Use the word participle in a sentence

Причастие

Formation and use of English participles, main constructions with participles and various questions related to participles are described in this material.

Образование и употребление английских причастий, основные конструкции с причастиями и различные вопросы, связанные с причастиями, описываются в этом материале.

Main points

Основные положения

English verbs have two participles: the present participle (typing, writing) and the past participle (typed, written).

Английские глаголы имеют два причастия: причастие настоящего времени (typing, writing) и причастие прошедшего времени (typed, written).

Participles have some qualities of verbs and are used in the formation of the continuous, perfect and perfect continuous tenses (he is typing; he has written a letter).

Причастия имеют некоторые свойства глаголов и используются в образовании продолженных, перфектных и перфектных продолженных времён (он печатает; он написал письмо).

Participles have some qualities of adjectives and are used as attributes in a sentence (a smiling girl; surprised faces).

Причастия имеют некоторые свойства прилагательных и употребляются как определения в предложении (улыбающаяся девочка; удивлённые лица).

Participles are also used in the function of adverbial modifiers (he opened the door, smiling; surprised, he didn’t know what to say).

Причастия также употребляются в функции обстоятельств (он открыл дверь, улыбаясь; удивлённый, он не знал, что сказать).

A participle construction, that is, a participle together with the words closely connected with it, can function as an attribute (the girl sitting at the table) or as an adverbial modifier (standing by the window, she watched the birds). Participle constructions (participial constructions) are usually called «participial phrases» or «participial clauses» in English grammar materials.

Причастный оборот, то есть причастие вместе со словами, тесно связанными с ним, может быть в функции определения (девочка, сидящая за столом) или в функции обстоятельства (стоя у окна, она наблюдала за птицами). Причастные обороты обычно называются «participial phrases» или «participial clauses» в английских материалах по грамматике.

English participles are translated into Russian with the help of verbs, adjectives, participles, adverbial participles. Russian adverbial participle has no corresponding form in English.

Английские причастия переводятся на русский язык с помощью глаголов, прилагательных, причастий, деепричастий. Русское деепричастие не имеет соответствующей ему формы в английском языке.

Formation of participles

Образование причастий

Present participle

Причастие настоящего времени

The present participle is formed by adding «ing» to the base form of the verb: flying, playing, running, sleeping, working.

Причастие настоящего времени образуется прибавлением «ing» к базовой форме глагола: flying, playing, running, sleeping, working.

The present participle expresses active meaning: doing, flying, playing, reading, running, sleeping, taking, typing, working, writing.

Причастие настоящего времени выражает активное значение: делающий, летящий, играющий, читающий, бегущий, спящий, берущий, печатающий, работающий, пишущий.

Past participle

Причастие прошедшего времени

Regular verbs form the past participle by adding «ed» to the base form of the verb: moved, played, stopped, typed.

Правильные глаголы образуют причастие прошедшего времени прибавлением «ed» к базовой форме глагола: moved, played, stopped, typed.

Irregular verbs form the past participle mostly by changing the root of the word: broken, flown, read, sold, taken, written.

Неправильные глаголы образуют причастие прошедшего времени в основном изменением корня слова: broken, flown, read, sold, taken, written.

The past participle expresses passive meaning: done, moved, played, read, sold, stopped, taken, typed, written.

Причастие прошедшего времени выражает страдательное значение: сделанный, сдвинутый, сыгранный, прочитанный, проданный, остановленный, взятый, напечатанный, написанный.

Note: The rules of adding «ing» and «ed» to verbs are described in Adding the Endings ed, ing to Verbs in the section Writing. Irregular verbs are listed in Irregular Verbs in the section Writing.

Примечание: Правила прибавления «ing» и «ed» к глаголам описаны в статье Adding the Endings ed, ing to Verbs в разделе Writing. Неправильные глаголы даны в списке Irregular Verbs в разделе Writing.

Formation of tenses

Образование времен

The main function of participles is their use in the formation of certain tenses. Only the simple forms of participles (for example, writing, written) are used in the formation of tenses. The participle is part of the tense form; the participle together with the auxiliary verb is translated into Russian as a tense (not as a participle).

Главная функция причастий – их использование в образовании определённых времён. Только простые формы причастий (например, writing, written) используются в образовании времён. Причастие является частью формы времени; причастие вместе с вспомогательным глаголом переводится на русский язык как время (а не как причастие).

Present participle

Причастие настоящего времени

The present participle (of the main verb) is used in the formation of the continuous and perfect continuous tenses. Examples:

Причастие настоящего времени (основного глагола) используется в образовании продолженных и перфектных продолженных времён. Примеры:

Continuous tenses: He is working now. We were sleeping when he called. She will be writing letters at four o’clock.

Продолженные времена: Он работает сейчас. Мы спали, когда он позвонил. Она будет писать письма в четыре часа.

Perfect continuous tenses: He has been working since early morning. She had been sleeping for two hours when you called. By six o’clock, she will have been writing letters for three hours.

Перфектные продолженные времена: Он уже работает с раннего утра. Она уже спала в течение двух часов, когда ты позвонил. К шести часам она будет писать письма уже в течение трёх часов.

Past participle

Причастие прошедшего времени

The past participle (of the main verb) is used in the formation of the perfect tenses in the active voice and of all of the tenses in the passive voice. Examples:

Причастие прошедшего времени (основного глагола) используется в образовании перфектных времён в активном залоге и всех времён в пассивном залоге. Примеры:

Perfect tenses: We have already written three stories. She had typed two reports by ten o’clock yesterday. She will have typed the next report by six o’clock.

Перфектные времена: Мы уже написали три рассказа. Она напечатала два доклада к десяти часам вчера. Она уже напечатает следующий доклад к шести часам.

Tenses in the passive: Three stories have already been written. Five reports were typed last week. Two reports had been typed by ten o’clock yesterday. This report will be typed tomorrow.

Времена в пассиве: Три рассказа уже написаны. Пять докладов были напечатаны на прошлой неделе. Два доклада были напечатаны к десяти часам вчера. Этот доклад будет напечатан завтра.

Participles after the verb BE

Причастия после глагола BE

Participles are used in the formation of certain tenses. Participles are also used in the function of adjectives. Usually, the difference between these functions of participles is clear and does not lead to mistakes in understanding. But in some cases, especially in those cases where a participle stands after the verb BE, it may be a little difficult to understand the difference. Compare these sentences:

Причастия используются в образовании определённых времён. Причастия также употребляются в функции прилагательных. Обычно, разница между этими функциями причастий ясна и не ведёт к ошибкам в понимании. Но в некоторых случаях, особенно в случаях, где причастие стоит после глагола BE, может быть немного трудно понять эту разницу. Сравните эти предложения:

This situation is humiliating. (the participle «humiliating» as an adjective)

Эта ситуация унизительна. (причастие «humiliating» как прилагательное)

Stop it! You are humiliating him. («are humiliating» – the present continuous tense)

Прекрати это! Ты унижаешь его. («are humiliating» – настоящее продолженное время)

Two chairs are broken. (the participle «broken» as an adjective)

Два стула сломаны. (причастие «broken» как прилагательное)

Two chairs were broken by some customers yesterday. («were broken» – the simple past in the passive)

Два стула были сломаны какими-то посетителями вчера. («were broken» – простое прошедшее в пассиве)

Forms of participles

Формы причастий

Let’s look at the forms of the participles using the verb «do» as an example. Like other verbs, the verb «do» has two participles: the present participle «doing» and the past participle «done».

Давайте посмотрим на формы причастий на примере глагола «do». Как и другие глаголы, глагол «do» имеет два причастия: причастие настоящего времени «doing» и причастие прошедшего времени «done».

Participles have simple and compound forms. Simple forms consist of only one word, i.e., the participle itself: doing, done. The form «doing» is simple active; the form «done» is simple passive.

Причастия имеют простые и сложные формы. Простые формы состоят только из одного слова, т.е. самого причастия: doing, done. Форма «doing» (делающий) – простая активная; форма «done» (сделанный) – простая пассивная.

Compound (analytical) forms are formed with the help of the auxiliary verbs «be» and «have»: having done; being done; having been done. The form «having done» is perfect active; the form «being done» is passive; the form «having been done» is perfect passive.

Сложные (аналитические) формы образуются с помощью вспомогательных глаголов «be» и «have»: having done; being done; having been done. Форма «having done» (сделавший) – перфектная активная; форма «being done» (делаемый) – пассивная; форма «having been done» (уже сделанный) – перфектная пассивная.

Simple forms of participles are used in the formation of the tenses. In a sentence, simple forms of participles are also used in the function of attributes and adverbial modifiers. Compound forms of participles are used more rarely.

Простые формы причастий используются в образовании времён. В предложении, простые формы причастий также употребляются в функции определений и обстоятельств. Сложные формы причастий употребляются реже.

Examples of simple and compound forms

Примеры простых и сложных форм

The sentences below contain simple and compound forms of participles. (Simpler sentences are indicated in parentheses.)

Предложения ниже содержат простые и сложные формы причастий. (Более простые предложения указаны в скобках.)

The boy is reading a book.

Мальчик читает книгу.

The reading boy didn’t pay any attention to the teacher’s words.

Читающий мальчик не обратил никакого внимания на слова учителя.

The boy reading a book didn’t pay any attention to the teacher’s words.

Мальчик, читающий книгу, не обратил никакого внимания на слова учителя.

He was sitting by the window, reading a book.

Он сидел у окна, читая книгу.

Having read ten pages of the book, he decided to have a break. (After reading ten pages of the book, he decided to have a break.)

Прочитав десять страниц книги, он решил сделать перерыв. (После чтения десяти страниц книги он решил сделать перерыв.)

The books read by him last week included several fairy tales.

Книги, прочитанные им на прошлой неделе, включали в себя несколько сказок.

The story being read by him now is called «The Wonderful Wizard of Oz». (The story that he is reading now is called «The Wonderful Wizard of Oz».)

Повесть, читаемая им сейчас, называется «Удивительный Волшебник из страны Оз». (Повесть, которую он читает сейчас, называется «Удивительный Волшебник из страны Оз».)

Published in 1900, the story was adapted into a film in 1939.

Опубликованная в 1900 году, эта повесть была экранизирована в 1939 году.

Having been translated into several languages, this story is well known in many countries. (Translated into several languages, this story is well known in many countries.)

Будучи переведённой на несколько языков, эта повесть хорошо известна во многих странах. (Переведённая на несколько языков, эта повесть хорошо известна во многих странах.)

Translation of participles

Перевод причастий

Depending on the function in the sentence, on the context and meaning, English participles are translated into Russian as participles, as adjectives, as adverbial participles, as verbs. Compare these examples:

В зависимости от функции в предложении, от контекста и значения, английские причастия переводятся на русский язык как причастия, как прилагательные, как деепричастия, как глаголы. Сравните эти примеры:

I saw a running boy.

Я увидел бегущего мальчика.

He was running very fast.

Он бежал очень быстро.

He ran shouting something.

Он бежал, крича что-то. Он бежал и кричал что-то.

Running past the bakery, the boy stopped abruptly.

Пробегая мимо булочной, мальчик внезапно остановился.

He stood there, looking at the shopwindow intently.

Он стоял там, пристально глядя на витрину. Он стоял там и пристально смотрел на витрину.

Having found the door locked, the boy left.

Найдя дверь запертой, мальчик ушёл.

Note: Adverbial participles

Примечание: Деепричастия

In the examples above, «shouting something; running past the bakery; looking at the shopwindow; having found» have been translated into Russian with the help of adverbial participles.

В примерах выше, «shouting something; running past the bakery; looking at the shopwindow; having found» переведены на русский язык с помощью деепричастий (крича, пробегая, глядя, найдя).

There are no adverbial participles in English. We translate English participles into Russian with the help of suitable adverbial participles in those cases where it is required by the norms of the Russian language.

В английском языке нет деепричастий. Мы переводим английские причастия на русский язык с помощью подходящих деепричастий в тех случаях, где это требуется нормами русского языка.

Participles as attributes

Причастия как определения

Participles in the function of adjectives, that is, in the function of attributes in a sentence, are sometimes called «participial adjectives» in English grammar materials.

Причастия в функции прилагательных, то есть в функции определений в предложении, иногда называются «participial adjectives» в английских материалах по грамматике.

Participles can modify the subject, an object, or another noun in a sentence. Participles may stand before or after the noun that they modify. Participle constructions stand after the nouns that they modify.

Причастия могут определять подлежащее, дополнение или другое существительное в предложении. Причастия могут стоять до или после определяемого существительного. Причастные обороты стоят после определяемых существительных.

Participle before noun

Причастие перед существительным

A single participle often stands before the noun that it modifies: a flying bird; a moving train; a promising actor; a growing interest; overwhelming majority, running water; boiling water; working people; a broken heart; a rotten apple; spoken language; a tired voice; a written confirmation; boiled water; developed countries; experienced users. Examples:

Одиночное причастие часто стоит перед определяемым существительным: летящая птица; движущийся поезд; многообещающий актер; растущий интерес; подавляющее большинство; проточная вода; кипящая вода; трудящиеся; разбитое сердце; гнилое яблоко; устная речь; усталый голос; письменное подтверждение; кипячёная вода; развитые страны; опытные пользователи. Примеры:

Barking dogs seldom bite.

Лающие собаки редко кусают.

I’m always glad to see her smiling face.

Я всегда рад видеть её улыбающееся лицо.

She spoke in a trembling voice.

Она говорила дрожащим голосом.

He stood before the locked door.

Он стоял перед запертой дверью.

He is a retired colonel.

Он полковник в отставке.

Participle after noun

Причастие после существительного

Not all participles can stand before their nouns. Participles that are closer to verbs than to adjectives are often placed after the nouns that they modify: the problems remaining; the people attending; the people involved; the questions discussed; the names mentioned; the documents required; those invited; those concerned.

Не все причастия могут стоять перед своими существительными. Причастия, которые ближе к глаголам, чем к прилагательным, часто ставятся после определяемых существительных: остающиеся проблемы; присутствующие; люди, причастные к этому; обсуждавшиеся вопросы; упомянутые имена; требуемые документы; приглашённые; те, кого это касается.

In such cases, you can use a participle construction instead of a single participle. A participle construction expresses the same meaning as a relative subordinate clause (attributive clause). (Subordinate clauses are described in Word Order in Complex Sentences in the section Grammar.)

В таких случаях можно употребить причастный оборот вместо одиночного причастия. Причастный оборот выражает такое же значение, как относительное (определительное) придаточное предложение. (Придаточные предложения описываются в статье Word Order in Complex Sentences в разделе Grammar.)

Compare these sentences containing a single participle, a participle construction, or a relative clause:

Сравните эти предложения, содержащие одиночное причастие, причастный оборот или определительное придаточное предложение:

The questions discussed were quite important. – The questions discussed at the meeting were quite important. – The questions that were discussed at the meeting were quite important.

Обсуждавшиеся вопросы были весьма важными. – Вопросы, обсуждавшиеся на собрании, были весьма важными. – Вопросы, которые обсуждались на собрании, были весьма важными.

Some of those invited refused to participate. – Some of those invited to the meeting refused to participate. – Some of the people who were invited to the meeting refused to participate.

Некоторые из приглашённых отказались участвовать. – Некоторые из приглашённых на собрание отказались участвовать. – Некоторые из тех людей, которых пригласили на собрание, отказались участвовать.

Participle construction after noun

Причастный оборот после существительного

Participle constructions in the function of attributes stand after the nouns that they modify. For example:

Причастные обороты в функции определений стоят после существительных, которые они определяют. Например:

The boy playing with the kitten is my nephew. (The boy who is playing with the kitten is my nephew.)

Мальчик, играющий с котенком, мой племянник. (Мальчик, который играет с котенком, мой племянник.)

I talked to several people participating in the project.

Я говорил с несколькими людьми, участвующими в проекте.

The car parked by the entrance belongs to the director.

Машина, припаркованная у входа, принадлежит директору.

I need a list of the goods sold yesterday.

Мне нужен список товаров, проданных вчера.

Active and passive meanings of participles

Активные и страдательные значения причастий

In the function of attributes, present participles express active meaning, and past participles express passive meaning.

В функции определений, причастия настоящего времени выражают активное значение, а причастия прошедшего времени выражают страдательное значение.

In a number of cases there are no corresponding Russian participles with active and passive meaning, for example, in the case of «boring, bored». Compare these sentences:

В ряде случаев нет соответствующих русских причастий с активным и страдательным значением, например, в случае «boring, bored». Сравните эти предложения:

His attitude is annoying.

Его отношение раздражающее.

She looks annoyed.

Она выглядит раздражённой.

It was surprising that he went there.

Было удивительно, что он пошёл туда.

I was surprised that he went there.

Я был удивлён, что он пошёл туда.

It was a boring party.

Это была скучная вечеринка.

Everyone was bored.

Всем было скучно.

I am bored. – Watch a film or read a book.

Мне скучно. – Посмотри фильм или почитай книгу.

There are many pairs of frequently used participles with active and passive meaning: alarming, alarmed; astonishing, astonished; convincing, convinced; disappointing, disappointed; exciting, excited; exhausting, exhausted; frightening, frightened; humiliating, humiliated; horrifying, horrified; irritating, irritated; shocking, shocked.

Есть много пар употребительных причастий с активным и страдательным значением: тревожащий, встревоженный; изумляющий, изумлённый; убеждающий, убеждённый; разочаровывающий, разочарованный; волнующий, взволнованный; изнуряющий, изнурённый; пугающий, испуганный; унижающий, униженный; ужасающий, приведённый в ужас; раздражающий, раздражённый; шокирующий, шокированный.

Note: We translated the participles as participles to show the difference between active and passive meanings. Some participles are often translated as adjectives, for example, «alarming, convincing, humiliating».

Примечание: Мы перевели причастия как причастия, чтобы показать разницу между активными и страдательными значениями. Некоторые причастия часто переводятся как прилагательные, например, «тревожный, убедительный, унизительный».

More examples for memorizing: amazing, amazed; amusing, amused; charming, charmed; confusing, confused; depressing, depressed; developing, developed; disgusting, disgusted; embarrassing, embarrassed; encouraging, encouraged; fascinating, fascinated; frustrating, frustrated; pleasing, pleased; puzzling, puzzled; relaxing, relaxed; satisfying, satisfied; terrifying, terrified; thrilling, thrilled; tiring, tired; worrying, worried.

Ещё примеры для запоминания: amazing, amazed; amusing, amused; charming, charmed; confusing, confused; depressing, depressed; developing, developed; disgusting, disgusted; embarrassing, embarrassed; encouraging, encouraged; fascinating, fascinated; frustrating, frustrated; pleasing, pleased; puzzling, puzzled; relaxing, relaxed; satisfying, satisfied; terrifying, terrified; thrilling, thrilled; tiring, tired; worrying, worried.

Some past participles in the function of attributes can express active meaning. For example: advanced students; experienced users; developed countries; increased activity.

Некоторые причастия прошедшего времени в функции определения могут выражать активное значение. Например: продвинутые студенты; развитые страны; опытные пользователи; возросшая активность.

Intensifiers with past participles

Усилители с причастиями прошедшего времени

The adverbs «very, much, very much» intensify the meaning. «Very» is used with adjectives (and with adverbs, e.g., very quickly); «much» and «very much» are used with verbs. For example, you can say «This book is very good» and «I liked it very much», but you can’t say «I very liked it».

Наречия «very, much, very much» усиливают значение. «Very» употребляется с прилагательными (и с наречиями, например, very quickly); «much» и «very much» употребляются с глаголами. Например, можно сказать «This book is very good» и «I liked it very much», но нельзя сказать «I very liked it».

Past participles, usually in the position after the verb BE, may also be used with intensifiers. Past participles that have acquired strong adjectival qualities (usually, they are participles expressing feelings) may be used with «very», for example, «very bored, very interested, very surprised, very tired». Past participles that have strong verbal qualities are used with «much» or «very much», for example, «much obliged, very much appreciated, very much criticized, much reduced». Examples:

Причастия прошедшего времени, обычно в положении после глагола BE, тоже могут употребляться с усилителями. Причастия прошедшего времени, которые приобрели явные качества прилагательного (обычно это причастия, выражающие чувства), могут быть употреблены с «very», например, «very bored, very interested, very surprised, very tired». Причастия прошедшего времени, которые имеют явные глагольные качества, употребляются с «much» или «very much», например, «much obliged, very much appreciated, very much criticized, much reduced».

I was very tired yesterday.

Я очень устал вчера. (был очень усталым)

Your help was very much appreciated.

Ваша помощь была очень ценной.

Her first novel was much criticized.

Её первый роман много критиковали.

Her latest novel is much talked about.

О её последнем романе много говорят.

Which past participles can be used with «very» and which only with «much» or «very much» is a difficult question. There are no recommended lists of past participles that can be used with «very», and there is no agreement among linguists on this issue. Some linguists allow «very disappointed, very annoyed, very pleased»; others insist on «very much disappointed, very much annoyed, very much pleased».

Какие причастия прошедшего времени можно употребить с «very», а какие только с «much» или «very much» – трудный вопрос. Нет рекомендованных списков причастий, которые можно употребить с «very», и нет согласия между лингвистами по этому вопросу. Некоторые лингвисты разрешают «very disappointed, very annoyed, very pleased»; другие настаивают на «very much disappointed, very much annoyed, very much pleased».

Generally, use «very», «much» or «very much» with this or that past participle if you saw such use in your textbook and in other educational materials. Avoid frequent use of these intensifiers with participles. This will improve your style and will help you to avoid mistakes.

В целом, употребите «very», «much» или «very much» с тем или иным причастием прошедшего времени, если вы видели такое употребление в учебнике и в других учебных материалах. Избегайте частого употребления этих усилителей с причастиями. Это улучшит ваш стиль и поможет вам избежать ошибок.

Note:

Примечание:

The issue described above concerns only the past participle because the present participle is generally not used with «much» or «very much». Whether you can use «very» with this or that present participle depends on the meaning of the participle and on how close to the adjective it has become. For example, you can say «very interesting, very boring, very encouraging, very surprising», but you can’t say «very flying, very working».

Вопрос, описанный выше, касается только причастия прошедшего времени, поскольку причастие настоящего времени обычно не употребляется с «much» или «very much». Можно ли употребить «very» с тем или иным причастием настоящего времени зависит от значения причастия и от того, насколько близким к прилагательному оно стало. Например, можно сказать «very interesting, very boring, very encouraging, very surprising», но нельзя сказать «very flying, very working».

Participles as adverbial modifiers

Причастия как обстоятельства

Participles in the function of adverbial modifiers (of time, reason, manner, accompanying circumstances, etc.) are usually found in participle constructions, though single participles are also quite possible. The negative particle «not» is placed before the participle. Participle constructions in the function of adverbial modifiers are used mostly in writing.

Причастия в функции обстоятельств (времени, причины, образа действия, сопутствующих обстоятельств и т.д.) обычно встречаются в причастных оборотах, хотя одиночные причастия тоже вполне возможны. Отрицательная частица «not» ставится перед причастием. Причастные обороты в функции обстоятельств употребляются в основном в письменной речи.

Participle constructions in the function of adverbial modifiers usually stand at the beginning of the sentence, but may sometimes stand in the middle or at the end of the sentence. Since the action expressed by the participle in such constructions usually refers to the subject of the sentence, the participle in any position in the sentence should be clearly connected with the subject.

Причастные обороты в функции обстоятельств обычно стоят в начале предложения, но могут иногда стоять в середине или в конце предложения. Поскольку действие, выраженное причастием в таких конструкциях, обычно относится к подлежащему предложения, причастие в любом положении в предложении должно быть ясно связано с подлежащим.

Participle constructions in the function of adverbial modifiers of time and reason (usually at the beginning of the sentence) express the same meaning as adverbial clauses of time and reason. In some examples below, corresponding complex sentences are indicated in parentheses.

Причастные обороты в функции обстоятельств времени и причины (обычно в начале предложения) выражают такое же значение, как обстоятельственные придаточные предложения времени и причины. В некоторых примерах ниже, соответствующие сложноподчинённые предложения указаны в скобках.

Present participle as adverbial modifier: Examples

Причастие настоящего времени как обстоятельство: Примеры

Arriving at the airport, we learned that our flight was delayed because of weather conditions. (When we arrived at the airport, we learned that our flight was delayed because of weather conditions.)

Приехав в аэропорт, мы узнали, что наш рейс отложен из-за погодных условий. (Когда мы приехали в аэропорт, мы узнали, что наш рейс отложен из-за погодных условий.)

When doing the exercises, look up the new words.

Делая упражнения, посмотрите новые слова в словаре.

Standing by the window, he watched the people on the street.

Стоя у окна, он наблюдал за людьми на улице.

Having finished my work, I went home. (After I finished my work, I went home.)

Закончив работу, я пошёл домой. (После того, как я закончил работу, я пошёл домой.)

Having seen him in that building before, I thought that he worked there. (As I had seen him in that building before, I thought that he worked there.)

Видев его в том здании раньше, я думал, что он работает там. (Поскольку я видел его в том здании раньше, я думал, что он работает там.)

Feeling very tired, she went to bed early. (She went to bed early because she was feeling very tired.)

Чувствуя себя очень уставшей, она рано легла спать. (Она рано легла спать, потому что она чувствовала себя очень уставшей.)

Not knowing what to expect, she was afraid to open the door.

Не зная, чего ожидать, она боялась открыть дверь.

Laughing, the girls ran out of the classroom.

Смеясь, девочки выбежали из класса.

She sat in the corner, waiting.

Она сидела в углу, ожидая.

He stood by the door, looking at us angrily.

Он стоял у двери, сердито глядя на нас.

Past participle as adverbial modifier: Examples

Причастие прошедшего времени как обстоятельство: Примеры

Asked to explain what happened, he said that he didn’t know. (When he was asked to explain what happened, he said that he didn’t know.)

Когда его попросили объяснить, что случилось, он сказал, что не знает.

If lost in a new city, call the police. (If you are lost in a new city, call the police.)

Если вы потерялись в незнакомом городе, позвоните в полицию.

Surprised by his strange decision, his friends tried to talk him out of it.

Удивлённые его странным решением, его друзья пытались отговорить его от этого.

Left in the yard, the books were spoiled by the pouring rain.

Оставленные во дворе, книги были испорчены проливным дождем.

Lost in the woods, the dog managed to find the way home.

Потерянная в лесу, собака смогла найти дорогу домой.

Cook and stir until thickened. (Cook and stir until the mixture is thickened.)

Варите при помешивании до загустения. (Варите при помешивании, пока смесь не загустеет.)

Dangling participle

Неприкрепленное причастие

Usually, the action expressed by the participle in the function of an adverbial modifier refers to the subject of the sentence.

Обычно, действие, выраженное причастием в функции обстоятельства, относится к подлежащему предложения.

The term «dangling participle» (unattached participle) refers to the situation in which, because of incorrect sentence structure, the participle is unrelated to the subject or is connected to the wrong noun. For example:

Термин «dangling participle» (неприкреплённое причастие) имеет в виду ситуацию, в которой из-за неправильного построения предложения причастие не связано с подлежащим или связано не с тем существительным. Например:

Coming out of the house, the rain started.

Выйдя из дома, начался дождь.

Not knowing his telephone, a letter was sent to him.

Не зная его телефона, ему было послано письмо.

Dangling participles are considered to be bad style of writing. Besides, they can cause misunderstanding. Sentences with dangling participles should be restructured. It can be done (1) by clearly indicating the subject of the sentence so that the participle is clearly attached to the subject, or (2) by changing the participial construction into a subordinate clause.

Неприкреплённые причастия считаются плохим стилем письма. Кроме того, они могут вызвать неправильное понимание. Предложения с такими причастиями следует перестроить. Это можно сделать (1) ясным указанием подлежащего в предложении, так чтобы причастие было ясно прикреплено к подлежащему, или (2) превращением причастного оборота в придаточное предложение.

For example, the sentences with dangling participles in the examples above can be restructured in the following ways:

Например, предложения с неприкреплёнными причастиями в примерах выше можно перестроить следующим образом:

Coming out of the house, I saw that the rain started.

Выйдя из дома, я увидел, что начался дождь.

When I came out of the house, the rain started.

Когда я вышел из дома, начался дождь.

Not knowing his telephone, we sent a letter to him.

Не зная его телефона, мы послали ему письмо.

As we didn’t know his telephone, we sent a letter to him.

Поскольку мы не знали его телефона, мы послали ему письмо.

It is necessary to say that dangling participles are rather common in literary works, especially in those cases where the subject is impersonal «It», and where weak connection between the participle and the subject does not lead to ambiguity for the reader. For example:

Необходимо сказать, что неприкреплённые причастия довольно часто встречаются в литературных произведениях, особенно в тех случаях, где подлежащим является безличное «It» и где слабая связь между причастием и подлежащим не ведёт к неясности для читателя. Например:

Going home, it occurred to me that I had probably seen him before.

Идя домой, мне пришло в голову, что я вероятно видел его раньше.

Nevertheless, it may be advisable for language learners to avoid using such sentences in formal writing, especially in test and examination papers.

Тем не менее, для изучающих язык может быть целесообразным избегать употребления таких предложений в официальной письменной речи, особенно в контрольных и экзаменационных работах.

Note: Prepositions and conjunctions in the form of participles

Примечание: Предлоги и союзы в форме причастий

Some prepositions and conjunctions are in the form of participles. For example: concerning, considering, including, notwithstanding, owing to, judging from, provided that, regarding, supposing.

Некоторые предлоги и союзы имеют форму причастий. Например: concerning, considering, including, notwithstanding, owing to, judging from, provided that, regarding, supposing.

They do not require a strict connection with the subject and should not be regarded as dangling participles. The same can be said about participles in such set expressions as «generally speaking, strictly speaking, taking into consideration» and some others. Examples:

Они не требуют строгой связи с подлежащим и не должны считаться «dangling participles». То же самое можно сказать о причастиях в таких устойчивых выражениях как «generally speaking, strictly speaking, taking into consideration» и некоторых других. Примеры:

Owing to the rain, the game was postponed. Considering the price, this table is a good buy. Strictly speaking, they are not her relatives.

Из-за дождя игра была отложена. Принимая во внимание цену, этот стол – удачная покупка. Строго говоря, они не являются её родственниками.

Absolute participle construction

Самостоятельный причастный оборот

The absolute participle construction has its own subject (to which the action expressed by the participle refers) and can stand at the beginning or at the end of the sentence. Sometimes the preposition «with» introduces an absolute participle clause.

Самостоятельный причастный оборот имеет своё собственное подлежащее (к которому относится действие, выраженное причастием) и может стоять в начале или в конце предложения. Иногда предлог «with» вводит самостоятельный причастный оборот.

Absolute participle constructions are often used in literary works and scientific writing, but are rare in ordinary speech. In your own speech, you can replace absolute participle constructions with simpler constructions. Examples:

Абсолютные причастные обороты часто употребляются в литературных произведениях и в научной литературе, но редки в обычной речи. В вашей речи, вы можете заменить самостоятельные причастные обороты более простыми конструкциями. Примеры:

The weather being nice and warm, we went for a walk. (As the weather was nice and warm, we went for a walk.)

Поскольку погода была хорошая и тёплая, мы пошли на прогулку.

Nobody knowing what to do, we decided to do nothing. (Because nobody knew what to do, we decided to do nothing.)

Так как никто не знал, что делать, мы решили ничего не делать.

Two of them headed toward the director’s office, the other three staying in the hall. (Two of them headed toward the director’s office, and the other three stayed in the hall.)

Двое из них направились к кабинету директора, а трое других остались в коридоре.

Sydney is the largest city in Australia, with Melbourne being the second largest.

Сидней – самый большой город в Австралии, а Мельбурн – второй по величине.

Their recent fight forgotten, the children began to play with their new toys. (The children forgot their recent fight and began to play with their new toys.)

Позабыв недавнюю ссору, дети начали играть со своими новыми игрушками. (Дети забыли свою недавнюю ссору и начали играть с новыми игрушками.)

Our work finished, we said good-bye and left.

Так как наша работа была закончена, мы попрощались и ушли.

She listened to his story quietly, with her eyes closed and her face impassive.

Она слушала его рассказ спокойно, с закрытыми глазами и бесстрастным лицом.

Participles in constructions with complex object

Причастия в конструкциях со сложным дополнением

In sentences like «I saw him crossing the street. I found him sleeping. I had my car washed.», the constructions «him crossing; him sleeping; car washed» are often called «complex object» in Russian grammar materials.

В предложениях типа «I saw him crossing the street. I found him sleeping. I had my car washed.», конструкции «him crossing; him sleeping; car washed» часто называются «complex object» (сложное дополнение) в русских материалах по грамматике.

The term «complex object» is rarely found in English grammar materials. Instead, participles in such constructions are usually called «object complement; objective complement; objective predicate». (See Verbs Glossary of Terms in the section Grammar.)

Термин «complex object» редко встречается в английских материалах по грамматике. Вместо этого, причастия в таких конструкциях обычно называются «object complement; objective complement; objective predicate». (См. Verbs Glossary of Terms в разделе Grammar.)

The use of the infinitive in constructions with complex object is described in The Infinitive in the section Grammar and in the commentary (in Russian) to the song Joe Cocker — N’Oubliez Jamais in the section Hobby.

Употребление инфинитива в конструкциях со сложным дополнением описывается в материале The Infinitive в разделе Grammar и в комментарии (на русском языке) к песне Joe Cocker — N’Oubliez Jamais в разделе Hobby.

Present participle in constructions with complex object

Причастие настоящего времени в конструкциях со сложным дополнением

Constructions after verbs of sense perception

Конструкции после глаголов чувственного восприятия

The present participle is used in constructions with complex object after the verbs of sense perception «hear, see, watch, observe, notice, feel» to indicate the action in progress. For example:

Причастие настоящего времени употребляется в конструкциях со сложным дополнением после глаголов чувственного восприятия «hear, see, watch, observe, notice, feel», чтобы показать действие в процессе. Например:

I saw him locking the door. I saw him watching me. I see her smiling.

Я видел, как он запирал дверь. Я видел, что он наблюдает за мной. Я вижу, как она улыбается.

I heard them laughing. I hear the telephone ringing.

Я слышал, как они смеялись. Я слышу, как звонит телефон.

She felt him looking at her. She noticed him smiling at something.

Она чувствовала, что он смотрит на неё. Она заметила, как/что он улыбается чему-то.

The infinitive in such constructions usually expresses a completed action, but if the verb is of continuing nature, the infinitive can express the action in progress. Compare:

Инфинитив в таких конструкциях обычно выражает законченное действие, но если глагол продолженного характера, инфинитив может выражать действие в процессе. Сравните:

I saw him crossing the street. – I saw him cross the street.

Я видел, как он переходил улицу. – Я видел, как он перешёл улицу.

I saw her coming out of the house. – I saw her come out of the house.

Я видел, как она выходила из дома. – Я видел, как она вышла из дома.

I heard the telephone ringing. – I heard the telephone ring.

Я слышал, как звонил телефон. – Я слышал, как зазвонил телефон.

I heard him singing. – I heard him sing.

Я слышал, как он пел. – Я слышал, как он пел.

I heard her crying. – I heard her cry.

Я слышал, как она плакала. – Я слышал, как она плакала.

He watched them walking slowly toward the house. / He watched them walk slowly toward the house.

Он наблюдал, как они медленно шли по направлению к дому.

Note:

Примечание:

Note the use of participles after the verbs «smell» and «find»:

Обратите внимание на употребление причастий после глаголов «smell» и «find»:

I smell something burning.

Я чувствую (по запаху), что что-то горит.

I found him sleeping.

Я нашёл его спящим.

She finds him interesting.

Она находит его интересным.

I found the door locked.

Я обнаружил, что дверь заперта.

Past participle in constructions with complex object

Причастие прошедшего времени в конструкциях со сложным дополнением

Constructions after «see, hear, want, consider»

Конструкции после «see, hear, want, consider»

The past participle is used in constructions with complex object to show that the person or thing indicated by the object undergoes the action indicated by the participle.

Причастие прошедшего времени употребляется в конструкциях со сложным дополнением, чтобы показать, что лицо или предмет, указанный дополнением, подвергается действию причастия.

He saw his bags put into the trunk of a large car.

Он видел, как его вещи положили в багажник большого автомобиля.

She saw several participants arrested during the demonstration.

Она видела, как нескольких участников арестовали во время демонстрации.

We heard her name mentioned during the discussion.

Мы слышали, как её имя упоминали во время дискуссии.

He wants it done as soon as possible.

Он хочет, чтобы это было сделано как можно скорее.

We want him elected.

Мы хотим, чтобы его избрали.

I consider this matter closed.

Я считаю этот вопрос закрытым.

Note: In the last three examples above, the participles «done, elected, closed» may be regarded as shortened variants of the passive infinitive forms «to be done; to be elected; to be closed».

Примечание: В последних трёх примерах выше, причастия «done, elected, closed» могут рассматриваться как укороченные варианты пассивных форм инфинитива «to be done; to be elected; to be closed».

Construction «have something done»

Конструкция «have something done»

In constructions like «I had it done», the past participle is used after the verb «have» (or after «get» in informal speech) to show that the action is performed for you by someone, usually at your request. (See The Verb HAVE in the section Grammar.)

В конструкциях типа «I had it done», причастие прошедшего времени употребляется после глагола «have» (или после «get» в разговорной речи), чтобы показать, что действие выполняется для вас кем-то, обычно по вашей просьбе. (См. The Verb HAVE в разделе Grammar.)

I had my car washed.

Мне вымыли машину.

He had his hair cut yesterday.

Ему постригли волосы вчера.

She got her TV repaired.

Ей починили телевизор.

However, in some cases the action expressed by the participle after the verb «have» in such constructions is performed not at your request, and the action may be unpleasant. Examples:

Однако в некоторых случаях, действие, выраженное причастием после глагола «have» в таких конструкциях, совершается не по вашей просьбе, и это действие может быть неприятным. Примеры:

She had her purse stolen yesterday.

У неё вчера украли кошелёк.

He had his nose broken in a fight.

Ему сломали нос в драке.

She got her finger jammed in the door.

Она прищемила (ей прищемило) палец дверью.

Participles are verbs that can act as an adjective or another verb tense when combined with other verbs. There are three types of participles and two functions. 

Keep reading to learn what a participle is and how to use it in a sentence. I also made a massive list of participle examples you can include in your writing!

What is a Participle?

Participles are verbals that come from verbs. They either function as adjectives or help in constructing verb tenses. This verb form often ends in the suffixes “-ing” or “-ed.” Some do not end in these suffixes because they are irregular verbs.

The word “participle” originated from the Latin word “participium,” which means “to share, participate, or partake.”

Here are some participle examples in a sentence:

  • That was a refreshing experience.
  • I have a box filled with old toys.
  • Are you looking at me?
  • I’m here in the sunken garden.
  • She has driven me crazy.

What are the Three Participles?

The three types of participles are present, past, and perfect participles.

Present Participle

The present participle is a type of participle that is formed by adding “-ing” at the end of the verb. Even irregular verbs follow the “-ing” rule. For example:

  • Did you spot the shooting star last night?
  • She’s always napping in school.
  • The sobbing baby had a wet diaper.
  • Why are you laughing at me?
  • I was having my late lunch when someone knocked on the door.

The present participle may include an auxiliary verb before it, depending on its function in the sentence structure. Some auxiliary verbs include “is,” “are,” and “were.”

Past Participle

The past participle is a kind of participle that has a different appearance. Regular verbs use the “-d” or “-ed” form at the end of the base form. Meanwhile, an irregular verb shows a change in spelling.

Like present participles, past participles can also be used with auxiliary verbs to create new verb forms. The presence of an additional verb that forms the compound verb depends on the participle’s function in the sentence.

You can also find them before a prepositional phrase.

Check out these examples of present participles in sentences

  • The checked papers are on the counter.
  • My phone was flooded with his messages.
  • The fascinated audience gave him a round of applause.

Perfect Participle

A perfect participle is formed through the word “having” and then the past participle of the verb. The term perfect participle shows an action that already happened in the past. Use it for constructing different kinds of sentences in perfect verb tenses.

Here are some perfect participle examples:

  • Having watched the drama film, Anna started to miss her sister.
  • Having sent the assignment, Lana rushed to bed. 

The act of “watching” and “sending” were already completed. Another action then occurred, “started to miss” and “rushed.”

What are the Functions of Participles?

The lesson on participles wouldn’t be complete without understanding their functions. The definition of the participle is a verb that either acts as an adjective or helps construct verb tenses. Here’s how to use these tricky participles.

Participles as Parts of Verbs

Past and present participles can be added to auxiliary verbs to construct a new verb tense.

The present participle, which contains “-ing,” can include auxiliary verbs “is,” “are,” “was,” “were,” and more to show continuous tenses. Some continuous verb tenses and their examples include:

  • Present continuous: I am carrying the sack.
  • Past continuous: I was carrying the sack.
  • Future continuous: I will be carrying the sack for a little while yet.
  • Present perfect continuous: I have been carrying the sack for five minutes now.
  • Past perfect continuous: I had been carrying the sack when the truck passed.
  • Future perfect continuous: I will have been carrying the sack for a few minutes by the time the truck passes.

The participle carrying in the last sentence is the action verb helped by the auxiliary verb “will have been.” The -ing verb functions as a verb and not as an adjective in the complete sentence.

Past participles can act as verbs if paired with auxiliary verbs like “was,” “have,” “had,” and “were.” Here are some examples:

  • Present perfect tense: I have eaten already.
  • Past perfect tense: If I had already eaten, I wouldn’t have tried your gift.
  • Future perfect tense: I will have eaten by the time you arrive.
  • Present perfect continuous tense: I have been eating since you arrived.
  • Future perfect continuous tense: I will have been eating by the time you arrive.

In the last two sentences, “been” is bold because it is the past participle of “be.” But “eating” is also a participle in the present form. Note that basic past participles end in “-d” or “-ed.” However, irregular verbs like “eat” require a change in spelling.

Participles as Adjectives

Present and past participles can also modify nouns and pronouns. These are called participial adjectives. For example:

  • The running water suddenly turned brown.

The adjectival phrase in this sentence is running water. “Running” is a present participle that modifies the word “water.” The phrase “running water” is also the subject of the sentence.

  • The doctor fixed my broken bone

The past participle “broken” works as an adjective. And the participial phrase “broken bone” functions as a direct object of the sentence. 

Participial adjectives can also be predicate adjectives like this example below. 

  • Darcy is a walking dictionary.

Predicate adjectives modify the subject of a sentence. They always appear before a linking verb. 

What is a Participial Phrase?

According to Purdue University, participial phrases or participle phrases are a cluster of words that includes the participle and the additional modifiers. These modifiers may consist of a noun phrase and pronoun. 

They work as a direct object, indirect object, or complement of the action. In short, they can function as an object of action expressed.

Take a look at these participial phrase examples in sentences:

  • Men interested in women is a common thing. 
  • Having been a doctor for five years, Sheila instantly knew the lump was benign.
  • Smiling at Jane, Jack planted a kiss on her forehead. 
  • The kids noticed the teacher talking inside the classroom.

What is a Dangling Participle?

According to Purdue OWL, dangling modifiers are words or phrases that modify a word unclearly shown in the sentence. A dangling participle is an example of a dangling modifier. Here are two examples of dangling participles.

  • Having finished the task, Celeste played video games. 
  • Having finished the task, the video game was turned on.

The verbal phrase in these sentences is “having finished the task.” But the second example is not a correct sentence because of the dangling modifier error. 

The subject needs to be the doer of the action stated in the dangling participle. In short, it should use the active voice so that the audience knows who “finished the task.” 

If the passive voice construction is used, one might assume that the “video game” was the one that “finished the task.”

How to Tell if it’s a Gerund or Participle

A handful of verbs in a sentence might make you puzzled on whether the verbal phrase is a participial phrase or a gerund phrase. The principal difference between gerunds and participles is that gerunds function as nouns while participles are verbs or adjectives.

The “-ing” form either acts as a noun, verb, or adjective in grammatical terms. The part of speech it uses will determine the type of verbal. For example:

  • Singing is my passion. (gerund)
  • I am singing. (participle in the present continuous tense)
  • I bought a singing doll. (participle as an adjective)

Participle Examples

Here’s a long list of present and past participle examples you can add to your writing.

  • Abiding, abode/aboded/abidden.
  • Alighting, alit.
  • Arising, arisen.
  • Awaking, awoken.
  • Being, been.
  • Bearing, born/borne.
  • Beating, beaten. 
  • Becoming, become.
  • Beginning, begun.
  • Beholding, beheld.
  • Bending, bent.
  • Betting, bet.
  • Bidding, bidden/bid.
  • Binding, bound.
  • Biting, bitten.
  • Bleeding, bled.
  • Blowing, blown.
  • Breaking, broken.
  • Breeding, bred.
  • Bringing, brought.
  • Broadcasting, broadcast.
  • Building, built.
  • Burning, burnt/burned.
  • Bursting, burst.
  • Busting, bust.
  • Buying, bought.
  • Casting, cast.
  • Catching, caught.
  • Choosing, chosen.
  • Clapping, clapped.
  • Clinging, clung.
  • Clothing, clad/clothed.
  • Coming, come.
  • Costing, cost.
  • Creeping, creepy.
  • Cutting, cut.
  • Daring, dared.
  • Dealing, delt.
  • Digging, dug.
  • Diving, dived.
  • Doing, done.
  • Drawing, drawn.
  • Dreaming, dreamt/dreamed.
  • Drinking, drunk.
  • Driving, driven.
  • Dwelling, dwelt.
  • Eating, eaten.
  • Falling, fallen.
  • Feeding, fed.
  • Feeling, felt.
  • Fighting, fought.
  • Finding, found.
  • Fitting, fit/fitted.
  • Fleeing, fled.
  • Flinging, flung.
  • Flying, flown.
  • Forbidding, forbidden.
  • Forecasting, forecasted/forecast.
  • Foreseeing, foreseen.
  • Foretelling, foretold.
  • Forgiving, forgiven.
  • Forsaking, forsaken.
  • Freezing, frozen.
  • Frostbiting, frostbitten.
  • Getting, got/gotten.
  • Giving, given.
  • Going, gone.
  • Grinding, ground.
  • Growing, grown.
  • Handwriting, handwritten.
  • Hanging, hung.
  • Having, had.
  • Hearing, heard.
  • Hiding, hidden.
  • Hitting, hit.
  • Holding, held.
  • Hurting, hurt.
  • Inlaying, inlaid.
  • Inputting, input.
  • Keeping, kept.
  • Kneeling, knelt.
  • Knitting, knit.
  • Knowing, known.
  • Laying, laid.
  • Leading, led.
  • Leaning, leant.
  • Leaping, leapt.
  • Leaving, left.
  • Letting, let.
  • Lying, lain.
  • Lighting, lit.
  • Making, made.
  • Meaning, meant.
  • Meeting, met.
  • Melting, molten.
  • Misleading, misled.
  • Mistaking, mistaken.
  • Mowing, mown.
  • Overdrawing, overdrawn.
  • Overhearing, overheard.
  • Overtaking, overtaken.
  • Presetting, preset.
  • Proving, proven.
  • Putting, put.
  • Quitting, quit.
  • Re-proving, re-proven.
  • Reading, read.
  • Ridding, ridded.
  • Riding, ridden.
  • Rising, risen.
  • Running, run.
  • Sawing, sawn.
  • Seeing, seen.
  • Seeking, sought.
  • Selling, sold.
  • Sending, sent.
  • Sewing, sewn.
  • Shaking, shaken.
  • Shaving, shaven.
  • Shearing, shorn.
  • Shoeing, shod.
  • Showing, shown.
  • Shrinking, shrunk.
  • Sleeping, slept.
  • Sliding, slidden.
  • Slinging, slunk.
  • Smelling, smelt.
  • Soothsaying, soothsaid.
  • Speeding, sped.
  • Spelling, spelt.
  • Spending, spent.
  • Spinning, spun.
  • Spitting, spat.
  • Spoiling, spoilt.
  • Stealing, stolen.
  • Stinking, stunk.
  • Striding, stridden.
  • Striking, stricken.
  • Striving, striven.
  • Swearing, sworn.
  • Throwing, thrown.
  • Treading, trodden.
  • Undergoing, undergone.
  • Undertaking, undertaken.
  • Vexing, vex.
  • Weaving, woven.
  • Wedding, wedded.
  • Weeping, wept.
  • Withholding, withheld.
  • Wringing, wrung.
  • Zincing, Zinced.

The Last Word

The term verbal includes participles, which are verb forms that act as adjectives or different verb tenses. They can be classified as present participles that take the “-ing” form or past participles.

Once you understand how they work and their difference with gerunds, you’ll be able to sport participles right away.

1. What is a participle?

A participle is a word formed from a verb. Participles can be used as adjectives or nouns. They can also be used to form compound verbs.

2. Examples of Participles

Example 1-

Base Verb: Sneeze

Present Participle: Sneezing

Compound Verb:

We knew Alisa was sick because she was sneezing all night.

  • The present participle “sneezing” is used with the verb “was” to form a compound verb.

Adjective:

The sneezing girl woke up everyone at the sleepover.

  • The present participle “sneezing” is used as an adjective to describe the girl.

Noun:

I really hate sneezing.

  • The present participle “sneezing” is a noun in this sentence. It could be replaced with other nouns like “broccoli” or “bugs.”

Example 2-

Base Verb: Bore

Past Participle: Bored

Compound Verb:

The movie had bored Lonnie to sleep.

  • The past participle “bored” is used with the verb “had” to form a compound verb.

Adjective:

The bored boy fell asleep.

  • The past participle “bored” is used as an adjective to describe the boy.
  • Noun: Remember, past participles cannot be used as nouns. That only works with some present participles.

3. Types of Participles

There are two types of participles: past and present. Past participles are used to describe an action that happened in the past, while present participles are used to describe an action that is happening right now. Both can also be used as adjectives, while present participles can be used as nouns as well.

a. Past Participles

As we mentioned above, participles are formed from verbs.

Step 1:

To form a past participle, you begin with the base verb. A base verb is the plain version of a verb that you would find in a dictionary, like run, jump, sing, play, laugh, cry, kick, and throw.

The next step depends on whether the verb is a regular verb or an irregular verb. Regular verbs follow a regular pattern when changing verb forms. Irregular verbs don’t.

Step 2:

Form a past participle using regular verbs:

For regular verbs, you form a past participle by adding “ed” to the base verb. Jump, play, laugh, and kick are regular verbs. Adding “ed” to the end gives us jumped, played, laughed, and kicked.

Form a past participle using irregular verbs:

Run, sing, cry, and throw are irregular verbs. They don’t follow the typical pattern. The past participles for these verbs are: run, sung, cried, and thrown.

It’s better not to guess the past participle for an irregular verb. Learn and memorize irregular verbs by look them up in the dictionary or online.

Using Past Participles

Past participles have two main uses: They can be used as adjectives, and they can be used to form compound verbs.

An adjective is a word that describes a noun (a person, place, or thing). So when a past participle describes a person, place, or thing, it is being used as an adjective.

A compound verb is a combination of two verbs: an auxiliary verb (also called a “helping verb”) and a participle. Past participles form compound verbs with the auxiliary verbs “has,” “have,” and “had.” The auxiliary verb always comes before the past participle.

For example, let’s take a look at the past participle “kicked.”

As a compound verb:

Jordan had kicked the ball into his neighbor’s yard.

  • Remember that past participles form compound verbs with the auxiliary verbs “has,” “have,” and “had.”
  • In this case, the past participle “kicked” is used with the auxiliary verb “had” to form a compound verb.

As an adjective:

Jordan went into the yard to get the kicked ball.

  • Here, the past participle “kicked” is describing the ball.
  • Remember that adjectives describe nouns.
  • So in this example, the past participle “kicked,” is used as an adjective.

Keep in mind that only some past participles can be used as adjectives. For example, we can’t use the word “laughed” to describe a noun.

b. Present Participles

Step 1:

To form a present participle, you start with the base verb again. Remember that examples of base verbs include run, jump, sing, play, laugh, cry, kick, and throw.

Step 2:

Next, you add “ing” to the end of the base verb. You now have running, jumping, singing, playing, laughing, crying, kicking, and throwing.

This rule is true for every verb, even irregular verbs.

Using Present Participles

Like past participles, present participles can form compound verbs and can be used as adjectives. However, present participles can also be used as nouns.

A noun is a person, place, or thing. Present participles are sometimes “things” in a sentence, and in these cases they are being used as nouns.

Present participles form compound verbs with forms of the auxiliary verb “be,” such as “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” and “were.”

For example, we’ll look at the present participle “crying.”

As a compound verb:

My baby sister is crying because she’s hungry.

  • Remember that present participles form compound verbs with forms of the auxiliary verb “be,” such as am, is, are, was, and were.
  • In this example, the present participle “crying” is used with the auxiliary verb “is” to form a compound

As an adjective:

Mom got up to soothe the crying baby.

  • The word “crying” describes the baby in the present.
  • So in this example, the present participle “crying” is used as an adjective.

As a noun:

I covered my ears because I hate the sound of crying.

  • In the third example, the present participle “crying” is used as a noun.
  • Remember that a noun is a person, place, or thing. Here, the word “crying” is a thing (a sound).
  • You can tell that “crying” is a noun here because it could be replaced with other nouns, as in, “I hate the sound of sirens,” or, “I hate the sound of drums.”

Both present participles and past participles are formed from verbs. Present participles can be used to form compound verbs, and they can sometimes be used as nouns or adjectives. Past participles can form compound verbs and sometimes be used as adjectives, but they aren’t used as nouns.

What are Participles and How to Use Them

Participles are forms of verbs that can be used in sentences to modify verbs, nouns, noun phrases and verb phrases. Participles can take the position of an adverb or adjective (they can act as). Participles can either be active (e.g., taking) or passive (e.g., taken). They end with -ed or -ing except for irregular verbs. It is very essential to understand different participles because it helps you perfect your command in English. Let us see some of these participles with examples.

Types of participles

Participles are identified with certain verbal tenses. In English, there are two major types of participles. These are present participle and past participle and not so common the perfect participle. In this article, we will take a look at all the three types of participles.

  • Present participle.

What is a present participle? The present participle shows that the action being done is continuous. We add -ing to the infinitive of a verb to show its present participle form. To form the continuous tense, ‘to be’ can be added to an auxiliary verb. For present participles -ing takes the form of the verb; this is the same for irregular verbs too. We can say that almost all verbs with an -ing ending are present participles.

The present participle can be used in many ways in a sentence. They include;

  •    Usagein progressive tenses.

This shows that the activity is in progress and is happening at the time of speech.

An example in sentence:

He is running along the road. (running is part of the continuous verb phrase ‘is running’)

He was reading along the road. (reading is part of the continuous verb phrase ‘was reading’)

  •    A present participle can be used as a gerund.

A gerund usually functions as a noun but behaves like a verb in a given clause, i.e., it has the -ing ending. When a present participle acts as a noun it can be the subject, direct object, indirect object, objects of prepositions and subject complements in sentences.

An example in sentence:

Running along the road makes tom tired. (running is the subject of the verb tired.)

Mike likes running along the road because it makes him burn calories. (Running the direct object of the verb burn.)

She gave reading Tom a chance. (reading is the indirect object of the verb gave.)

Tom sat down instead of kneeling when he was asked by his maths teacher to do so. (Kneeling is the object of proposition instead of.)

James’ favourite field track is racing because he won the last Olympics. (racing is the subject complement of the verb is)

  •    Adjective

A verb can act as an adjective telling us more about the noun in the sentence.

An example in sentence:

Look at the running man doing some exercises in the field. (running is used as an adjective)

I am a talking woman in our family (talking is used as an adjective)

  •    It can also be used together with other words.

Example in a sentence:

He was almost knocked running along the road.

We saw him running when the police officers were chasing him.

  • Past participle

In a sentence, the past participle is used to show the passive form of action. An -ed is added to the infinitive of any regular verb. For irregular verbs, their past participles can be formed with endings such as -en, -t, -d and -n. For example, taken, might, heard, found. For other irregular verbs, their past participles remain the same as the base form, such as shut and read.

Uses of past participles in a sentence.

  •    Used in the perfect tense

A perfect tense indicates that an action has been completed.

Example in sentences:

She has written the thank you note but has not given it to her uncle yet.

She had written the note a week before she went back to her hometown.

  •    Used in a passive voice.

A verb is said to be in its passive form when the subject experiences the action by the verb.

Example in sentences:

Schools are built by the government because it is their duty.

Schools were built for the public by the government.

  •    Adjective

A verb in its past participle form can act as an adjective telling us more about the noun in the sentence.

Example in a sentence:

The washed car is on display today. (washed is the adjective telling us more about the car on display.)

  •    Past participles can also be used with other words.

Example in sentences:

The house painted yesterday is a mansion.

She had her house painted.

  • Perfect participle.

An active sentence can be formed with a past participle form of a verb. In perfect participle, there is always a time space between the action being partaken that indicates that the action was perfected in the past. A past participle can be used with having to show that one action happened after the other.

Example in a sentence:

Having eaten their lunch, the kids went to the playground.

In present participle form.

The child came running out of the house. In this sentence, the actions both happened at the same time.

Examples of participles.

One can recognize a participle in a sentence. There are regular and irregular verbs. We shall look at examples of both and their participles.

Regular verbs

Verb Present participle Past participle
help helping helped
cry crying cried
cook cooking cooked
jump jumping jumped
criticize criticizing criticized
mangle mangling mangled

Irregular verbs

Verb Present participle Past participle
learn learning learnt
break breaking broken
throw throwing thrown
shake shaking shaken
stand standing stood
weep weeping wept

Irregular verbs whose past participle remains the same as the base

Verb Past participle  
shut shut
run run
hit Hit
Hurt hurt
cut cut
cost cost

Examples of perfect participle

Having learned

Having eaten

Having prayed

Participles in sentences

  •     The present participle has been used as a continuous form of the verb.

Examples:

They have been working on the project since last year January.

I will be staying over for the night.

They were singing melodiously until the congregation in church applauded.

  •    Present participles can be used after the verb of motion or position.

Examples:

She lay staring at the sky the whole afternoon.

She went jogging the entire morning, and she is not back yet.

I came running towards the house.

  •    Present participle after verbs of perception

The pattern for writing such sentences is verb + object + present participle

Examples:

I heard someone screaming at our neighbour’s house yesternight

She watched the airplane flying away with amusement.

  •    The present participle as an adjective

Examples:

They were trapped in the burning car, and no one dared go near to help them.

The dog barked in the sinking boat when the fishermen jumped off.

  •    Present participle showing two actions taking place at the same time.

Examples:

Smiling to herself, she walked towards the crowds.

The child came out of the house screaming for help.

  •    Present participle to explain reason.

Instead of using words such as, since or because to show reason, the present participle can be used. In this instance, the participle is used to explain the reason for action.

Examples:

She screamed, thinking somebody was in the house.

Sensing danger, he ran very fast to the police station to take cover

She was hiding under the bed to avoid being punished.

Past participle

-ed is added to a verb to form its participle.

Examples of past participles in sentences include:

  •    Present perfect.

She has not found her keys yet.

They have not finished their projects due to the short time they had been given.

  •    Past perfect

James was punished as he had not finished his homework.

  •    Future perfect

They will have eaten by the time their mother comes home from work.

  •    Conditional perfect

If faith had not eaten the spoilt apples, she would not be sick.

If we had not lost our map, we could have found our way out of the forest.

  •    Passive voice

The cars were stolen last night from the car repair shop.

  •    Past participles as adjectives.

The stolen cars were found at the port by unknown people.

Eric’s wound on his leg was properly treated as he did what the doctor had ordered him.

It is good to understand that it is participles that determine tenses and if you cannot use the right tenses in your sentences then you are definitely going to break grammar rules and your work will read poor. It is good to go through various applications of participles in sentences so that you can be able to understand when and how to use them in your writings.

Your proficiency is sure to increase when you go though this guide step by step because all the participles have been explained and examples given to ensure you understand it well.

You can find out more about the definition and use of infinitive.

Prepositions, particles, participles, oh my! Grammar is filled with words you recognize, but you might not know how all those recognizable words slot into the vast cosmos of the English language. Participle is one such word and concept. In the most basic sense, a participle is a kind of verb that doesn’t play nicely; it doesn’t act like other verbs, so it gets a funny little name. Here’s what makes a participle a participle, which will include a definition, some examples, and an explanation of participle clauses and participle phrases.

Participle Definition

The participle has an intriguing definition and function in English grammar.

A participle is a verb form that can function as an adjective or assist in certain verb tenses.

As such, a participle is a verb that shares much of its functionality with an adjective. The best way to show this is to provide an example.

I am loved.

Here, “loved” is a participle. You can see how it is formed from the verb “love,” but in this sentence, it’s used like an adjective, the way you might say, “I am happy.” Here’s another example of its use as an adjective.

Loved people are happy people.

“Loved” is again a participle, directly modifying “people” in the sentence. You can see how “loved people” functions the same as “happy people.”

Those are the basics of the participle. The next step is fleshing out participles using their specific types.

Participle Examples

There are three examples of participles: present, past, and perfect. Later on, you’ll use some of these participles in verb tenses, clauses, and phrases. For now, just stick to memorizing what each looks like and its basic function!

Present Participle

The present participle ends in -ing.

Are you dreaming?

This is its use as a verb.

It can also be used as an adjective:

The climbing man could fall at any time.

Don’t confuse the present participle with the gerund. A gerund looks just like a present participle, except it acts as a noun. For example, in the sentence, “Climbing can be dangerous,” the word “climbing” is a gerund because it acts as a noun in the sentence. A gerund can be a subject or an object.

Past Participle

The past participle usually ends in -ed.

I have never laughed at those jokes.

You might think, “Well that’s easy. The past participle looks like the simple past tense.” This is true some of the time. However, irregular verbs often distinguish between the simple past tense and the past participle. Here are some examples.

Simple Past Tense

Past Participle

To go

Went

Gone

To fall

Fell

Fallen

To be

Was

Been

To swim

Swam

Swum

To eat

Ate

Eaten

To lie

Lay

Lain

You will often and instinctually intuit the past participle of a verb by conjugating, for example, «I have + past participle.» For instance, you would say, “I have fallen,” and not “I have fell.”

As you saw earlier, you can also use the past participle as an adjective.

Loved people are happy people.

A participle is not a tense. Common past participles (such as “walked” in “she has walked”) might appear like the past tense, but don’t be fooled. You can spot the difference with irregular verbs, as already mentioned. For instance, “you fell” (past tense) vs. “you have fallen” (past participle used in the present perfect tense).

Perfect Participle

The perfect participle combines “having” with the past participle.

Having eaten the fruit, she felt queasy.

In this example, “having eaten” acts as an adjective because it describes the fruit as having been eaten.

You can frame the perfect participle in the active or passive voice. The following is the active voice:

  • Having run all day, he felt tired.

The passive construction uses “having been.” Here’s an example.

  • Having been the butt of her jokes all day, he felt tired.

Both of these are participle phrases, which will be discussed later on.

Participle Grammar

So now you know the three kinds of participles in English grammar. In what situations do you use participles, though?

Their use as adjectives is simple enough to grasp. However, there’s more to be said about their uses in verb conjugations. Here’s how participles are used in continuous tenses and perfect tenses.

Participles in Continuous Tenses

The continuous tense is a simple way of expressing that something is, was, or will be happening. It uses the present participle -ing.

Here is an example of the present continuous tense. This expresses that something is currently happening.

I am running away.

Here, “am running” is a compound verb. A compound verb consists of multiple words combined into a functionally single verb. Compound verbs are hallmarks of continuous and perfect tenses.

Here is an example of the past continuous tense. This expresses that something was happening in the past.

I was doing the dishes.

Finally, here is an example of the future continuous tense. This expresses that something will be happening in the future.

I will be going to the dance.

Participles in Perfect Tenses

To explore the use of participles in perfect tenses, take this sentence again, for example.

I have never laughed at those jokes.

This sentence is in the present perfect tense, using the construction of an auxiliary verb (to have) + a past participle (laughed). All the perfect tenses use the past participle. There are three perfect tenses.

The present perfect tense describes actions that are in some way continuous, actions that have just occurred, and previous actions where the time is not specific.

The past perfect tense places an action at some point in the past (e.g., “I had completed the task earlier in the day”). It may express doubt, unsureness, or a change about an action (e.g., “Hadn’t she won already?”).

The future perfect tense places an action at some point in the future (e.g., “I will have completed the task by tomorrow”). It may also express doubt, unsureness, or a change about an action (e.g., “Will you have finished by the end of the week?”).

To start, here is a chart of how you use the past participle in the present perfect tense.

Formula

Example

Affirmative

Subject + have/has + past participle

I have won.

Affirmative interrogative

Have/has + subject + past participle?

Have you won?

Negative

Subject +have/has not + past participle

She has not won.

Negative interrogative

Have/has not + subject + past participle?

Hasn’t she won?

To convert this to use in the past perfect tense or future perfect tense, you simply change the “have/has” to “had” in the past perfect tense and you add a “will” in the future tense. You formulate the “will” this way:

Formula

Example

Affirmative

Subject + will have + past participle

I will have competed.

Affirmative interrogative

Will + subject + have + past participle?

Will you have competed?

Negative

Subject + will not have + past participle

She will not have competed.

Negative interrogative

Will + subject + not have + past participle?

Will she not have competed?

These are the basic ways you use participles in verb conjugations. For the final part of the exercise, you should know how participles fit into the larger picture of clauses and phrases.

Participle Clause

A clause has both a subject and a predicate, and a participle clause will riff on that.

The predicate is a verb or a verb and its object.

Here are some example clauses.

The dog (subject) ate (predicate).

The dog (subject) ate its food (predicate).

That said, a clause isn’t required to stand alone as a sentence. This is called a dependent clause because it depends on an independent clause like one of the above clauses.

“Because the dog likes kibble” is a dependent clause because, although it contains a subject (the dog) and a predicate (likes kibble), it cannot stand on its own. It lacks a complete idea due to the conjunction «because,» unlike the preceding independent clause.

A participle clause is simply a kind of dependent clause that uses the present participle -ing.

Like this:

The dog ate candy, causing it to throw up.

A participle clause always takes a comma between the participle clause and the independent clause. You should place a participle clause closest to the verb or noun it explains. In this case, «causing» explains «ate.»

Participle Phrase

Although the participle clause and participle phrase are often conflated, they are actually different things. This is because a phrase is not a clause.

A phrase is a group of words that communicate an idea but lacks a subject together with a predicate.

Here’s an example.

The very bright child

This is specifically a noun phrase: a noun and the words that modify it. However, as you can plainly see, this phrase lacks a predicate.

A participle phrase is a phrase that uses a past, present, or perfect participle.

Here are three examples. They use past, present, and perfect participles respectively.

Beaten by the other team, Alberta felt bad.

Thinking herself something of an expert, Alberta had expected to win.

Having creamed Alberta, Tabitha moved on to bigger and better things.

The phrases “beaten by the other team” and “thinking herself something of an expert” are phrases, not clauses, because they do not contain a subject and a predicate, and they are participle phrases because they hinge upon the use of a past or present participle.

Which just about covers participles! Hopefully, you feel a little more comfortable with the participle and its common uses in English grammar.

Participle — Key Takeaways

  • A participle is a verb form that can function as an adjective or assist in certain verb tenses.
  • The present participle ends in -ing (e.g., «Are you dreaming?»).
  • The past participle ends in -ed usually (e.g., «I had loved») but it might be irregular (e.g., «I have gone»).
  • You use the present participle in continuous tenses and the past participle in perfect tenses.
  • A participle clause is a dependent clause that uses a present participle, while a participle phrase is a phrase that uses a present or past participle.

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