Verb forms that end in -ing are known as present participles or gerunds. They can be combined with a helping verb to form a progressive tense verb: is snowing, was skating, have been skiing, will be snowshoeing. But when they're used on their own without a helping verb, these -ing words don't function as verbs. Instead, they function as nouns or adjectives and are known as verbals. Verbals are verb forms that look like verbs but don't act as the verb in the sentence. If you want more information on verbals, see our writing tip on the gerund or our writing tip on the participle.
In the sentences below, identify whether the -ing word in brackets is acting as a verb, a noun or an adjective.