Past Participles in English
Meaning of Participles
Participle means a word that is
derived from the base form of a verb having characteristics of an adjective and
verb.
Definition of Participles
A participle is defined as a word that is derived from the root form of a verb and functions as an adjective or to form verb tense. In other words, the ‘ing’ or ‘3rd’ form of a verb that functions as an adjective or a verb is called a participle.
There are two types
of participles: present participle and past participle. Perfect participle is
also considered a type of participle according to some sources. In this article, we are going to discuss Past Participles in English. You can visit our
site Study English Page to study Present Participles.
Past Participles in English
The past participle is the form of a verb that is used in forming verb tense or used as an adjective. This form of
the verb is also called the ‘ed’ form or 3rd form of the verb that can
be used in perfect tenses and passive voice, and it can also be used as an
adjective.
- There are many broken windows in that house.
- We have already cleaned the kitchen and yard.
- Ali and John were invited to the party by me.
Past Participle Used as an Adjective
We can use the past participle or 3rd
form of a verb as an adjective to modify a noun in a sentence. As an adjective
modifies a noun in a sentence, a past participle can also be used to modify a noun.
- Collect all the pieces of the broken window pane.
- Police have arrested the thieves with the stolen Jewelry.
Past Participle Used to Form Verb Tense
One of the functions of the past participle
is to form verb tense, so we use the past participle form of a verb in all
perfect tenses. We use has, have, or had as auxiliaries with the past participle
form of a verb.
- I have installed anti-virus software on my personal computer.
- They had reached there by the time I reached.
- We will have bought everything by the time you come.
- She has been teaching since she was twenty years old.
- Ali had been waiting for just 20 minutes by the time we met.
- He will have been waiting for you for at least five minutes when you reach.
Past Participle Used in Passive Voice
- Articles are written by me.
- An anti-virus program has been installed on my personal computer.
Past Participle in Participle Phrases
As discussed earlier, a participle phrase is a phrase that has a participle and works just like an
adjective. It modifies a noun or equivalent in a sentence.
- The man taken to the hospital has recovered.
- The man with the torn sweater is coming here.
- Exhausted from the marathon, John fell down.
Identification of Past Participles
The way how to identify past
participles in a sentence is so simple. When you see 3rd form of a verb in a sentence, look at its function carefully. If it describes a noun or
is used with an auxiliary in a sentence, the verb in this case is the past participle.
- The sheep jumped over the fence.
- The sheep had jumped over the fence by the time the shepherd reached.
In both of the above examples,
the word ‘jumped’ is used. Is it past participle in both sentences or not?
The word ‘jumped’ in the first example is neither a past participle nor an adjective. The ‘Ed’ form of a verb without an auxiliary is considered the past form
of the verb if it does not modify a noun.
The same word in the second
example is past participle as it is used with an auxiliary verb.
- Broken doors must be repaired before opening the
school.
- Small kids have broken all the toys.
The word ‘broken’ is the 3rd
form of the irregular verb ‘break’. The first example describes the noun 'doors', so it is an adjective. In the second example, it is used in verb tense
with the auxiliary ‘have’ and it is also a past participle.
Formation of Past Participles
To form past participle, we add
the suffix ‘-ed’ to a verb. There are some irregular verbs. They have their past participle forms; they are not formed by adding ‘-ed’. To learn about
spelling rules, you can study spelling rules for adding ‘ed’ to verbs on our
site (Study English Page).
- Talk ----- Talked
- Fry -------Fried
- Drop -----Dropped
- Freeze ---Frozen
- Fall ------Fallen
Other Key Points Related to Participles
Difference between Past Form and Past Participle
The past form of a verb and the past
participle of regular verbs are the same things. They are formed by adding the suffix
‘-ed’. Past form is just used in Simple Past Tense. The past participle is used as
an adjective and in prefect tenses with auxiliaries like has, have, or had.
- When the sheep jumped over the fence, I reached. (Past Form)
- The sheep had jumped over the fence when I reached. (Past Participle)
Perfect Participle
Perfect participle is a
combination of ‘having’ and past participle. We use a perfect participle to
indicate that one action happened before another. It is not a type
of participle.
- Having been written the letter, the letter was sent
by Ali.
- Having done the homework, I ate dinner.
Dangling Participle
Sometimes participle is used,
but it is not clear where or what the word being modified is. As a result, it
creates confusion. Avoid using dangling participles in any case.
- Covered in ketchup, we enjoyed the chips. (Dangling
Participle)
- We enjoyed the chips covered in ketchup. (Correct)
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