-ing
Encyclopedia
In the English language
, the suffix -ing is used primarily in two closely related ways:
It is also used more rarely in various other ways – see Wiktionary article on "-ing" for details; these include:
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, the suffix -ing is used primarily in two closely related ways:
- As a verb form (the present participle), to indicate the continuous aspect, as in "I am learning about English grammar" – see Continuous and progressive aspects#English
- As a corresponding noun, as in "Learning is fun", where it is known as the gerundGerundIn linguistics* As applied to English, it refers to the usage of a verb as a noun ....
– see Gerund#Gerunds in English
It is also used more rarely in various other ways – see Wiktionary article on "-ing" for details; these include:
- Uncountable collective nouns, such as pipingPipingWithin industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid....
- Having a quality, as in geldingGeldingA gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
- Patronymics, as in Browning