Participles
Participles are verb forms used as adjectives or to form verb tenses. English has two: the present participle (-ing) and the past participle (-ed / irregular).
The two types of participle
| Type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present participle | verb + -ing | running, eating, broken |
| Past participle | verb + -ed (or irregular) | broken, eaten, gone, written |
Present participle uses
1. Continuous tenses (with be):
She is running. They were talking. He has been working.
2. As an adjective — active meaning (the noun is doing something):
the running water, a boring film, the sleeping child
3. Participial phrases — replacing a clause:
Hearing the news, she burst into tears. (= When she heard the news…)
Not knowing what to say, he stayed silent.
Past participle uses
1. Perfect tenses (with have/had):
She has eaten. They had left. I have written the report.
2. Passive voice (with be):
The window was broken. The report is being written.
3. As an adjective — passive meaning (something was done to the noun):
a broken window, frozen food, a tired child, the written word
Dangling participles: The participial phrase must relate to the subject of the main clause. "Walking down the street, the rain started." is wrong — the rain wasn't walking. Fix: "Walking down the street, I got caught in the rain."
Tip: -ing adjectives describe the cause of a feeling (a boring film). -ed adjectives describe the person who experiences the feeling (a bored audience).