The -ing form
The -ing form of the verb is a versatile player. It can function as a verb form, for example in sentences:
- I’m singing in the rain
- You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met you
- I’m going to a town
Or in noun phrases:
- A duck biting a dog’s ears
- A panda getting a fright
- A dog bursting 74 balloons in less than a minute
It can also function as a noun:
Or as an adjective:
- Fainting goats (more here)
- Talking cats (lesson plan here)
- A laughing baby
- A skateboarding dog
- Flying penguins (story here)
- A moonwalking bear (lesson plan here)
- A skydiving mouse
- A smoking ape
- A snoring duck
- A walking house (story here)
Recall the clips
The format for this activity has been used before (see here and here). This time, we are going to use the 10 clips in which the -ing forms behave as adjectives (fainting goats, talking cats, etc). The activity should take place over two days and you will need the following:
- Your students’ email addresses
- A worksheet and slideshow (all contained in the pdf file below)
the-ing-form-as-an-adjective.pdf
Day 1
1. Start by telling your students that you have 10 YouTube clips for them. Get them to guess the content of the clips by completing the worksheet (get this from the pdf file above).
2. Let everyone share and compare their answers before the end of the class.
3. Later that evening, send everyone in the class an email with links to the 10 YouTube clips. Copy them from below and paste them into an email.
- Fainting goats
- Talking cats
- A laughing baby
- A skateboarding dog
- Flying penguins
- A Moonwalking bear
- A Skydiving mouse
- A Smoking ape
- A Snoring duck
- A walking house
Day 2
Use the slideshow in the pdf file to elicit and drill the language.
Some of the clips have stories behind them (fainting goats, flying penguins and walking house). Accompying texts can be used in conjunction with the clips for reading activities.