An Introduction to Present Participles and Gerunds

An Introduction to Present Participles and Gerunds Things arent always what they seem. For instance, although weve known for centuries that the sun doesnt move around the earth, we still use the expression rising sun. And even though rise is ordinarily a verb, in this expression (with the -ing ending) it functions more like an adjective, modifying the noun sun. To top things off, we call rising a present participle, yet present participles dont really tell us much about time (past, present, or future). Leaving the astronomical issues to Neil deGrasse Tyson, well stick to English grammar. In particular, the question What is a present participle? In one respect, the present participle is a simple, straightforward construction. Whether rising or setting, eating or drinking, laughing  or  crying, waking or sleeping,  its formed by adding -ing to the base form of a verb. No exceptions. After that, however, it gets a little more complicated. For one thing, the label is misleading. Its true that the present participle (in the following example, sleeping)  sometimes seems  to indicate present time: He looks at the sleeping  baby. But when the tense of the main verb changes to the simple past, the time of the present participle appears to change right along with it: He looked at the sleeping  baby. And when the main verb points to the future, the present participle again tags along: He will look at the sleeping  baby. The truth is, the present participle really doesnt mark time at all. That job is reserved for the main verb and its auxiliaries  (looks, looked, will look). And for this reason, among others, many linguists prefer to use the term -ing form rather than present participle. The Multiple Personalities of Present Participles Weve already seen another peculiarity of the present participle (or -ing form): it has multiple personalities. Though based on a verb, the present participle often works as an adjective. In our examples so far, the present participle sleeping  modifies the noun baby.  But thats not always the case. Consider how the -ing words are used in this quotation, variously attributed to Confucius, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Vince Lombardi, and American Idol veteran Clay Aiken: Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall. Both falling and rising function here as nouns - specifically, as objects of the preposition in. When a verb plus -ing does the job of a noun, it reveals its secret identity as a gerund,  or verbal noun. (The term verbal, by the way, refers to any verb form that serves in a sentence as a noun or a modifier,  rather than as a verb).   Then again, when an -ing word is combined with a form of the auxiliary verb to be, it functions (once again) as a verb: The price of oil is rising. This construction is called the progressive, which in fact is the most common use of the present participle in English. The present progressive is made up of a present form of to be plus a present participle (is rising). The past progressive is made up of a past form of to be plus a present participle (was rising). And the future progressive is made up of the verb phrase will be plus a present participle (will be rising).   Source Our Greatest Glory Is Not in Never Falling, But in Rising Every Time We Fall. Quote Investigator, May 27, 2014.

Mammal Species Characteristics

Mammal Species Characteristics Have you ever thought about what makes mammal species different from other vertebrates? If not, Im sure that you have noticed the differences between a snake, which is a reptile, and an elephant. Being a mammal myself, I have always found this particular class of vertebrates very interesting. As you will see, mammals have certain characteristics that differentiate them from other vertebrates. Lets take a look at some of these characteristics. Mammal Characteristics To begin with, mammal species are in the Class Mammalia, within the Subphylum Vertebrata, under the Phylum Chordata, in the Kingdom Animalia. Now that you have that straight, lets look at some specific traits of mammals. One main characteristic that mammals have is a feature that usually stands on end in frightening situations. Can you guess what it is? Yes, its hair or fur, whichever the case may be. This trait is useful in maintaining the constant body temperature that is important to all endothermic animals. Another characteristic is the ability to produce milk. This comes in handy while nourishing babies which are usually born fully developed (exceptions are the monotremes and the marsupials). Fertilization occurs within the reproductive tract of the female and most have a placenta that provides nutrients to the developing embryo. Mammalian young are usually slow to leave the nest, which allows for a longer period of time for the parents to teach skills that are necessary for survival. Respiratory and circulatory features of mammals include a diaphragm for proper lung ventilation and a heart that has four chambers to ensure that blood is circulated appropriately. Mammals can comprehend and learn things, which can be attributed to a larger brain size as compared to vertebrates of similar size. Finally, the existence of teeth that are different in size and function is a trait that is seen among mammals. All of these characteristics (hair, maintaining a constant body temperature, production of milk, internal fertilization, young born fully developed, highly developed circulatory and respiratory systems, larger brain size, and differences in the size and function of teeth) make mammal species unique among the vertebrates.