Picking/falling

Question

I wonder if "picking and falling" is "present particle" or anything.    What's the big idea, picking on my little sister?  What a fool she was, falling for him all over again.

Ivanhr · Accepted Answer

As for the second sentence I'm pretty sure that the falling is a participle. In fact, the whole phrase' falling for him all over again' functions as an adjective phrase modifying the subject she, I think. Since there is no such clear correlation in the first sentence I can't be sure as to whether the picking is a gerund or participle but the former seems more likely to me.

Wait for others with their opinions.

Mr Wordy · Answer

I'm not great at this stuff, but it seems to me that "picking on my little sister" is functioning as a noun here.

CalifJim · Answer

WowenglishI wonder if "picking and falling" is "present particle" or anything. What's the big idea, picking on my little sister? What a fool she was, falling for him all over again.

The term you want is "present participle". There is certainly a case to be made for that interpretation. The near-equivalent paraphrases are something like these:

What's the big idea (~ Why are you) picking on my little sister?
What a fool she was, (~ she showed herself to be by) falling for him all over again.
Falling for him all over again, she showed what a fool she was.

These are both difficult because there are also reasons to think of the -ing forms as gerunds. But the placing of labels on words is not the important thing.

What's more important is to understand the meaning that comes about from the juxtaposition of these -ing clauses with the main clause.

CJ

Picking/falling

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