What is the difference between present participle and gerund?
How do you identify these in a given sentence?
Present participle is the verb form. For instance,
I love sleeping on a beach.
They go swimming every week.
However, a gerund uses the verb form as a noun. For instance,
Swimming is a good exercise.
Laughing helps you stay healthy.
Here, note that the words 'swimming' and 'laughing' are not verbs but name of an activity used as a noun.