What's the easiest way to tell the difference between participles and gerund? Besides that one is a adjective and the other one is a noun and the type of questions they ask.

Present participles and gerunds all end in -ing, as you no doubt know.

Participles, since they are adjectives, will be describing someone or something.

Gerunds, since they serve as nouns, will not describe anything, but will be recognizably in one of the primary noun spots in a sentence: the subject, the predicate noun, the direct object, object of a preposition.

http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/participle.htm

http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/gerund.htm

Participles may end in -ing, but I guess you could look at how the word ends to identify it as a participle or a gerund.

Examples:

The TIRED man slept----> showing a past participle.

SLEEPING relaxes the body----> showing a gerund.

Nouns can be used as subjects, direct objects, and objects of prepositions.

Adjectives always modify a noun or pronoun.

If you understand these parts of speech and their uses in sentences, it should be fairly easy to tell the difference between gerunds and participles.

Thank You Writeacher

You're welcome!

To differentiate between participles and gerunds, you can consider their forms, functions, and positions in a sentence. Here are some key factors to look for:

1. Form: Participles often end in "-ing" (present participles) or "-ed" or "-en" (past participles), while gerunds always end in "-ing."

2. Function: Participles typically function as adjectives, modifying nouns or pronouns. Gerunds, on the other hand, function as nouns, acting as subjects, objects, or complements in a sentence.

3. Position: Participles usually appear in a participial phrase, which follows the noun it modifies. Gerunds usually appear at the beginning or middle of a sentence, performing the role of a subject or object.

For example, consider the sentence: "Running late, Tina missed the bus."

In this sentence, "running" is a participle because it serves as an adjective modifying "Tina." It answers the question: What was Tina doing?

Now consider the sentence: "Running is my favorite hobby."

Here, "running" is a gerund because it functions as the subject of the sentence. It answers the question: What is my favorite hobby?

By analyzing the form, function, and position of a word, you can identify whether it is a participle or a gerund. Keep in mind that context and sentence structure play important roles in determining the correct classification.