Hi, Alexander!  Awhile ago you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:   
      
    ak>  I know that some people have difficulty to tell the   
    ak>  gerund from the Present Participle. Indeed, both forms   
    ak>  look equally. I read some materials on this account:   
      
    ak>  The gerund is used to produce noun phrases. Participles   
    ak>  are used to produce adjectival or adverbial phrases.   
      
      
               Okay.  Sounds to me like a good rule of thumb....  :-)   
      
      
      
    ak>  [I like eating cakes.]   
    ak>  Here eating is a gerund; the verb phrase "eating cakes"   
    ak>  serves as a noun, being the object of the main verb "like".   
      
    ak>  [I saw him eating a cake.]   
    ak>  Here "eating" is a present participle; the verb phrase   
    ak>  "eating a cake" serves as an adjective, modifying him.   
      
      
               Hmm... although I'm not totally comfortable with the "serves as an   
   adjective" bit there, I can't offer a better explanation.  Either way, I agree   
   that "eating" is a participle in this context.  Let's try an easier example:   
      
      
                "My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream"... [Robert Burns].   
      
               There's no doubt in my mind that Burns was using "murmuring" as an   
   adjective.  Now, with a bit of local flavour from southwestern BC:   
      
                Mosquito Creek, in North Vancouver, may seem to be an innocently   
                babbling brook for much of the year.  However, the large expanse   
                of bare rocks on either side is a reminder that it can also be a   
                raging torrent during spring runoff.   
      
               Umpteen years & thousands of miles apart, Burns & I are apparently   
   on the same wave length WRT certain aspects of English usage at least....  :-)   
      
      
      
    ak>  [Trying to get over the fence, he hurt his knee.]   
    ak>  Here "trying" is a present participle; the verb phrase   
    ak>  "trying to get over the fence" has the function of an   
    ak>  adverb in the main clause.   
      
      
               Yes, it tells the reader about the time & place of the main event.   
   But unless it's turned into a subordinate clause, e.g. "while he was trying to   
   climb over the fence", I'd say there is only one clause in this sentence.  ;-)   
      
      
      
    ak>  Another explanations:   
      
    ak>  [Catching fish is fun.]   
    ak>  Here "catching" is a gerund; it takes an object (fish),   
    ak>  like the verb "catch".   
      
    ak>  [Shouting loudly is enjoyable.]   
    ak>  Here "shouting" is a gerund; it is modified by the adverb   
    ak>  "loudly," like the verb "shout".   
      
      
             It seems to me that both the participle & the gerund are regarded as   
   verbs on some level, and are therefore modified by adverbs or adverb phrases:   
      
      
               I like eating cakes after dinner.   
      
               Cruising slowly down the Volga in calm weather sounds enjoyable.   
      
               Struggling valiantly to climb the fence, he hurt his knee.   
      
               I heard him noisily slurping his soup.   
      
      
             Anyway, you've given us (bad pun!) food for thought.  Thankyou.  :-)   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)