Term for words ending in -ing

Question

What is the term for a word that ends in -ing?

Answer 1

If you are running, "running" is a verb with the auxiliary verb "are" showing the tense. If you say "Running is good exercise," then "running" is being used as a noun and in this use it is called a gerund.

Answer 2

It depends on how you use the form. If you use it as part of a verb phrase as in "I'm walking today" or "I was reading yesterday," then that would be considered part of the progressive tense--both past and present. But if you treat it as a noun like in "Reading is important for cognitive development," then it would be considered a gerund. When asking about grammar (note the gerund "asking"), you need to consider the follow aspects: form (how the word looks), meaning (what the word means/signifies), and use (how people use the word).

Jacob

Answer 3

This is called a gerund.