LoginPast Participles
What Is Past Participle?
Past participles are a type of verb form that are used to form several tenses and moods, including the present perfect, past perfect, and passive voice. They are also used to form adjectives and participle clauses, which serve as adjectives or adverbs in a sentence.
Past Participle: Form
The past participle is the third principal part of a verb. With regular verbs, we can simply form past participles by adding '-ed,' '-d,' or '-t' to the base form of the regular verb. Check out the examples:
To look → Looked
To work → Worked
However, there are several irregular verbs in English that form their past participles in different ways. It's important to memorize these irregular verbs because they don't follow the typical pattern. For example:
To be → Been
To write → Written
Now pay attention to their use in sentences:
We’ve been here for hours!
When I got home my husband had already arrived.
Spelling Rules
there are certain spelling rules to be followed when forming the past participle of regular verbs:
If the verb ends in a vowel + 'y' add 'ed'.
Play → Played
Employ → Employed
If the verb ends in a consonant + 'y', 'y' is replaced by '-i' before 'ed' is added.
Study → Studied
Hurry → Hurried
If the verb ends with the vowel '-e' add '-d' after it.
Live → Lived
Dance → Danced
If a monosyllabic verb ends in consonant + vowel + consonant, double the final consonant before adding 'ed.'
Stop → Stopped
Plan → Planned
If the verb has more than one syllable and the final syllable is stressed, double the final consonant before adding 'ed'.
Permit → Permitted
Prefer → Preferred
If the final syllable of the verb is not stressed, do not double the final consonant before adding 'ed.'
Listen → Listened
Develop → Developed
Past Participles: Uses
Past participles can serve various functions, including the following:
in verb forms
forming participle clauses
as adjectives
1. In Verb Forms
The table below presents a list of the verb tenses, moods, and voices that use the past participle, along with some examples. The use of past participles in tenses is marked by the 'perfect' aspect.
Tenses | Examples |
|---|---|
I've met him before. | |
I had already heard the song. | |
They'll have finished by now. | |
If I hadn't missed the train, I would have been here by now. | |
He could have tried harder. | |
Apple company was founded by Steve Jobs. |
2. Forming Participle Clauses
Participle clauses are dependent clauses that use the participle form of the verb. They are typically used to shorten the main clause. Past participle clauses are used as adjective or adverbs that time, reason, and situation. For example:
The soldier wounded in the battle was taken to the hospital.
past participle clause used as adjective for the noun "soldier"
Horrified by the news, she ran out of the room.
past participle clause used as adverb
3. As Adjectives
Past participles can also be used as adjectives to modify a noun or a pronoun. Take a look at the examples:
He was really tired.
Here, 'tired' as an adjective modifies the pronoun 'he'.
I was so bored while I waited for you.
Tip!
The past participle form of the verb "give", which is "given" can be used as a preposition. Here is an example:
Given the weather, the event will be postponed.
Review
Participles are special forms of verbs that are used as:
Verb forms
Clauses
Adjectives
Quiz:
Which of the following sentences correctly uses the past participle form of the verb?
The letter was write by Mary yesterday.
The movie had finished by the time we arrived.
I have swim in the lake every summer.
She was bore during the lecture.
Match the verb form with its correct spelling rule for past participles.
Fill in the blank with the correct past participle form of the verb.
By the time we arrived, they had already
(begin) the meeting.
The project has been
(complete) by the team members over the past week.
She was very
(surprise) after hearing the good news.
The decision was
(make) after a long discussion.
She had
(do) her homework before she went out.
Sort the words to form a grammatically correct sentence.
Fill the table by choosing the function of the past participle clause in the sentence.
| Sentence | Role of past participle |
|---|---|
He felt exhausted after the marathon. | |
The team had practiced for weeks. | |
The window was opened by the mother. | |
Surprised by the news, they fell silent. | |
Horrified by the sound, she ran out of the room. |
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