List Of Verbs With Ing | Classroom Examples And Rules

You see “-ing” all over: texting friends, reading labels, writing essays, talking about plans. Sometimes it’s a plain verb form (“I’m working”). Sometimes it acts like a noun (“Working helps me relax”). And sometimes it behaves like an adjective (“a working plan”). If you’ve ever wondered why the same “-ing” word can do three jobs, you’re not alone.

This page gives you a clean set of examples you can borrow for homework, lesson plans, and daily writing. You’ll also get quick rules, spelling notes, and sentence patterns so the words don’t sit there unused right away.

What “Ing” Means In Verbs

In English, many verbs can take an -ing ending. That ending shows up in three common ways.

• Present participle in verb tenses: used with “be” to form continuous tenses (I am studying).
• Gerund: an -ing form that works as a noun (Studying takes time).
• Participle as an adjective: an -ing form that describes a noun (a boring lecture).

If you want the formal grammar labels and more examples, Purdue OWL’s verbals handout lays out gerunds, participles, and infinitives with clear models.

List Of Verbs With Ing By Use Type

The table below groups common verbs by meaning so you can grab words that fit your sentence. Each row gives a base verb and a few ready “-ing” forms you can drop into writing.

Use Type	Base Verbs	Common “-ing” Forms
Movement	walk, run, jump	walking, running, jumping
Learning	study, practice, read	studying, practicing, reading
Talking	say, ask, explain	saying, asking, explaining
Creating	make, build, design	making, building, designing
Daily tasks	cook, clean, shop	cooking, cleaning, shopping
Thinking	think, plan, choose	thinking, planning, choosing
Feelings	enjoy, worry, miss	enjoying, worrying, missing
Work and school	write, grade, teach	writing, grading, teaching
Tech and media	stream, upload, print	streaming, uploading, printing

Fast sentence patterns that fit most “-ing” verbs

When you pair the list with a few patterns, writing gets easier. Here are three that fit most class tasks.

• Be + -ing: “She is reading in the library.”
• Like/love/hate + -ing: “I like drawing when I’m bored.”
• Preposition + -ing: “He left without saying goodbye.”

Why “-ing” can act like a noun

A gerund is built from a verb, but it fills noun slots in a sentence. That’s why you can put it after articles and adjectives: “the quick running,” “her careful planning.” You can also use it as a subject: “Sleeping helps.”

One detail many learners miss is the possessive before a gerund in formal writing. You may see “I appreciated your helping” instead of “I appreciated you helping.” British Council’s note on possessives before a gerund shows this pattern in context.

Picking The Right Verb For Your Sentence

Lists are handy, but choice matters. A sentence feels natural when the verb matches the action and the tone. Try these checks.

1. Ask what the subject is doing. If it’s an action in progress, use be + -ing: “They are packing.”
2. Ask what activity is being treated as a “thing”. If it’s a hobby, habit, or topic, use a gerund: “Painting calms me.”
3. Ask what noun is being described. If the “-ing” word describes something, treat it like an adjective: “a shocking result.”

If two choices both feel possible, read the sentence out loud. Does it sound like an action happening now, or like an activity name? Your ear often catches the difference faster than a rule list.

Common school verbs in “-ing” form

These show up in essays, lab reports, and class chats. Mix them with time words like “today,” “this week,” and “right now” to make your meaning clear.

• answering, arguing, summarizing, revising
• researching, citing, outlining, drafting
• solving, checking, measuring, graphing
• presenting, explaining, comparing, reporting

Verbs With Ing For Writing Tone

The same “-ing” form can feel casual or formal depending on the verb you pick. Here are sets you can swap when you want a different tone.

Neutral verbs that suit most writing

Use these when you want plain, clear sentences.

making, using, finding, showing, keeping, working, learning, getting, helping, choosing

More formal verbs for academic tasks

These work well in school writing when you need precision.

reviewing, evaluating, classifying, interpreting, estimating, organizing, verifying, describing, calculating, documenting

Daily verbs for stories and journals

These help scenes feel alive without sounding stiff.

laughing, chatting, waiting, wandering, listening, staring, cooking, hurrying, resting, dreaming

Spelling Rules For Adding Ing

Most verbs just add -ing. A few need spelling changes, and those changes trip people up in writing tests and quick texts. The table below is a quick fix sheet.

Base Verb Pattern	Rule	Example
Most verbs	Add -ing	play → playing
Silent e at end	Drop e, add -ing	make → making
ie at end	Change ie to y, add -ing	tie → tying
One vowel + one consonant	Double final consonant (stress at end)	run → running
Two vowels + consonant	Do not double	rain → raining
Ends with w, x, y	Do not double	fix → fixing
Ends with c	Add k before -ing	panic → panicking

A quick way to spot doubling

Doubling feels messy, so here’s a simple habit: say the verb out loud and listen for the stress. “Admit” is stressed at the end, so it becomes “admitting.” “Open” is stressed first, so it becomes “opening,” not “openning.”

Spelling traps that sneak into student work

Some errors pop up again and again. They’re easy to fix once you know what to watch for.

• Forgetting to drop silent e: “makeing” should be “making.”
• Doubling when you shouldn’t: “visit” becomes “visiting,” not “visitting.”
• Missing the extra k: “panic” becomes “panicking,” not “panicing.”
• Mixing up -ie: “die” becomes “dying,” not “dieing.”

Using Ing Forms After Common Verbs

Some main verbs are often followed by an “-ing” activity: enjoy, finish, avoid, keep, suggest. Others tend to take “to + verb”: decide to leave, hope to win. A few allow both with a meaning change: “remember locking the door” (memory) versus “remember to lock the door” (a task).

If you’re building worksheets, it helps to teach these in small sets. Start with the ones students meet daily: enjoy, keep, stop, start, finish, avoid, practice. Then add the trickier pairs when your class is ready.

Mini list: verbs often followed by “-ing”

• enjoying, finishing, avoiding, practicing, mentioning
• suggesting, recommending, admitting, denying, regretting
• risking, quitting, keeping, postponing, expecting

Mini list: verbs that often take “to” instead

• deciding to go, hoping to learn, planning to study
• agreeing to help, refusing to answer, promising to call

When “-ing” changes meaning

Some verbs can take either form, and the meaning shifts. “Stop smoking” means quit the habit. “Stop to smoke” means pause another activity so you can smoke. “Try reading” suggests an experiment. “Try to read” suggests effort, maybe with difficulty.

This is why context matters more than memorizing a single rule. If your sentence talks about a goal, “to + verb” is common. If it talks about an activity, “-ing” is common.

Practice Steps To Turn The List Into Real Sentences

If you’re staring at a blank page, a list alone won’t save you. These steps turn words into usable lines in under ten minutes.

1. Pick one topic: school, sport, food, tech, travel.
2. Grab five verbs from the table that match your topic.
3. Write three sentence types: one continuous tense, one gerund-as-noun, one adjective use.
4. Swap one verb for a sharper one, then read the line again.

Here’s a quick set with “study”: “I am studying tonight.” “Studying before dinner helps.” “a studying schedule” (that last one sounds off, so you’d switch to “study schedule”). That quick check builds better instincts fast.

Two short drills teachers can run in five minutes

These work in classrooms, tutoring sessions, or self-study. No prep beyond the board and a timer.

1. Three-slot swap: write a sentence with an “-ing” word, then swap it into the other two roles. Start with “I am reading.” Move to “Reading helps me.” End with “a reading lamp.”
2. Error hunt: write five “-ing” words with one spelling mistake each. Students fix them, then use each in a sentence.

Printable Starter Set For Class Notes

Copy this into a notebook margin or a doc. It includes verbs you reach for most, with a mix of action, school, and daily life. Add new ones when you read, listen, or write.

asking, being, building, buying, calling, cleaning, coming, cooking, cutting, dancing, deciding, doing, drawing, driving, eating, enjoying, explaining, feeling, finding, fixing, getting, giving, going, helping, holding, keeping, knowing, learning, leaving, listening, looking, making, meeting, moving, needing, opening, paying, playing, reading, running, saying, seeing, shopping, showing, sitting, sleeping, speaking, starting, studying, taking, teaching, thinking, trying, using, waiting, walking, watching, winning, working, writing.

A quick editing pass for “-ing” in essays

Before you hit submit, scan for these spots. This catches the errors teachers mark most.

• Check the helper verb: “He are running” should be “He is running.”
• Check the noun role: if an “-ing” word is a subject, it often takes a singular verb (“Running is fun”).
• Check meaning after “stop,” “remember,” “try”: make sure you chose the form that matches your message.
• Check spelling rules: look for silent e, doubling, and the “-ck-” fix.

Common mix-ups and quick fixes

Two mix-ups cause most “-ing” headaches. The first is mixing tense and noun use in the same line. If you write “I like I am studying,” fix it by picking one pattern: “I like studying” or “I am studying.” The second is using an “-ing” adjective where a noun phrase is needed. “My studying schedule” sounds odd, so “my study schedule” is cleaner.

Also watch for double meanings in short messages. “I’m meeting friends” is an action in progress or a near plan. “Meeting friends is fun” names the activity. The words look alike, but the sentence job changes.

If you’re unsure, swap the -ing word with the act of the verb. If it still makes sense, you’re using a gerund. If it sounds weird, you probably need the verb tense or an adjective in that spot.

Used well, this list of verbs with ing becomes a writing shortcut: you can build clear tenses, name activities, and describe nouns without hunting for words mid-sentence.

If you’re collecting word banks for students, keep this page open while you write. Reusing a few strong verbs beats recycling the same tired ones in each paragraph, and it makes your sentences feel more alive.