In a message dated 2/16/2009 9:48:04 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
markcshea at gmail.com writes:

"Nelly  and Francois chatted as I gazed lazily out the window,
daydreaming and  ignoring their conversation."

The -ing forms here are present  participles, which tend to act as
modifiers unlike gerunds which act like  nouns. Participles can act as
adjectivals:


Yes!  Mark is correct -  'daydreaming' and 'ignoring' have  NO tense at all.  
Modifiers don't have tense.  
 
Consider:
 
The sleeping dog lies before the fire. 
The sleeping dog lay before the fire.  
 
The dog lies in front of the fire sleeping.
The dog lay in front of the fire sleeping.
 
Does that help at all?
 
Run do not walk to the nearest bookstore and get a copy of Michael Swan's  
Practical English Usage.
 
Best,
Sue Sandeen
Gainesville, Fla
**************You can't always choose whom you love, but you can choose how 
to find them. Start with AOL Personals. 
(http://personals.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntuslove00000002)
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