Here's a breakdown:
* Base form: The simplest form of a verb, without any endings (e.g., walk, eat, sing).
* Present participle: The base form + "-ing" (e.g., walking, eating, singing).
Examples:
* Base form: play
* Present participle: playing
* Base form: jump
* Present participle: jumping
Special cases:
* Verbs ending in -e: Drop the -e and add -ing (e.g., write - writing, make - making).
* Verbs ending in a consonant followed by a single vowel and then a consonant: Double the final consonant and add -ing (e.g., swim - swimming, run - running).
* Verbs ending in -y preceded by a consonant: Change the -y to -i and add -ing (e.g., try - trying, cry - crying).
Uses of the present participle:
* Continuous tenses: "I am walking," "They are eating."
* Adjectives: "The singing bird," "A running stream."
* Gerunds (verbs acting as nouns): "Swimming is good exercise."
Let me know if you have any other questions!