LoginParticiples for intermediate learners
A participle is a word that is formed from a verb and is used to make compound verb forms. We have 2 kinds of participles: past and present participle.
What Are Participles?
Participles are verb forms that can serve various purposes in language. They can function as adjectives, describing nouns or pronouns, or they can be combined with auxiliary verbs to form different tenses.
Participles: Types
There are three types of participles in English:
Now, let us explore the form an functions of each type.
Present Participles
To form present participles, we typically add an '-ing' to the base form of the verb. Look at the following examples:
Look → look
Ask → ask
Sell → sell
Spelling Rules
As already mentioned, present participles are typically formed by adding '-ing' to the base form of the verb. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For instance, if the verb ends in '-ie', the '-ie' is replaced with '-y' before adding '-ing' to the verb. Take a look at the following examples:
D
T
Another exception is when the verb ends in '-e'. In this case, the '-e' is replaced with an '-ing'. Take a look at the following examples:
Mak
Fac
Uses
Present participles can serve different grammatical functions, such as acting as an adjective, a verbal noun, or combining with an auxiliary verb to form continuous past or present tenses. In this lesson, we are going to discuss two of these functions:
Present Participles as Nouns
Present participles can function as nouns, and can be used as subjects, objects of the verb, objects of a preposition, etc. Study the following examples carefully:
Lana wanted to practice
As you can see, the present participle is a noun here and is serving as the object of the verb.
Here, the present participle is a noun and it serves as the subject of the sentence.
What do you think about
As you can see, the present participle is the object of a preposition in the sentence.
Tip!
Present participles can also be used to form compound nouns. Take a look at the following examples:
A
A
Present Participles as Adjectives
We can use present participles to replace a verbal clause with an adjective. Check out the following examples:
As you can see, we can shorten sentences using present participles as adjectives.
Past Participles
To form past participles, we mainly add an '-ed' or '-d' to the end of the verb. Take a look at the following examples:
Work →
Play →
Talk →
Warning!
Keep in mind that not all verbs form their past tense by adding '-ed'. Some verbs are irregular, and their past participle form significantly changes compared to the base form. Take a look at some examples below:
Grow →
See →
Fall →
Spelling Rules
When forming past participles from regular verbs, it's important to keep a few details in mind. For instance, if the verb ends in an '-e', simply add '-d' to the end of it. Take a look at the following examples:
Danc
Live → live
If the verb ends in a consonant, double the final letter before adding an '-ed' to it. Study the following examples:
Pla
Ro
Warning!
Please note that not all regular verbs ending in "-y" have the same past participle form. For some of these verbs, we remove the '-y' and replace it with '-ie' before adding "-d" or "-ed" to form the past participle. Take a look at the following examples:
Scurr
Hurr
Uses
Past participles can serve various functions depending on the context. They can function as adjectives, combine with the verb 'have' to form perfect tenses, or be used with 'be' to from the passive voice. Let us see how they can function as adjectives:
Past Participles as Adjectives
We can use past participles to create verbal adjectives. Take a look at the following examples:
The frog was dead. → The
The window was broken. → The
The table cloth was torn. → The
Perfect Participles
To form a perfect participle phrase we add 'having' to the past participle form. For example:
Uses
The perfect participle phrase is used to show that one action was completed before another action began. It is often used in complex sentences to express a sequence of events. Pay attention to the example:
Having finished her dinner, she went to bed.
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