Contents
- 1 What are participles? (with examples)
- 2 (Function 1) Participles as Adjectives
- 3 Examples of Participles Being Used as Adjectives
- 4 More Examples of Present Participles as Adjectives
- 5 More Examples of Past Participles as Adjectives
- 6 Participate Phrases
- 7 (Function 2) Participles to Form Verb Tense
- 8 Present Participles in Verb Tenses
- 9 Past Participles in Verb Tenses
- 10 (Function 3) Past Participles to Form the Passive Voice
- 11 Forming the Passive Voice
- 12 Perfect Participles
- 13 Why Should I Care about Participants?
- 14 (Reason 1) Participles allow a sentence structure that lets you say two or more things tidily.
- 15 (Reason 2) Passive sentences have some great benefits.
- 16 Key Points
What are participles? (with examples)
A participle is a verb form that can be used (1) as an adjective, (2) to create a tense, or (3) to create the passive voice.
There are two types of participles:
- Present participle (ending -ing)
- Past participle (usually ending -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n).
(Function 1) Participles as Adjectives
Examples of Participles Being Used as Adjectives
Here are some present and past participles used as adjectives:
| The Verb | The Present Participle | The Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| To rise | the rising sun | the risen sun |
| To boil | the boiling water | the boiled water |
| To break | the breaking news | the broken news |
| To cook | the cooking ham | the cooked ham |
More Examples of Present Participles as Adjectives
Recuerda que los participios presentes terminan en -ing. Aquí hay algunos ejemplos más:
- boiling water
- caring nature
- serving container
Here are some real-life examples of (shaded) present participles being used as adjectives:
- A laughing man is stronger than a suffering man. (Gustave Flaubert, 1821-1880)
- If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. (Mark Twain, 1835-1910)
- The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams. (Tupac Shakur)
More Examples of Past Participles as Adjectives
Recuerda que los participios pasados tienen varias terminaciones, generalmente -ed, -d, -t, -en o -n. Aquí hay algunos ejemplos más:
- broken window
- painted frame
- destroyed bridge
Here are some real-life examples of (shaded) past participles being used as adjectives:
- A swollen eye is God’s way of telling you to improve your interpersonal skills.
- Do not waste time staring at a closed door.
- I like children…if they’re properly cooked. (W. C. Fields)
(Don’t forget that an adjective can also appear after the noun it is modifying.
Participate Phrases
It is very common to see participles in participial phrases. A participial phrase also acts as an adjective. In the examples below, participial phrases are shaded and participles are in bold:
- The man carrying the bricks is my father.
(The participle phrase carrying the bricks describes the the man.) - She showed us a plate of scones crammed with cream.
(The participle phrase crammed with cream describes the scones.) - Whistling the same tune as always, Ted touched the front of his cap with his forefinger as she dismounted.
(The participle phrase Whistling the same tune as always describes Ted.) - Stunned by the blow, Mike quickly gathered his senses and searched frantically for the pepper spray.
(The participle phrase Stunned by the blow describes Mike.)
(Function 2) Participles to Form Verb Tense
Los participios no solo se usan como adjetivos. También se utilizan para formar tiempos verbales.
Present Participles in Verb Tenses
Here are the verb tenses that are formed using present participles:
| The 4 Past Tenses | Example |
|---|---|
| simple past tense | I went |
| past progressive tense | I was going |
| past perfect tense | I had gone |
| past perfect progressive tense | I had been going |
| The 4 Present Tenses | Example |
| simple present tense | I go |
| present progressive tense | I am going |
| present perfect tense | I have gone |
| present perfect progressive tense | I have been going |
| The 4 Future Tenses | Example |
| simple future tense | I will go |
| future progressive tense | I will be going |
| future perfect tense | I will have gone |
| future perfect progressive tense | I will have been going |
Past Participles in Verb Tenses
Aquí están los tiempos verbales que se forman usando participios pasados:
| The 4 Past Tenses | Example |
|---|---|
| simple past tense | I went |
| past progressive tense | I was going |
| past perfect tense | I had gone |
| past perfect progressive tense | I had been going |
| The 4 Present Tenses | Example |
| simple present tense | I go |
| present progressive tense | I am going |
| present perfect tense | I have gone |
| present perfect progressive tense | I have been going |
| The 4 Future Tenses | Example |
| simple future tense | I will go |
| future progressive tense | I will be going |
| future perfect tense | I will have gone |
| future perfect progressive tense | I will have been going |
(Function 3) Past Participles to Form the Passive Voice
Los participios pasados también se usan para formar la voz pasiva. Se dice que un verbo está en“passive voice“when its subject does not perform the action of the verb but has the action of the verb performed on it. For example:
- The painting was taken to the auction.
(This is an example of a verb (“was taken“) in the passive voice. The action was done to the subject (“the painting“).)
On the contrary, when the subject of the sentence represents the verb, the verb is said to be in the active voice. For example:
- Toby took the painting to the auction.
(This is an example of a verb (“took“) in the active voice. The subject (“Toby“) did the action.)
Forming the Passive Voice
The passive voice is formed as follows:
[verb“to be“] + [past participle]
In these examples, the verb“to be“is in bold and past participles are italicized:
The convict was captured after just two hours on the run.
The goats are milked twice a day.
My VIPs will be flown to the stadium by helicopter.
Here, for reference purposes, is a list of all forms of the passive voice. Note that past participles appear in all versions.
(NB: Don’t be alarmed by the complexity of the structures in this table. Some of these tenses are rarely counted in the passive voice.)
| The 4 Past Tenses | Example |
|---|---|
| Simple Past Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake was eaten this morning. |
| Past Progressive Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake was being eaten during the morning. |
| Past Perfect Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake had been eaten before breakfast. |
| Past Perfect Progressive Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake had been being eaten years before the invention of pasteurization. |
| The 4 Present Tenses | Example |
| Simple Present Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake is eaten for breakfast |
| Present Progressive Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake is being eaten across the town. |
| Present Perfect Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake has been eaten since at least 1914. |
| Present Perfect Progressive Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake has been being eaten since before pasteurization. |
| The 4 Future Tenses | Example |
| Simple Future Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake will be eaten by the staff. |
| Future Progressive Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake will be being eaten during the speeches. |
| Future Perfect Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake will have been eaten before the dancing starts. |
| Future Perfect Progressive Tense (Passive Voice) | The cake will have been being eaten for over two centuries by then. |
Perfect Participles
Antes de terminar esta lección sobre los participios, hay otro término que debemos cubrir rápidamente:“perfect participles“.
The perfect participles are formed like this:
“Having“+ [past participle]
Examples:
- Having taken
- Having eaten
- Having played
A few more examples of perfect participles:
- Having heard the news, he quickly sold his brother’s record collection.
- Having been promised a steak dinner, she looked less than impressed with her Happy Meal.
Don’t think of the perfect participle as a third type of participle. It’s just a commonly used structure featuring a present participle (“to have“) and a past participle (for example,“taken“,“Eaten“,“played“).
Why Should I Care about Participants?
If you are learning or teaching English, understanding participles is essential because adjectives, tense, and passive voice are essential elements of the language.
If you’re a native English speaker, you almost certainly use present and past participles without thinking twice about grammar. And, as a general rule, participles are not responsible for many spelling errors among native speakers.
What’s more interesting is that participles can provide some worthwhile benefits. With that in mind, here are two good reasons to think about participles a bit more than you might have before.
(Reason 1) Participles allow a sentence structure that lets you say two or more things tidily.
Participles can be used to create a sentence structure that allows you to say two or more things about your topic efficiently. For example:
- Imbued with common sense and technical know-how, Jack is adept at identifying cost-effective solutions to business problems.
(This example features a past participle (bold) in a participle phrase (shaded).) - Demonstrating level headedness in all business dealings, Jill listens actively and engages appropriately when in disagreement.
(This example features a present participle (bold) in a participle phrase (shaded).)
Esta estructura inicial de participio-frase es particularmente útil cuando se escriben evaluaciones personales. Le permite introducir con calzador una observación adicional sobre su tema en una sola oración.
(Reason 2) Passive sentences have some great benefits.
As past participles are used to create passive sentences, it is worth mentioning here that passive sentences have great benefits. More specifically, passive sentences are useful for:
- Avoid blame.
- Show a neutral or objective tone.
- Show the doer is unimportant, unknown, or obvious.
- Emphasize the subject.
- Use the same subject twice.
Key Points
- Present and past participles are key components in any language.
- Using a leading participle phrase allows you to pack more information into a sentence.
- Learn how to form passive sentences because there are some great benefits to be had.
