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I saw in my book this sentence:

Arctic animals are now in danger because of ice melting due to global warming.

I am wondering what type of grammar structure "ice melting" and "global warming" is? Is it a noun composed by noun/adjective + verb + ing? is verb + ing a noun? is it a composed noun? I am confused.

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    It's a noun phrase in which the gerund-participial clause "melting due to global warming" is modifying the noun "ice". It has a similar meaning to the relative clause in "ice that is melting due to global warming".
    – BillJ
    Commented Apr 20, 2020 at 11:22
  • @BillJ Thanks, what about global warming? is melting a noun of the verb to melt?
    – Edoardo
    Commented Apr 20, 2020 at 11:34
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    No; "melting" is a verb. "Global warming" is a noun phrase in which "global" modifies the noun "warming".
    – BillJ
    Commented Apr 20, 2020 at 11:47

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Considering Ice Melting.

A participle phrase where melting( a present participle) acts as an adjective to the noun ice. its easily discernible as you can use an adjective clause,or relative clause, and get the exact same meaning. As in ->

Arctic animals are now in danger because of the ice which/that is melting.

Or

Considering because of ice melting due to global warming A non-finite subordinating conjunction clause of the conjunction duo because-of which relies on the tense of the main clause - Arctic animals are now in danger.

Global Warming is a different matter, although similar.

Global warming is a a common phrase,a gerund phrase, where the present participle warming, this time around, acts as a noun which is modified by the adjective global.

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  • In your last sentence, I think you meant to say that "warming " is modified by the adjective "global".
    – BillJ
    Commented Apr 20, 2020 at 11:51
  • Aye, I certainly did :)
    – Uhtred Ragnarsson
    Commented Apr 20, 2020 at 11:53
  • Thanks! But the sentence: ice is melting, could not be a present continuous sentence? and could it be "melting ice"?
    – Edoardo
    Commented Apr 20, 2020 at 13:44
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Cause is not 'ice' but 'melting of ice' which is a gerund phrase preceded by preposition 'because of' which can also be followed by noun phrase 'ice melting'. If cause is 'ice' then 'ice melting due to...' can be paraphrased as 'ice which is melting...' where ice is followed by relative adjective clause.

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