Present Participle

Most commonly we use the present participle -ing as an element in all continuous verb forms (the present continuous, the past continuous etc.).

The auxiliary verb indicated the tense, while the present participle remains unchanging.

I was playing computer games all night (past continuous)

The present participle if formed by adding -ing to the base form of the verb.

Verbs ending in -e drop -e and add -ing.

like - liking
write - writing

Verbs with one syllable, ending in one vowel and one consonant, double the consonant and add -ing.

sit - sitting
swim - swimming

Verbs ending -ie change -ie to -y and add -ing.

lie - lying
die - dying

The present participle is used not only fo form verb tenses. It can be used:

after verbs of movement and position (often after the verb to go)

She went shopping
They came running towards me

after verbs of perception in the pattern verb + object + present participle to indicate the action being perceived.

We saw him mowing the lawn
Liz heard someone singing

after verbs of movement, action, or position to indicated parallel activity.

He sat looking at the pedestrians
July walks reading her newspaper

as an adjective.

Have you heard of that amazing movie?
The family was trapped inside the burning barn

to explain the cause or reason. The present participle is used instead of a phrase starting with as, since, because.

Feeling hungry, I made myself a sandwich. (=I made myself a sandwich because I was hungry.)
Knowing that his roommate was coming, James cleaned the living room (=James cleaned the living room as he knew that his roommate was coming.)

Guided Practice#

begin - ....................
shop - ....................
know - ....................
run - ....................
go - ....................
feel - ....................
come - ....................
sit- ....................

I watched her (to paint) the portrait of my mom.

Bella works out (to listen) to music.

Honestly, I think that these classes are super (to be bored)!

Minnie ate a chocolate bar, (to think) her mother was in another room.

Short Story using Present Participle#

-I can't believe that this book can be so boring! I bought it, thinking that it was a best-seller.

-What are you talking about? It's absolutely amazing!

-Well, believe it or not, but I fell asleep reading the first chapter!

-Knowing you, it's not a surprise. You told me that you read books right before going to bed.

-I'm just too busy during the day. Maybe I can listen to the audio book? I can try it while walking to work.

-Yeah, that's a good idea.

Independent Practice#

Fill in the gaps.

shopping · thinking · watching · crossing

I called the cops .................... the lady was mugged.
Samuel likes to bake .................... cooking shows.
Lily needed to go .................... with her friends.
Amanda saw me .................... the street.

Rewrite the sentences. Use the phrase in brackets. The meaning should remain the same.

(feeling) I went to bed earlier because I was sleepy.
(knowing) I knew the importance of the project so I was working the whole night.
(thinking) I thought I could fix my phone but I broke the screen instead.

Answer the questions.

Do you listen to music commuting to work?
Have you ever watch someone painting a portrait in the streets?
What is the most interesting thing about growing up?