Picking

Question

I wonder if "picking" in the next sentence is "present progressive" or gerund.If "picking" is gerund, I would like to know the reason.What's the big idea, picking on a little girl like that?

Ivanhr · Accepted Answer

The author opted for a gerund. He could have said 'to pick on a little girl like that'.

Cool Breeze · Answer

The present progressive or the continuos present as it is also called is a tense that requires an auxiliary - at least that's what I call it: You are picking on that little girl. There's no auxiliary in your sentence. I consider picking a present participle in the sentence, which it of course is also when used in continuous tenses.

Picking is similar to holding in a sentence like this: He came in holding a book in his hand. In your example the beginning of the sentence is a question, though, so it isn't completely similar grammatically to my sentence. As English is virtually devoid of inflections and grammatical forms, all manner of expressions and phrases have become established idiomatic usage over time. It helps English function more smoothly.

CB

Picking

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