Introduction to Participles
A participle is a form of a verb that can be used in a sentence to modify a noun, noun phrase, verb or verb phrase, and thus plays a role similar to that of an adjective or adverb. It is one of the types of nonfinite verb forms. There are two types of participles: present participles and past participles. They can be used to form the perfect, progressive, and passive voices of verbs.
Present Participles
Present participles are forms of verbs that are formed by adding -ing to the base form of the verb. They are used to denote the actions that are ongoing. The simple way to identify present participles is that they always end with 'ing.'
Usage of Present Participles
There are several ways to use present participles in sentences:
- As part of a continuous verb tense:
Example: Sally is playing badminton.
- To form the progressive verb tense:
Example: They are considering moving abroad.
- As an adjective to describe a noun.
Example: The smiling boy waved at me.
- To describe an action happening simultaneously with another.
Example: The man sat in the corner reading a newspaper.
Past Participles
Past participles are forms of verbs that usually end in -ed (for regular verbs), but can also end in -t, -en, -n for irregular verbs. They represent completed actions, and in most cases, they are used with the auxiliary verb 'have' to denote past occurrences.
Usage of Past Participles
Just like present participles, past participles can also be used in a variety of ways:
- To form perfect tenses.
Example: She has forgotten her keys.
- When used with ‘have’ to form a perfect tense.
Example: We have taken our lunch.
- As an adjective to describe a noun.
Example: A broken vase lay on the floor.
- In passive voice.
Example: The cake was eaten by the kids.
Perfect Participle
Perfect participle is usually formed by using 'having' + past participle. It is used to show that the action was completed before something else happened.
Usage of Perfect Participle
Perfect participles are mainly used in following ways:
- Use it to form times and conditional structures, and to describe background information that preceded the action of the main verb.
Example: Having finished his homework, John went to bed.
- To express causation.
Example: Having seen the reaction, I decided not to tell her the truth.
Important Rules to Remember
When using participles, it's essential to remember some rules:
- If a sentence starts with a present or past participle, ensure the noun that follows is the one performing the action. If not, the sentence is said to have a dangling participle.
- Correct:
Laughing, Jim chased his dog around the park.
- Incorrect:
Laughing, the park was full of energy because of Jim and his dog.
- Don't confuse past participles with past simple tense. Remember, for regular verbs, past simple and past participles have the same form but for many irregular verbs, they differ.
- Past Simple:
He ate the cake.
- Past Participle:
He has eaten the cake.
In Conclusion
Participles are versatile words that change the form according to the role they are playing in the sentence. Understanding their usage correctly and following the rules can help in enhancing your language skills to a great extent. Remember to practice regularly to master their use.
