English: the present participle

Self-tutoring about English: the tutor mentions the present participle.

The following is according to my understanding.

In English, the present participle ends in -ing. It’s a form of verb used to indicate an ongoing action (which can be part of an adverb phrase), or to make the action of a verb function as a noun:

Example 1:

While the dough was rising, he washed the dishes. In this case, the rising of the dough is an ongoing action, which gives the time frame within which he washed the dishes.

The ringing of the phone awakened her. In this case, “ringing” is being used as a noun, but it’s based on the verb “to ring.”

Source:

Hodges, J.C., Horner, W.B., Webb, S.S., Miller, R.K., Stubbs, A. (2003). Harbrace Handbook for Canadians, sixth edition. Nelson Education Ltd.