounds a little complicated, doesn't it? What's the difference between a "gerund" and a "present participle"? My teacher mentioned those.

Oh, you noticed that? Good for you. Most people just treat them as the same, but if you want to be precise, here's the secret. A gerund is an -ing form that acts like a noun. If you can swap the -ing word for a regular noun, it's a gerund. "He likes singing." You could say "He likes music," right? So singing is a gerund there.

Okay, so it's like a name for an action?

Basically. Now, a present participle is an -ing form that's part of a verb, like in those continuous tenses: "Are you still working?" Or it can function like a verb, describing something: "I saw him dancing." It's more about the action happening or describing *how* something is.

So, a gerund is like, a noun, but a present participle is more like... a verb or adjective? Am I even close?

Don't look so surprised, you're absolutely right! It's not like I expected you to get it that fast, though. Don't let it go to your head. And sometimes, an -ing word isn't even a verb at all! Like "an interesting experience"—here, "interesting" describes the experience, so it's an adjective. Or "a meeting"—that's a noun, a thing.

Whoa, an -ing word can be a noun too? That's confusing.

It just means you have to pay attention to how it's used in the sentence, dummy. It's not that confusing. Finally, let's talk about spelling. Most of the time, you just add -ing: go becomes going.

That's easy enough.

But if the word ends in 'e' – like live or improve – you drop the 'e' before adding -ing. So, living, improving. Got it?

Drop the 'e'! Okay.

And this is important: if a short word, like one syllable, ends with a single vowel then a single consonant – like 'pat' or 'stop' – you double the last consonant before adding -ing. Patting, stopping. Same for longer words if the last syllable is stressed, like begin becomes beginning.

Double the consonant... like running from run?

See? You *can* learn when I explain it. And if a word ends in "ic," you add a 'k' before -ing. Like panic becomes panicking.

Wow, that's a lot of rules, but you made it sound... understandable. Thanks, you!

Hmph. It's not like I did it *for* you. I just didn't want to see you fail. Now, go practice what I taught you!

Key Points

• What -ing forms look like: words that end in -ing, such as drinking, eating, and laughing.
• Using -ing forms after certain verbs: They are used after specific verbs like avoid, enjoy, consider, and look forward to (e.g., He enjoys looking around antique shops).
• Using -ing forms after verb + object combinations: An -ing form can follow a verb and an object (e.g., Do you mind me smoking?).
• Using -ing forms after prepositions: When a verb follows a preposition (e.g., in, on, for), it must be in the -ing form (e.g., Is she still interested in dancing?).
• Using -ing forms as subjects and complements: An -ing form can be the subject of a clause or a complement (e.g., Grumbling is a waste of time. Running is good for you.).
• Using -ing forms in lists of activities: They are used to list prohibited or permitted activities (e.g., spitting, pushing, and shoving are forbidden).
• Using -ing forms to add additional information: They can add different kinds of information to a main clause (e.g., He walked out of the room smiling).
• Using -ing forms in continuous tenses: They are combined with a form of the verb "to be" (e.g., am, is, were) to form continuous tenses (e.g., I have been trying to learn Japanese).
• Gerunds vs. Present Participles: Gerunds function like nouns and can be replaced by a noun (e.g., He likes singing -> He likes music), while present participles are part of a verb phrase or function like verbs/adjectives (e.g., Are you still working? I saw him dancing).
• -ing forms that are not verbs: Some words ending in -ing are adjectives (e.g., an interesting experience) or nouns (e.g., a meeting).
• Spelling rule - simple addition: For most infinitives, simply add -ing (e.g., go -> going).
• Spelling rule - dropping 'e': If an infinitive ends in a vowel + consonant + 'e', drop the 'e' before adding -ing (e.g., live -> living).
• Spelling rule - doubling final consonant (one-syllable): Double the final consonant of one-syllable infinitives ending in a single vowel + single consonant combination (e.g., pat -> patting).
• Spelling rule - doubling final consonant (multi-syllable): Double the final consonant of multi-syllable infinitives where the final syllable is stressed and ends in a single vowel + single consonant (e.g., begin -> beginning).
• Spelling rule - adding 'k': Add 'k' to infinitives that end in 'ic' (e.g., panic -> panicking).

Reference: Martin Parrott, "Grammar for English Language Teachers 2ed" p174 - p177