What do you already know about gerunds and present participles?
Gerunds and present participles are forms of verbals, which are words derived from verbs but used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
A gerund is a verb form that functions as a noun and usually ends in "-ing." For example, in the sentence "Running is my favorite hobby," the word "running" is a gerund as it acts as the subject of the sentence.
A present participle is a verb form that is used as an adjective or to form progressive tenses (continuous actions) and usually ends in "-ing." For instance, in the sentence "The dancing girl captivated the audience," the word "dancing" is a present participle modifying the noun "girl."
Both gerunds and present participles look identical, but their functions in a sentence differ. Gerunds act as nouns, while present participles function as adjectives or form progressive tenses.