Snowboarding can be a gerund or a present participle .

When snowboarding is a gerund , it acts like a noun . It can be a subject, an object, the object of a preposition, or a subject complement.

When snowboarding is a present participle , it is part of a continuous verb tense.

Unlike a gerund, a present participle can act like an adjective that modifies a noun or follows the be verb.

Example: exciting

An exciting time was had by all.

The word exciting is a present participle used as an adjective to modify a noun or to follow the verb to be.

• The exciting ride made the people scream. [ adjective + noun]
• People enjoyed the exciting roller coaster. [ adjective + noun]
• The roller coaster is exciting . [be verb + adjective]

Now YOU try: Look at the sentences below. Decide whether the underlined –ing word is acting like a noun, part of a verb, or an adjective. (Answers below)

Answers: 1) adjective, 2) gerund, 3) gerund, 4) verb, 5) verb & verb, 6) adjective, 7) verb, 8) gerund

How do you know if it's a participle or the gerund?

The easiest way to tell the difference between the gerund and the present participle is to look for the helping verb “be”. If you find a form of “be” followed by the -ing form, that’s the present participle. For example: They’ve have been working for four hours. If the -ing form begins the sentence, or follows a verb or preposition, that’s the gerund. For example: Playing soccer is a lot of fun!