The english expert didn’t just say a participle — but a present participle. As this Copperund fellow is an expert in the english usage and, probably, the english usage back in those days — I’m going to stick with him, sir.
The present participle of a verb is the -ing form of the verb. The other participle is called the past participle and is often the -ed form of a verb except with irregular verb.
I have a masters in English, and 90 hours toward a doctorate in English. I'll keep my own council in matters of usage.
A group of words is a phrase. A group of words with a subject and verb is clause. at best it could be a participle phrase, but it most certainly is not a present participle.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/verbs.htm#participles Participle: a verb form acting as an adjective. The running dog chased the fluttering moth. A present participle (like running or fluttering) describes a present condition; a past participle describes something that has happened: "The completely rotted tooth finally fell out of his mouth." The distinction can be important to the meaning of a sentence; there is a huge difference between a confusing student and a confused student. See the section on Adjectives for further help on this issue. "Being" is a present participle.