前者的重音在动名词上（a ‘sleeping car），而后者的重音在所修饰的名词上（a sleeping ‘child）。
2.动名词具有名词的性质。
现在分词则没有。
①动名词和名词一样有a, the, my, this, Tom’s, the, some, much, a lot of等词语修饰：I usually do some cleaning on Sunday. 我通常在周日打扫卫生。
Do you do much fishing? 你常常钓鱼吗？He showed me a picture of his own painting. 他拿出来他自己绘画的一张照片给我看。
A knocking at the door was heard. 一阵敲门声被听到了。
注意：动名词的翻译。
do some cleaning翻译成打扫卫生，字面意思是做一些清扫的活。
所以不存在do some cleaning是固定短语，其中some不可以变的说法也是错的，也可以写成do cleaning做打扫类的活（泛指，强调欧诺工作性质，区别于washing和reading等），do a lot of cleaning，do much cleaning做了许多打扫工作（强调工作量或者某次行为）do the cleaning做这些打扫的活（特指）。
常见的类似词组有：do some shopping/ washing/ cleaning/ reading/ cooking/ gardening/ sewing等。
do some cleaning在否定句里需不需要把some变成any呢？这是个众说纷纭的问题，答案是，从实际使用上看，在否定句里根本看不到do some cleaning和do any cleaning的写法，换成do the cleaning或者clean the room一类的词组。
②动名词和名词一样有所有格、复数形式：He enjoys reading for reading’s sake, not for scholarship. 他喜欢阅读是因为阅读的好处，而不是因为奖学金。
He is so busy that I can’t keep track of all his comings and goings. 他是如此的繁忙以至于我无法弄清楚他的来来去去。
动名词在句子中可充当的成分：动名词做主语1. 直接位于句首做主语。
Swimming is a good sport in summer. 游泳是夏天的一项好运动。
2. 用it 作形式主语。
动名词做主语时，不太常用it 作先行主语，多见于某些形容词及名词之后。
例如：It is no use telling him not to worry.常见的能用于这种结构的形容词还有：better，wonderful，enjoyable，interesting，foolish，difficult，useless，senseless ，worthwhile，等。
3. 用于“There be”结构中。
There is no saying when he'll come.很难说他何时回来。
4. 用于布告形式的省略结构中。
例如：No smoking（禁止吸烟）5. 动名词的复合结构作主语Their coming to help was a great encouragement to us.他们到来并帮助我们对我们来说是一个巨大的鼓励。
作动词和介词的宾语常见的有：admit,appreciate,excuse,stand,advise,allow,permit,avoid,consider,enjoy,finish,give up, can’t help, imagine, include, keep, understand, keep on, mind, report, risk, miss, put off, delay, practice, resist, suggest, think about, set about, succeed in, worry about, burst out, insist on, feel like, be used to, get used to, devote…to…，look forward to, pay attention to, get down to, escape 等。
They went on walking and never stopped talking.他们继续走，说个不停。
I found it pleasant walking along the seashore.在海滩上走真是乐事。
The rain prevented us from completing the work.这场雨阻止了我们完成这项工作。
作表语Your task is cleaning the windows.你的任务就是擦窗户。
(Cleaning the windows is your task.)The most popular pastime is playing chess.最大众化的消遣是下棋（The most popular pastime is to play chess.）作定语动名词作定语往往表示被修饰词的某种用途。
如：a walking stick =a stick for walking=a stick which is used for walking用来走路的棍子，即拐棍a washing machine=a machine for washing=a machine which is used for washing 洗衣机a reading room=a room for reading=a room which is used for reading阅览室sleeping pills=pills for sleeping=pills which is used for sleeping安眠药现在分词在句子中所为成分作定语，表示正在进行的或主动的动作。
也可以说明被修饰词的性质和特征，此时可换成相应的定语从句，相当于形容词。
①There are many people swimming in the pool. 在池子里有很多人在游泳。
②He saw a flying bird.他看到一个飞翔着的鸟。
作表语相当于形容词。
这类词常见的有：interesting 使人感到高兴— interested感到高兴的exciting令人激动的— excited感到激动的delighting令人高兴的— delighted感到高兴的disappointing令人失望的— disappointed感到失望的encouraging 令人鼓舞的— encouraged感到鼓舞的pleasing令人愉快的— pleased感到愉快的puzzling令人费解的— puzzled感到费解的satisfying令人满意的— satisfied感到满意的如：Traveling is interesting but tiring.旅行是有趣的，但是使人疲劳The film is moving.这电影很感人。
（表语，说明主语的性质）作补语两类动词可以加现在分词作宾补：1）感官动词：see hear watch feel notice observe keep find listen to look at2）使役动词：have get catch leave setI saw him singing now.我看到他现在正在唱歌。
Don't have the students studying all day.不要让学生们整天学习。
作状语作时间、条件、原因、让步状语时要位于句首，相当于一个状语从句。
1）作时间状语Walking in the street, I saw him.当我在街上走时，我看到他了。
2）作条件状语Working hard, you will succeed. （只要）努力工作，你就会成功3）作原因状语Being ill, she stayed at home. （因为）生病，她留在家里4）作让步状语Having failed many times, he didn't lost heart. 有很多次失败，他没有灰心。
5）作结果状语His friend died, getting him a lot of money, 他的朋友死了，（所以）给了他很多钱6）作方式状语Please answer the question using another way. 请用另一种方式回答这个问题7）作伴随状语Look at the people lying on the beach.看那些人正躺在沙滩上独立主格当doing的逻辑主语不是句子中的主语时，使用独立主格结构，加上自己的逻辑主语。
Winter coming，it gets colder and colder．冬天来了 天变的越来越冷了The boy lay on the ground，his eyes closed and his hands trembling．这个男孩躺在地上，眼睛闭着，手在发抖。