etymology - "tube" vs. "tubing"


I have always run into word twins like tube vs. tubing.


More pairs: fence vs. fencing, pipe vs. piping, cable vs. cabling, rail vs. railing, etc.


This is an interesting phemonenon. Most of these nouns cannot function as verbs, but adding the ing-form generates a new word with a similar meaning.


Can you please explain the morphology behind this? Does the ing-form bring with it a different connotation? Any nuances between these twins?




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