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The two basic functions of -ing in English are to make a gerund and to make a present active participle. Although gerunds and present participles look alike in modern English, they differ in many languages (including earlier forms of English itself) and have different grammatical functions.

The English gerund is a noun constructed by adding -ing to a verb. It names the action of the verb, and can often be used interchangeably with the infinitive ("to ") form. For example,

  • "I love running." - "I love to run."
  • "Reading is educational." - "To read is educational." (or, more idiomatically, "It is educational to read.")

The English present participle is an adjective constructed by adding -ing to a verb. It identifies someone or something as being in the process of performing the action of the verb:

  • "She chased the running child."
  • "I saw him reading in the corner."

In Old English, the gerund ended in -inge and the present participle ended in -ende. These forms merged during the Middle English period, so that in modern English the two forms are distinguished only by their usage.

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