Brawl vs Brawling.

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1
  1. After the football match the brawl/brawling went on for several hours.

I know of brawl but not brawling is the latter also possible?
Besides, is brawling a noun?

2

Both are possible. Yes, “brawling” in that case is a noun. “brawling” seems better if there were a number of separate incidents of fighting.

3

Hi, Dozy.

It seems your comment of brawling being noun is ambiguious.
In fact, does it belong to other parts of speech apart from the noun?

4

It is just the same as any present participle. It can be an ordinary verbal past present participle, forming continuous tenses, as in “the fans were brawling”; it can behave like an adjective, as in “a mass of brawling fans”; it can behave like a noun, as in your sentence.

5

Hi, Dozy,

You have made mention of it being past participle and I know that the third form of a verb is its past participle, while some people call it the en form.

How come doesbawling be pp. It usage as pp here looks odd according to past perfect tenses:
-They had bawling for hours.
Save pp continuous:
-They had been brawling for hours.

…were brawling.
The usage here seem like present progressive preceding simple past, but not pp.
How do you consider my view?

6

If I may hasten to ask. Can one use brawl in its verbal sense?
By adding ed to it. Hence making brawled.

Thanks.:wink:

7

If I may hasten to ask. Can one use brawl in its verbal sense?
By adding ed to it. Hence making brawled.

Thanks.:wink:

8

Um, I’m afraid that was an unfortunate case of brain disengagement while typing. I did of course mean to say “present participle”.

9

Of course. “brawl” is an ordinary regular verb (it can also be a noun, as we have seen).