Notes on Participles

A participle is a form of a verb that is used in a sentence to modify a noun, noun phrase, verb, or verb phrase, and then plays a role that is comparable to that of an adjective or an adverb, such as modifying the verb or the verb phrase. It is a type of nonfinite verb form, and it is one of several sorts. The two varieties of the participle in English are traditionally referred to as the present participle (which includes forms such as writing, singing, and raising) and the past participle (which includes forms such as raising) (forms such as written, sung and raised).

Verbs in English can be expressed in a variety of ways, which we refer to as their primary parts: the infinitive (move, speak, etc.), the past tense (moved, spoke), the past participle (moved, spoken), and the present participle (move, spoke) (moving, speaking). The participles are words that “take part” in two different word classes: they are verb forms that can also function as adjectives, and they are words that “take part” in two different word classes (“the spoken word,” “a moving experience”). In the sentence “Climbing the mountain, the cabin came into view,” for example, climbing is a dangling participle since it does not modify the subject cabin; hence, climbing is a grammatical error. When we change the sentence to “Climbing the mountain, the hikers spotted a cabin,” the participle climbing no longer modifies the subject hikers, and the sentence is no longer dangling in the air.

PARTICIPIAL PHRASE

Generally speaking, a participle phrase is a collection of words that includes a participle, modifier, and pronoun or noun phrases. The Pronoun/Noun in the phrase will take on the role of the recipient of the action. If a Participle Phrase appears at the beginning of a sentence and the phrase that follows it is a complete sentence, a comma is required after that phrase. Using a comma after a Participle Phrase that is in the midst of or at the end of a sentence is not necessary.

Participle Phrase + Comma + Whole Sentence

Ex: Removing his coat, Jack rushed to the river.

Present Participle (removing) + Whole Sentence (Subject: Jack, Verb: rushed)

The participle phrase in this sentence is removing his coat, and because it occurs at the beginning of the sentence with a complete sentence following it, a comma is required to separate the two parts of the sentence.

Whole Sentence + Participle Phrase

Ex: Delores noticed her cousin walking along the shoreline.

Subject (Delores) + Verb (noticed) + Present Participle (walking)

Walking down the beach is the participle phrase in this sentence, and because it comes at the end of the sentence, there is no need for a comma after it.

The Present Participle

Although they appear to be the same, gerunds and present participles have very different purposes in English. As we’ve previously discussed, the gerund can be used to substitute a noun in sentences such as “I enjoy sleeping” or “Sleeping is not entertained,” among others. Present participles, in contrast to adjectives and adverbs, function in a manner that is similar to that of the verb.

When a verb is used as an adjective, the –ing form of the verb is used to create the present participle of the sentence in question. You should be aware of the difference between a present participle and the gerund, which is the –ing form of a verb that is employed in conjunction with a noun in the same phrase. Everyone in the office was dreading the approaching deadline that was looming over their heads. In this context, the phrase “approaching” refers to the time that is getting closer to the deadline in question. Because the flames emerging from the burning structure were spreading, the firefighters were forced to leap to their feet and fly through the air to protect other nearby buildings. Using the verbs jumping, blazing, and growing to describe a noun (flames, building, and fire) in the sentence qualifies them as present participles in the grammar of the sentence in which they appear. Although it ends in -ing, protecting does not function as a participle in the phrase since it functions as a noun in the sentence (the object of the preposition), therefore qualifying it as a gerund instead. The present participle can be used with the auxiliary verb to be to form a tense that is similar to the present tense as an alternate construction.

The Past Participle

When it comes to appearance, past participles are frequently mistaken for the simple past tense of a verb: finished, danced, etc. Some verbs, on the other hand, have several distinct forms. When it comes to obtaining the correct past participle, reference lists will be your best friend. The past participle can also be combined with the aiding verb to have to generate a type of past tense in some situations. Although not always the case, the past participle can be constructed by appending the suffix -ed to the end of a verb. It can also be used in conjunction with an auxiliary verb, such as “was,” “were,” “had,” or “had,” to indicate that an action has been accomplished or is about to be finished.

When a verb ending in –ed, –en, –d, –t, or –n is used as an adjective, the past participle is the form of the verb ending in –ed, –en, –d, –t, or –n. Some examples of these types of verbs include: opened, beaten, baked, burnt, and chosen, to name a few. She crawled out of the open window to get away from the flames. The word opened is used as an adjective to describe a window in this context. Three beaten eggs are required for this dish. In this context, the term “beaten” refers to the quality of eggs. Baked lasagna is one of my favourite dishes to eat. The term “baked” is used to describe the lasagna in this context. There was a strong scent of burnt toast in the room. Toast is described as “burnt” in this context, which is an adjective. Margaret was ecstatic about her decision to become a kindergarten teacher. In this instance, the word chosen is employed as an adjective to define a career.

Conclusion

Participles are non-finite verbs that are employed as adjectives in a sentence. Participles are frequently terminated with the suffix –ing or –ed. Since participles are generated from verbs, they can convey action or a certain state of being.

When employed as adjectives, participles change the meaning of nouns or pronouns. They also aid in the construction of the continuous and perfect tense forms of the English language. Participles can be divided into two categories: present participles and past participles. Present participles are always terminated with the suffixing. The most common ending for past participles is –ed. Another set of possible endings are: -en (written, broken), -d (paid, sold), -t (dealt, met, sent), -n (seen, spun), or –ne (necessary, but not required) (e.g. gone, done). One should be thorough with the rules of participles to use it correctly in daily English usage.