TOEFL - Present Participle

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Present Participle
A present participle is the -ing form of the verb (talking, playing, singing, etc). A present participle can cause confusion because it can be either a part of the verb or an adjective. It is part of the verb when it is accompanied by some form of the verb be. It is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some form of the verb be.


The Present Participle as Part of the Continuous Form of a Verb
E.g.:
  1. Itziar was singing.
  2. They have been walking.
  3. We will be staying.

The Present Participle After Verbs of Movement & Position (This construction is particularly useful with the verb to go)
E.g.:
  1. Alvaro went shopping.
  2. Norma lay looking up at the clouds.
  3. He came running towards me.

The Present Participle After Verbs of Perception
The pattern for this usage is verb + object + present participle. There is a difference in meaning when such a sentence contains a zero infinitive rather than a participle. The infinitive refers to a complete action while the present participle refers to an ongoing action.
E.g.:
  1. I heard someone screaming.
  2. He saw his brother walking along the road.
  3. I can smell something burning.

The Present Participle as an Adjective
E.g.:
  1. It was an amazing film.
  2. Dark billowing clouds often precede a storm.
  3. Many of her paintings show the setting sun.

The Present Participle with the Verbs Spend and Waste
The pattern with these verbs is verb + time/money expression + present participle.
E.g.:
  1. My sister spends one hour a day travelling to work.
  2. They've spent the whole day studying.
  3. I wasted money buying this food.

The Present Participle with the Verbs Catch and Find
The pattern with these verbs is verb + object + present participle. With catch, the participle always refers to an action which causes annoyance or anger. This is not the case with find, which is unemotional.
E.g.:
  1. If I catch you stealing my apples again, there'll be trouble!
  2. Don't let him catch you reading his letters.
  3. I caught him going through my bag.
  4. We found some money lying on the ground.
  5. They found their mother sitting in the garden.

The Present Participle for Two Actions at the Same Time
When two actions occur at the same time, and are done by the same person or thing, we can use a present participle to describe one of them. When one action follows very quickly after another done by the same person or thing, we can express the first action with a present participle.
E.g.:
  1. Whistling to himself, he walked down the road. = He whistled to himself as he walked down the road.
  2. They went laughing out into the snow. = They laughed as they went out into the snow.
  3. Dropping the gun, she put her hands in the air. = She dropped the gun and put her hands in the air.
  4. Putting on his coat, he left the house. = He put on his coat and left the house.

The Present Participle to Explain a Reason
The present participle can be used instead of a phrase starting with as, since, or because. In this usage the participial phrase explains the cause or reason for an action.
E.g.:
  1. Feeling hungry, he went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
  2. Being poor, he didn't spend much on clothes.
  3. Knowing that his mother was coming, he cleaned the flat.

E.g.:
1. The girl is standing in the corner.
In this sentence, standing is part of the verb because it is accompanied by is.

2. The man talking to his father has a beard.
In this sentence, talking is an adjective and not part of the verb because it is not accompanied by some form of the verb be. The verb in this sentence is has.

3. The child now playing in the yard is my daughter.
In this sentence, child is the subject and playing is not part of the verb. Playing is a participial adjective rather than a verb because there is another verb in the sentence is, so this sentence does not need another subject or verb.

4. The companies offering the lowest prices will have the most customers.
In this sentence, offering is an adjective and not part of the verb because it is not accompanied by some form of the verb be. The verb in this sentence is will have.

Reference:
1. Phillips, Deborah. (2001). Longman Complete Course for the TOEFL Test. White Plains, NY: Longman.

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