What is the difference between a gerund and a participle?
A gerund is a form of a verb used as a noun, whereas a participle is a form of verb used as an adjective or as a verb in conjunction with an auxiliary verb.
In English, the present participle has the same form as the gerund, and the difference is in how they are used. When used with an auxiliary verb ("is walking"), it serves as a verb and is the present participle. When used as an adjective ("a walking contradiction") it is also a participle. However, when used as a noun ("walking is good for you"), it is a gerund.
A gerund is used as a noun, a participle as an adjective.
A gerund is always used as a noun in a sentence but a participle always modifies the meaning of an adjective and an adverb.
protected by RegDwigнt♦ Jan 29 '13 at 15:01
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