Participles function as adjectives or adverbs, while gerunds function as nouns. Participles end in -ing, -ed, or -en, and gerunds end in -ing. Both can take the form of single words or phrases and function as subjects, direct objects, or objects of prepositions.
Both a participle and a gerund are classified as verbs, which, in English grammar, are defined as verbs that operate in a sentence as if they were other parts of speech. The difference between these two verbs lies in their function in a sentence. A participle is a verb that functions as an adjective or occasionally as an adverb, while a gerund is a verb that functions as a noun. Participles may end in -ing, -ed or -en and gerunds in -ing.
Verbs, as their designation suggests, originate from verbs. As such, they convey states of being or states of action. Both a participle and a gerund could take the form of a word. A participle and a gerund can also take the form of sentences. Participles in sentences act as modifiers, while gerunds in sentences function as subjects, direct objects or objects of prepositions.
Present participles function in sentences as adjectives or adverbs and end in -ing. An example of a present participle occurring as a single word in a sentence is as follows: “The woman stroked the purring cat.” In this sentence, “to purr”, the present participle, functions as an adjective and modifies the word “cat”. A present participle can also take the form of a sentence, as in this example: “The dog that barked at the car was reprimanded by its owner.” “Barking at the car” is a present participatory sentence modifying the word “dog”.
Several endings, including -ing, -ed or -en, are possible for past participles. In the example “The burnt meat sizzled in the pan,” the past participle is the single word “burned,” which functions as an adjective and modifies the word “meat.” When used as a sentence, a past participle can look like this: “Chosen from many contestants, the winner of the beauty pageant was delighted.” Here, “chosen out of many contestants” is the past participatory phrase, functioning as an adjective modifying “beauty contest winner.”
Both a participle and a gerund can take the form of single words or phrases. As single words, gerunds can function either as subjects, direct objects, or objects of prepositions. In the sentence “Hiking is his favorite outdoor sport,” the gerund “hiking” appears as the subject of the sentence. If the sentence reads “His favorite outdoor sport is hiking,” then the gerund “hiking” becomes the direct object. The gerund “hiking” is the subject of a preposition when the sentence reads: “He will get in great shape by hiking.”
As sentences, gerunds can also function as the subjects, direct objects, or objects of prepositions. The gerund phrase “to read a good book” serves as the subject of the sentence “Reading a good book is one of life’s greatest pleasures.” The same gerund sentence works as a direct object when the sentence is “The greatest pleasure in life is to read a good book.” The gerund phrase “to read a good book” becomes the subject of a preposition in the sentence “One can find inspiration by reading a good book”.
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