The present participle is a verb part. It is formed with the ending “-ing” and looks just like a gerund (e.g., “going,” “walking,” “sitting,” “dancing,” “eating”). We see or hear the present participle most often in sentences that use progressive forms as in the following examples:
He’s sleeping.
She’s working late tonight.
I’m making a cake.
They’ve been building a sandcastle.
He was cleaning the bathroom while she was cleaning the kitchen.
I will be sitting on the beach by this time tomorrow.
The present participle is also used to describe what some person, thing, or animal is engaged in at a certain point in time. When the present participle is used in this way, it is not part of a main verb of a clause. It is functioning as an adjectival modifier instead. It is used to describe a noun or noun phrase. Often, the present participle describes a person or thing in terms of what they are doing at a particular time.
The sleeping lion looked almost tame.
We put out the last glowing coals of the fire.
She witnessed them stealing the bicycle.
There he was, sitting on the front porch, reading a book.
I watched the boats sailing across the lake.
Walking so quickly, she hardly noticed me.