Dear English Plus:

-My jaw is protruding.

Can “prodruding” be an adjective in the above sentence? Can the sentence mean that I have a protruding jaw?

Dear N:

That would be exactly what it would mean in most cases.

N: As in: That film is amusing.=That film is an amusing film.

EP: Exactly.

N: To me it sounds as if in 1, the jaw is protruding temporarily and in order to say that it is a protruding jaw, one has to say: “My jaw protrudes”.

EP: No. If it were temporary–e.g., if someone were pouting–you would be more likely to use the basic or perfect tenses. If it were temporary, though, you would probably use another verb such as “I was pouting” or “My jaw jutted out.” “Protruding jaw” is an anatomical or physiological condition.

The difference between a progressive tense and a predicate adjective using a present participle is often a matter of context or use. In the case of “protruding” and “jaw,” these two words are commonly used together. Indeed, “protruding” probably modifies “jaw” more than any other word. The word “protrude” tends to be only used in a medical or scientific context. “Protruding jaw” is really the most common use of any form of the verb in everyday speech.