How to tell whether ing forms are gerunds or participles

Question

So I looked up the meanings of the word "former" and the descriptions were as follows :

Having previously been a particular thing.

Denoting the first or first mentioned of two people or things.

I dont know whether having and denoting are gerunds or participles and although I can normally tell the difference sometimes its very difficult.

Examples of where its clear which one it is :

Gerund : Walking on the beach is fun.

Participle : Walking on the beach, I got sunburned because I forgot to use sunscreen.

Many modern grammars do not distinguish gerunds and present participles, simply calling the -ing forms "gerund-participles" - it's simpler and better. So all your examples are best called "gerund-participial" clauses headed by the gerund-participle verbs "having", "denoting" and "walking". — BillJ, Mar 17, 2017 at 8:53
Possible duplicate of Is this -ing form a gerund or a participle? — fred2, Mar 17, 2019 at 23:55

ThomasPepperz · Accepted Answer · 2019-03-20 23:50:19Z

-1

A gerund is a word ending with -ing that functions as a noun.

Ex. I enjoy (the activity of) swimming).

Ex. Walking is healthy for you.

Ex. Sleeping is a pastime for some people.

Not a gerund: He is sleeping.

answered Mar 20, 2019 at 23:50

ThomasPepperz

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