2.72 describing a process or state

The other large group of '-ing' adjectives are used to describe a process or state that continues over a period of time.

• ...dwindling herds of humpback whales.
• Oil and gas drillers are doing a booming business.
• ...a life of increasing labour and decreasing leisure.

2.73

These adjectives are classifying adjectives, so they are not used with ordinary submodifiers such as 'very' and 'rather'. However, adjectives used to identify a process can be submodified by adverbs which describe the speed with which the process happens.

• ...a fast diminishing degree of personal freedom.
• ...rapidly rising productivity.

2.74

These '-ing' adjectives have related intransitive verbs.

Here is a list of '-ing' adjectives which describe a continuing process or state and which have a similar meaning to the usual meaning of the related verb:

• ageing, ailing, bleeding, booming, bursting, decreasing, dwindling, dying, existing, increasing, living, prevailing, recurring, reigning, remaining, resounding, ruling

Intransitive verbs are explained in paragraphs 3.9 to 3.14.

2.75

These '-ing' adjectives are only used attributively, so when '-ing' forms of intransitive verbs appear after the verb 'be' they are actually part of a continuous tense.