What are they?
Present participles are the -ing form of the verb. This is the gerund form of the verb.
How do you form them?
Take the base form and add -ing to the end.
Example:
Add + ing = Adding He is adding the number of items you are buying.
Melt + ing = Melting The snow is melting because Spring is coming.
Pretty simple! Be careful because there are spelling changes in some cases.
Words that end in -e
Drop the -e and add -ing
Example:
Come -> Coming She is coming down the mountain.
Write -> Writing They are writing a new story.
Some words that end in -p, -b, -m, -n, -g
Double the consonant and add -ing
Example:
Stop -> Stopping They are stopping over in Luxembourg on the way to Germany.
Stab -> Stabbing Stop stabbing at your steak and eat it!
Jam -> Jamming The paper keeps jamming in the printer.
Plan -> Planning The man is planning a surprise party for his best friend.
Beg -> Begging After winning the lottery, they won’t be begging for their supper tonight.
Not all words ending in -p, -b, -m, -n double the consonants.
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