Forming and Using Present Participles in the English Language

Forming and Using Present Participles in the English Language

Present participles—words built from verbs with the ending -ing—are among the most flexible forms in English. They help form the progressive (continuous) tenses (is reading, were writing), function as adjectives (a shining example), and, when used as gerunds, behave as nouns (Reading expands knowledge). Because they carry so much grammatical weight, small errors in their formation or placement can cause ambiguity or distract reviewers and editors. This guide consolidates the core spelling rules, shows how participles operate across structures, and highlights common pitfalls—especially those that surface in scholarly prose.

1) Formation Basics: When -ing Is Straightforward

For the majority of English verbs, the present participle is formed simply by adding -ing to the base form:

• be → being; read → reading; work → working; see → seeing; instruct → instructing.

However, several predictable spelling patterns modify this default rule. Mastering them will prevent the most frequent mistakes.

2) Spelling Rules and Their Exceptions

a) Doubling the final consonant (CVC pattern)

When a one-syllable verb ends in a consonant–vowel–consonant (CVC) sequence, double the final consonant before adding -ing:

• hum → humming; run → running; mop → mopping.

For multi-syllable verbs, double the final consonant when the final syllable is stressed:

• submit → submitting; begin → beginning.

If the final syllable is not stressed, do not double:

• open → opening; loosen → loosening.

b) Verbs ending in -ie: change to y + -ing

• die → dying; lie → lying; tie → tying; vie → vying.

Note the important distinction between dying (from die) and dyeing (from dye), which keeps the e to preserve meaning.

c) Dropping a final silent e

For verbs ending in a consonant + silent e, drop the e before adding -ing:

• write → writing; take → taking; drive → driving; hope → hoping; mope → moping.

These examples neatly separate similar spellings with different roots: moping (from mope) vs mopping (from mop); hoping (from hope) vs hopping (from hop).

d) Keeping the vowel in -ee, -ye, and special cases

When a verb ends with a long vowel spelled with double letters, keep the vowel:

• see → seeing; flee → fleeing.

Some verbs keep the e to avoid confusion with another word: singe → singeing (not singing).

e) Verbs ending in -c: add k before -ing

• panic → panicking; mimic → mimicking; frolic → frolicking; picnic → picnicking.

f) Consonant doubling that you shouldn’t do

Some verbs look like they might take a doubled consonant but normally do not in standard usage:

• target → targeting (not targetting); benefit → benefiting (BrE sometimes accepts benefitting but many journals prefer one t).

3) Present Participles in the Progressive (Continuous) Tenses

Present participles combine with a form of be to create the six progressive tenses. The auxiliary carries tense; the participle (-ing form) stays constant.

4) Present Participle vs Gerund: Same Form, Different Function

The -ing form has two major functions:

1. Present participle (verbal/adjectival): modifies a noun or completes a progressive verb phrase.
   The reading student (adjective); The student is reading (progressive verb).

2. Gerund (nominal): functions as a noun.
   Reading improves comprehension (subject); They enjoy reading (object).

Distinguish them by role: if the -ing word behaves like a noun (can take articles, be pluralised in limited idiomatic cases, or be replaced with a pronoun like this), you’re dealing with a gerund. If it’s describing a noun or forming a progressive tense, it’s a present participle.

5) Participial Adjectives: Placement and Punctuation

Present participles used adjectivally usually appear before the noun they modify: a burning candle, a hopping rabbit, a writing scholar. They can also appear in participial phrases that follow the noun:

• The candle, burning steadily, lit the desk.
• The scholars, writing late into the night, compared notes.

Use commas for non-restrictive phrases (extra information) and omit commas for restrictive phrases (essential to identify the noun):

• Students writing abstracts must follow the template. (restrictive; no commas)
• Students, writing abstracts, often need examples. (non-restrictive; commas)

6) Dangling and Misrelated Participles: Avoid These Traps

A dangling participle occurs when the participial phrase lacks a clear, logical subject in the main clause:

• Dangling: Reading the results carefully, the conclusion seemed obvious. (Who was reading?)
• Correct: Reading the results carefully, the researcher found the conclusion obvious.

A misrelated participle happens when the participial phrase attaches to the wrong noun:

• Misrelated: Submitting the manuscript, the response arrived two days later. (The response didn’t submit the manuscript.)
• Correct: After submitting the manuscript, the authors received a response two days later.

7) Common Collocations and Idiomatic Uses

Academic prose favours certain participial structures that signal logical relationships:

• Result: Indicating a significant trend, the plot supports Hypothesis 2.
• Cause/condition: Assuming equal variances, we applied a pooled t-test.
• Concession: Notwithstanding the small sample, findings remain suggestive.
• Time/sequence: Beginning with the pilot, we refined the survey items.

These must still pass the subject test: the doer of the participial action should be the subject of the main clause.

8) Style, Register, and Clarity in Scholarly Writing

Because participles can compress information, overusing them can create dense, breathless sentences. Aim for balance:

• Alternate participial openings with finite clauses (Because we assumed…) to vary rhythm.
• Prefer precision over compression when methods are complex: sometimes a full clause is clearer than a stacked series of participles.
• Avoid long strings of modifiers before a noun (the carefully calibrated, recently refurbished, continuously operating spectrometer) unless clarity is unaffected.

9) Proofreading Checklist for -ing Forms

• Formation: Have you applied the correct spelling rule (drop e, -ie → y, doubling, +k after c)?
• Region: Is your l-doubling consistent with the requested variety (BrE vs AmE)?
• Homographs: Have you avoided meaning-confusing forms (dyeing vs dying, singeing vs singing)?
• Syntax: Do participial phrases clearly modify the subject that follows?
• Tense: In progressive forms, is the auxiliary be correct and properly inflected?
• Flow: Have you varied sentence openings and avoided participle overload?

10) Teaching and Learning Tips

• Stress awareness: For doubling, practice hearing which syllable is stressed (be-GIN → beginning vs O-pen → opening).
• Minimal pairs: Contrast sets like hop/hoping vs hop/hopping to reinforce rules.
• Colour-code roles: In drafts, highlight -ing words and label them P (participle), G (gerund), or Prog (progressive) to diagnose errors.
• Corpus check: When unsure about regional norms (travelling/traveling), consult your style guide or the target journal’s recent articles.

11) Expanded Examples in Context

As progressive tense: The team is analysing the revised dataset, and reviewers are requesting additional robustness checks.

As participial adjective: The resulting figure shows a narrowing confidence interval.

As trailing participial phrase: The committee approved the protocol, acknowledging the mitigating safeguards.

As gerund (subject): Replicating prior studies strengthens cumulative evidence.

As gerund (object): We recommend avoiding overlapping samples.

12) Edge Cases Worth Knowing

• Proper-name verbs: When brand or proper names are used as verbs in informal contexts (to Google), apply normal rules (Googling). In formal prose, prefer standard verbs (searching).
• Hyphenated verbs: Form the participle from the main verb: beta-test → beta-testing.
• Phrasal verbs: The participle attaches to the verb, not the particle: set up → setting up.
• Ambiguity with “being”: Use sparingly, and only when needed for passive progressive or predicative nuance: The samples are being stored at 4°C.

Conclusion: A Small Ending with Big Effects

Present participles may look simple—just add -ing—but their effect on clarity, accuracy, and tone is profound. The right spelling captures sound and meaning; the right structure prevents ambiguity; the right balance improves style. In academic and scientific writing, where precision is paramount, confident control of -ing forms separates polished manuscripts from drafts. Learn the formation patterns, align with your style guide, and position participial phrases where they belong. Your readers—and your reviewers—will thank you.