0 a form of a verb that in English ends in -ing and comes after another verb to show continuous action. It is used to form the present continuous. -- 现在分词
In the sentences "The children are watching television", "The weather is getting colder", and "I heard him singing", "watching", "getting", and "singing" are present participles. 在句子 The children are watching television, The weather is getting colder 和 I heard him singing 中,watching,getting 和 singing 是现在分词。
In English, the present continuous tense is formed from the auxiliary 'be' and the present participle.
In the sentence 'Someone is watching you.', 'watching' is the present participle.
This seems entirely reasonable for nominal gerunds (cases where a verb, usually a present participle, takes on the role of a simple noun).
It is unlikely that a present participle could be agentive by itself without reference to a participant playing a role in some event.
The only form of be that was excluded was the present participle being.
On these accounts, there is no neutralization of gerund and present participle : they are simply independent entries.
If following is a preposition, then the sequence it introduces is a prepositional phrase, but if following is a present participle then that sequence is a nonfinite clause.
For example, we can call a present participle when used as a noun 'a present participle used as a noun' or we can call it a gerund.