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I saw him dancing. In this sentence is dancing a present participle or a gerund?

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    Traditional grammar calls it a present participle.
    – BillJ
    Commented Apr 6 at 10:07
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    Does this answer your question? Gerund vs Present participle: "We’re depending on him finishing the job by Friday." Also What's the difference between a gerund and a participle? and many, many more.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Apr 6 at 10:15
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    @FumbleFingers It most certainly is a present participle in "... he was dancing". The progressive aspect is formed by means of auxiliary "be" + present participle.
    – BillJ
    Commented Apr 6 at 10:25
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    @BillJ: I'll believe you. But I can't really see the point of such terminology for most people, regardless of whether they already know, or are trying to learn English. Nobody ever taught me such things, as is obvious!
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Apr 6 at 10:35
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    On the Quirk et al noun-verb gradience model (I don't know how 'traditional' this school is) it's towards the verbal endpoint (the present participle) but not actually there. Quite verby. 'I saw him dancing' is the ACC-ing construction; 'I saw his dancing' is the POSS-ing structure (more formal). The POSS-ing structure has a more nouny ing-form. 'I don't like him dancing' focuses on the performing of the activity (he perhaps should be resting his knee); 'I don't like his dancing' focuses on the nominal referent (his dancing is almost as bad as mine. Let him do it in private, if he has to,)
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Apr 6 at 11:27

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