One type of compound that might prove difficult for learners is that made up of an –ing form followed by a noun. In order to sort it out, an important difference has to be made. An word ending in –ing can be either a gerund, which is very close to a noun, or a present participle, which acts as a verb or an adjective. The accentual patterns are the same as those explained before:
Noun + noun (compound) = stress on the first element.
Adjective + noun (phrase) = stress on the second element.
Let’s se it in two groups of examples:
1.Ing-word functioning as noun
(273) He’s got a drinking problem.
(274) Linda is my swimming instructor.
(275) Fetch my walking stick for me, please.
2.Ing-word functioning as adjective
(276) It was the hottest summer in living memory.
(277) He pretends he once saw a flying saucer.
(278) The underlying assumption / was that he’ll go bust.
The problem is that the distinction between these two categories –gerund and participle- is not clear-cut. It seems to be more like a continuum where the same word can function either as a noun or as an adjective. Let’s consider these cases:
(279) He’s got a drinking problem.
(280) I approached the drinking man.
(281) He wants to join a flying club.
(282) He pretends he once saw a flying saucer.
(283) Fetch me my walking stick for me, please.
(284) I’m afraid of the walking dead.
So it is for the speaker to decide which word has to be accented according to whether it is functioning as a noun or adjective. A very good strategy is just to reason it out. A drinking problem is not a problem that drinks but a situation in which someone consumes too much alcohol. In fact, the noun alcohol could be substituted for drinking and the accentual pattern wouldn’t change: I’ve got an alcohol problem. So, this is clearly a noun and needs to get the accent. Similarly, a walking stick does not walk, but the walking dead do walk indeed.