A present participle is a form of a verb that ends in -ing and helps show that an action is happening or continuing. When you say “I am running,” the word running is the present participle of the verb “run.” When you write “She was laughing,” laughing is the present participle of “laugh.”

Present participles work in two main ways. First, they combine with helping verbs like am, is, are, was, or were to show ongoing action: “They are studying for the test” or “The dog was barking all night.” Second, they can work like adjectives to describe things: “the sleeping baby” or “the running water.”

You form most present participles by adding -ing to a verb, though sometimes you need to adjust the spelling first. “Make” becomes making (drop the silent e), “run” becomes running (double the n), and “carry” becomes carrying (keep the y).

Present participles help make your writing more vivid and immediate. Compare “The storm caused damage” with “The howling storm was knocking down trees and flooding the streets.” The present participles paint a much more dramatic picture of what's happening.