Micro-listening
Gerund or Participle: Tell Them Apart
How can I tell whether an -ing word is a gerund or a present participle?
A gerund functions as a noun, representing an action, process, or concept. A present participle ends in -ing and either combines with helping verbs to show ongoing action or functions as an adjective describing a noun.
Key points
- A past participle typically ends in -ed or takes an irregular form, teaming up with have or be to show completed states, passive actions, or noun qualities.
- Determine what the verb form accomplishes in the sentence.
- Naming an action marks a gerund, showing progressive action or modifying a noun marks a present participle, and completing compound verbs or describing finished states marks a past participle.
This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.
Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
Examples
Managing our team schedule requires clear communication each morning.
Why it works: Managing serves as the subject of the sentence and names the task, which makes it a gerund.
2 more examples
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The architect was reviewing the blueprint when the client called.
Reviewing follows was to form a continuous past tense, functioning as a present participle.
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Our office uses an updated software program for customer requests.
Updated describes the software program as an adjective, functioning as a past participle.
Read the full guide
Check the Word Position First
Grammar endings do not explain a sentence by themselves. An identical spelling ending in -ing can function as an activity name, a progressive verb, or a descriptive modifier depending on word placement. Before selecting a label or choosing a preposition, locate the main verb of the sentence and check what appears immediately before the word.
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Planning ahead reduces workplace stress.
Why it works: Planning sits in the subject position before the main verb reduces.
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We are planning our next project timeline.
Why it works: Planning follows are to form the present continuous verb phrase.
Your turn
Why is the word training a gerund in 'Training takes effort'?
Answer: It names the activity acting as the subject.
Show the answer
Answer: It names the activity acting as the subject.
Training occupies the subject slot right before the main verb takes, so it behaves as a noun.
Spot Gerunds Used as Subjects
When an action serves as the topic or starting concept of an idea, English places that action in the subject position using an -ing form. A subject gerund takes a singular verb in standard business writing when it refers to a single generalized activity, even if the gerund has its own plural object.
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Writing clear instructions prevents customer confusion.
Why it works: Writing is the singular subject that determines the verb form prevents.
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Organizing multiple files requires patience.
Why it works: Even though files is plural, organizing is the singular grammatical subject.
You can practise this again in Prose or poetry: telling them apart and Attitude Adverbs: A Practical Guide.
Your turn
Which verb correctly completes: 'Answering customer emails ___ priority'?
Answer: is a daily
Show the answer
Answer: is a daily
The gerund answering is the singular head of the subject phrase, requiring the singular verb is.
Identify Forms After Prepositions
Standard English syntax requires a noun or pronoun object after a preposition such as about, before, after, or without. When an action follows a preposition, that verb must change into an -ing gerund to fill the noun slot. Using a base verb or an infinitive after a simple preposition is a frequent error in adult writing.
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Please review the notes before sending the email.
Why it works: Sending is a gerund because it serves as the object of the preposition before.
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He succeeded by listening to user feedback.
Why it works: Listening is a gerund answering what he succeeded by.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly pairs a preposition with an action?
Answer: Thank you for helping me today.
Show the answer
Answer: Thank you for helping me today.
The preposition for requires an -ing gerund object rather than a base verb or infinitive.
Find Participles in Continuous Verbs
Present participles combine with forms of the auxiliary verb be to create continuous tenses. In this construction, the -ing word does not stand alone as an activity name. Instead, the auxiliary verb carries tense and person, while the present participle conveys the lexical meaning of an ongoing process.
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The manager is speaking with a supplier right now.
Why it works: Speaking forms the present continuous verb phrase alongside the auxiliary is.
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They were testing the new application all morning.
Why it works: Testing joins were to show an ongoing action in the past.
Your turn
What is the function of the word preparing in 'We are preparing lunch'?
Answer: It forms a continuous verb phrase with are.
Show the answer
Answer: It forms a continuous verb phrase with are.
Preparing combines with the auxiliary are to show a present action in progress.
Recognize Participles That Describe Nouns
A present participle can also act as an adjective that adds details about a noun. You can position this modifier directly before the noun or place it in a descriptive participle phrase immediately after the noun. Unlike gerunds, these participle modifiers answer questions like which one or what kind.
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The woman presenting the quarterly slides joined our team in May.
Why it works: Presenting the quarterly slides specifies which woman is being discussed.
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We noticed a declining trend in operating costs.
Why it works: Declining modifies trend directly to describe its direction.
Your turn
In 'The man waiting outside needs assistance', what role does waiting have?
Answer: A present participle modifier
Show the answer
Answer: A present participle modifier
Waiting outside provides descriptive information identifying the noun man.
Notice Past Participles in Verb Phrases
Past participles form perfect tenses with have and passive forms with be. Regular verbs usually use -ed; irregular forms include written, spoken, and built. Perfect tenses can describe completed events or situations continuing up to a particular time. In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action.
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The team has submitted the final proposal.
Why it works: Submitted functions as a past participle completing the present perfect phrase.
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The invoice was paid before noon.
Why it works: Paid follows was to construct a passive voice verb phrase.
Your turn
Which sentence contains a past participle in a perfect tense?
Answer: She has written three letters this morning.
Show the answer
Answer: She has written three letters this morning.
Written is an irregular past participle following the auxiliary has in the present perfect.
Distinguish Simple Past from Past Participles
Regular verbs use the same -ed form for the simple past and the past participle. In the simple past, that form can be the main verb without have or be. A past participle can follow a helping verb, describe a noun, or begin a participle clause. Check its role in the whole sentence.
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The technician repaired the server at dawn.
Why it works: Repaired stands alone as the simple past finite verb of the sentence.
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The repaired server worked without further interruption.
Why it works: Repaired modifies server directly as a descriptive past participle adjective.
Your turn
In which sentence is closed a descriptive participle rather than a main verb?
Answer: The closed door prevented any sound from escaping.
Show the answer
Answer: The closed door prevented any sound from escaping.
In that sentence, closed sits directly before the noun door to describe its condition.
Test Identical Forms in New Contexts
To choose the right label when encountering an unfamiliar sentence, test whether the word answers the question what or describes who or what is performing an action. If you can replace the word or phrase with a standard noun like work or progress, it is functioning as a gerund.
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Gardening provides steady physical exercise.
Why it works: You can replace gardening with recreation or work, proving it is a gerund.
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A woman gardening in the courtyard waved at us.
Why it works: Gardening describes what the woman was doing, proving it is a participle.
Your turn
If you replace an -ing phrase with 'that activity' and the sentence still makes sense, what is it?
Answer: A gerund
Show the answer
Answer: A gerund
Gerunds name activities and occupy noun slots, so substituting a noun concept preserves sentence logic.
Use it naturally
How people really use “gerund”
Neutral Fine almost anywhere, at work or with friends.
Words it often goes with
- use a gerundYou can use a gerund to name an activity.
- a gerund phraseLearning a new language is a gerund phrase in this sentence.
- a gerund as the subjectThe sentence uses a gerund as the subject.
Questions about "Gerund or Participle: Tell Them Apart"
How can I tell whether an -ing word is a gerund or a present participle?
Look at how the word operates in the clause. A gerund acts as a noun, which means it can be a subject, an object after a verb, or an object of a preposition. A present participle functions as part of a continuous verb phrase after be or serves as an adjective describing another noun.
Swimming is great exercise.
She is swimming in the pool.
Why do some verbs take an -ing form right after the word to?
When the word to functions as a preposition rather than part of an infinitive, it must take a noun or gerund. Phrases like look forward to, be used to, and object to use to as a preposition, so an -ing gerund follows naturally.
I look forward to meeting your colleagues.
He is used to working early shifts.
Why do regular past tense verbs look identical to regular past participles?
Regular English verbs add -ed for both the simple past form and the past participle form. You can identify the past participle because it appears after auxiliary verbs like have or be, or it modifies a noun directly without serving as the main action verb.
We cleaned the conference room.
The cleaned conference room was ready for visitors.
Can a participle phrase appear at the beginning of a sentence?
Yes, present and past participle phrases often introduce sentences in formal or descriptive writing. When used this way, the participle phrase must describe the subject of the main clause that immediately follows the comma.
Walking into the lobby, Maya noticed the new art display.
Built fifty years ago, the stone bridge remains sturdy.
Before you go
Remember this
Determine what the verb form accomplishes in the sentence. Naming an action marks a gerund, showing progressive action or modifying a noun marks a present participle, and completing compound verbs or describing finished states marks a past participle.
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Speak for 30 to 60 seconds from memory. Imagine you and a friend are at a train station when your last train is canceled. Explain how you find another way home and what happens to your original plan. Then identify one gerund and one participle you used.
Use: planning was reviewing had prepared
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Our last train was canceled, so we needed another way home. I was reviewing the bus schedule while my friend checked taxi prices. We had prepared a clear travel plan, but it was suddenly useless. Luckily, careful planning helped us again. We found a bus to a nearby town and arranged for my sister to meet us there. It took longer, but we got home safely without spending too much. In my story, planning is a gerund because it names an activity. Reviewing is a present participle with was, and prepared is a past participle with had.
Try once more and answer this: How did you decide which way home was best?
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