How to use ing verbs ?
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In this lesson about the -ing form in English we will see its formation and use (ex: playing, living, washing…)
What is the purpose of -ing in English?
The English -ing is used for the English gerund and for the present participle. That’s why the gerund and the present participle are called “-ing form”. However, there are differences between the two. -Ing is mainly used to talk about activities.
1. Used as the subject of a sentence:
- Flying makes me nervous.
- Eating fast food is bad for your health.
2. Used as a complement:
- He likes playing soccer.
- I love watching anime.
- I enjoy reading books.
3. Used as an adjective:
- it’s disgusting
- this TV program is interesting
- it’s discouraging
- she is boring
- my job is tiring
- running water
4. Used as a name:
- a wedding
- a painting
5. For activities:
- swimming
- surfing
- fishing
- skate-boarding
- traveling
- reading
6. We can use it withwith while or by :
- I listened music while going to the supermarket
- He reads a book while watching TV
- You should find it by using internet
7. Used after a preposition:
- I’m interested in teaching french to foreigners.
- He’s good at playing video games.
8. With the progressive form of a verb :
- present progressif → I am watching TV
- present perfect progressive → I have been watching TV
- past progressive → I was watching TV
- past perfect progressive → I had been watching TV
- futur progressive → I will be watching TV
- futur perfect progressive → I will have been watching TV
9. After some phrasal verbs:
- I look forward to hearing from you soon. (at the end of a letter)
- He wants to give up smoking.
10. In compound names:
- bird-watching
- a swimming pool
- a developing country
- shaving cream
- good looking
- a washing machine
- a driving lesson
- a frying pan
- a sleeping bag
11. After some expressions :
can’t stand, can’t help, don’t mind, it’s no use/good, be + worth:
- He couldn’t help falling in love with her.
- I can’t stand being late for the movie.
- I don’t mind waiting for her.
- It’s no use/good lying to her.
- It might be worth visiting the park at night.
or expressions that end with a preposition:
- There’s no point in driving to the party, the road is jammed.
- In spite of missing the plane, she arrived on time.
- what about having dinner now ?
12. After No… to express the prohibition:
You may have already seen those signs:
- No smoking
- No parking
- No skateboarding
- No littering
How the verb & ing is formed in English
The -ing can be added to the verbal base:
- be → being
- do → doing
- want → wanting
- ski → skiing
- call → calling
- read → reading
- say → saying
Verbs that end in a silent -e- lose it if you add a -ing:
- love → loving
- come → coming
- make → making
- dance → dancing
- dive → diving
- have → having
- move → moving
If the verb ends in -ie, it must be replaced by -ying:
- die → dying
- tie → tying
- lie → lying
If the verb ends in consonant – vowel – consonant, and is fully accented or at the end, the end consonant must be doubled and -ing added:
- begin → beginning
- stop → stopping
- sit → sitting
- get → getting
- plan → planning
- run → running
If the accent is not on the end, simply add -ing:
- happen → happening
- listen → listening
- open → opening
- visit → visiting
If the verb ends in w, x or -y, we simply add -ing:
- play → playing
- snow → snowing
- fix → fixing
- spy → spying
- spray → spraying
Beware of verbs ending in -c (there are not many of them):
- panic → panicking
- mimic → mimicking
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