October 14, 2015
-ing forms
We can use the -ing form of the verb:
• as a noun:
I love swimming.
Swimming is very good for your health.
You can get fit by swimming regularly.
-ing nouns are nearly always uncount nouns
- as an adjective:
The main problem today is rising prices.
That programme was really boring.
He saw a woman lying on the floor.
Because the -ing noun or adjective is formed from a verb it can have any of the patterns which follow a verb, for example:
- ... an object:
I like playing tennis.
I saw a dog chasing a cat.
- ... or an adverbial:
You can earn a lot of money by working hard.
There were several people waiting for the bus.
- ... or a clause:
I heard someone saying that.
The -ing noun can be used:
- as the subject of a verb:
Learning English is not easy.
- as the object of a verb:
We enjoy learning English.
Common verbs followed by an -ing object are:
admit | like | hate | start | avoid |
suggest | enjoy | dislike | begin | finish |
- as the object of a preposition
Some people are not interested in learning English.
The -ing adjective can come:
- in front of a noun:
I read an interesting article in the newspaper today.
We saw a really exciting match on Sunday.
The commonest –ing adjectives used in front of the noun are
amusing | interesting | worrying | shocking | disappointing |
boring | surprising | exciting | terrifying | frightening |
tiring | annoying |
- after a noun:
Who is that man standing over there?
The boy talking to Angela is her younger brother.
- and especially after verbs like see, watch, hear, smell etc.
I heard someone playing the piano.
I can smell something burning.
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Comments
rosario70 replied on Italy Permalink
good evening teachers!another day i noticed this following sentence few used in daily lunguage.
the sentence is: i'm still angry about having been fired by her , i wonder if might say in the following way: i'm still angry about her firing me and what type of ing form is it?
thank you in advance.
Kirk replied on Spain Permalink
Hello rosario70,
Yes, you can say it that way. In that case, the -ing form nominalises the verb (i.e. makes the verb into a noun) so that it can be the object of the preposition 'about'. This form is often called a 'gerund', though not all grammarians agree with that.
Best wishes,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
peyman89 replied on Iran Permalink
Hello Peter M
I quote two sentences from Anthony Kennys book " A Ancient Philosophy" as examples that I have a big problem with them in writing. ( Please note, I have highlighted their verbs with letters)
1. One who claims knowledge must be resolute, EXCLUDING the possibility of being rightly converted, at a later stage, to a difference view.
2. In fact, the stoic reply seems to be either unnecessary or insufficient, DEPENDING ON how we interpret the sceptical challenge?.
Could you explain "when, where and why we use from sentences like these? an " why the comma lies befor the verb of sentence?
Thank You So Much,
Kirk replied on Spain Permalink
Hello peyman89,
I think the best way to learn to use these phrases would be to look for examples of them. You have several options. The easiest is to look them up in a good dictionary, e.g. Cambridge Dictionaries Online, Oxford Dictionaries Online – in both of these as well as many others, you can see examples and definitions. Another is to do an internet search for them inside "quotation marks" to see how they are used on different webpages. Finally, you might want to consider searching for them in a corpus such as the British National Corpus, which will show you how they have been used in different sources.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
La Rousse replied on Brazil Permalink
I have the following doubt,which one of the above sentences are right:
His error is dont making the studants studying,His error is dont making the studants study
Kirk replied on Spain Permalink
Hello La Rousse,
I'm afraid that neither of those sentences are grammatical. I'd suggest perhaps 'His error is not making the students study.'
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
rosario70 replied on Italy Permalink
good morning teachers, i have a doubt one more time about the ing form, last week i noticed the following sentences: 1) i'm gutted dad going away 2) you're upset me rejceting you; 3) we're meant to be discussing hoods. about 1 and 2 i might say : i'm gutted that dad went away and you're upset that i rejceted you, are there any differences? in 3 if we said : we're meant discussing hoods...
thank you early.
Kirk replied on Spain Permalink
Hello rosario70,
Sentences 1 and 2 are not really grammatical, but I understand them to mean the same things that you do. Sentence 3 is correct – 'be meant to do something' (which is in our dictionary) is used to indicate an intention or plan, so this means something like 'we are supposed to be discussing hoods' or even 'we should be discussing hoods'.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
rosario70 replied on Italy Permalink
hi kirk, i apologize to you for my insistence, but i want to understand well the 1 sentence( i'm gutted dad going away) like it is written that refers to an action that happened in the past , dad has already gone. has not he ? but if wanted to write that at the present, then might i say in the following way? ... i'm gutted dad to go away or for istance i'm happy my wife to be back today.
thank you again.
Peter M replied on Poland Permalink
Hello rosario70,
For the sentences to mean what you want it is necessary to add 'about':
I'm gutted about dad going away.
(You could also say 'I'm gutted about dad's going away.')
The meaning here is a present feeling about a past event.
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
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