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The Participle

The document explains the formation and usage of present, perfect, and past participles in English grammar. It details how to create these forms, including spelling changes and rules for doubling consonants, as well as their temporal relationships to main verbs. Additionally, it distinguishes between active and passive meanings of the past participle.

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12 views

The Participle

The document explains the formation and usage of present, perfect, and past participles in English grammar. It details how to create these forms, including spelling changes and rules for doubling consonants, as well as their temporal relationships to main verbs. Additionally, it distinguishes between active and passive meanings of the past participle.

Uploaded by

kontakt.rolnikpaula
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Active Passive

Present participle writing being written


Perfect participle having written having been written
Past participle written written

Present participle
The present participle is formed by adding -ing to the base form of the verb.
Note the changes in spelling:

read » reading agree » agreeing (a final -ee does not


study » studying change)
grow » growing lie » lying (a final -ie changes to -y-)
relax » relaxing put » putting; regret » regretting;
answer » answering readmit » readmitting
write » writing; argue » arguing
(a final -e is omitted)

We double the final consonant if the verb ends with consonant-vowel-


consonant, with the exception of w, x and y and only has one
syllable or has the stress on the last syllable,

The present participle does not itself indicate the time of the
action that it refers to. However, it does show that this time is
the same as the time of the preceding verb or the verb in the
main clause:

I watched the storm approaching. (approaching refers to the


same time as watched: I watched as the storm was approaching.)

iSLCollective.com
Having nowhere to sit, she stood in the back of the lecture hall. (having refers
to the same time as stood: As she had nowhere to sit, she stood in the back of
the lecture hall.)
Are you waiting for the bus? (waiting refers to the same time as are: present)
We will be arriving in Prague soon. (arriving refers to the same time as will be:
future)

Perfect participle

The perfect participle indicates that the time of the action that it refers to is
before that of the verb in the main clause:

Having taken the wrong turn, he ended up in a dangerous neighbourhood.


(having taken refers to a time before ended up: After he had taken the wrong
turn, he ended up in a dangerous neighbourhood.)

Past participle

The past participle is also called the third form of the verb. With regular verbs,
the past participle is formed by adding -ed to the base form. Note the changes
in spelling:

 look » looked  stop » stopped (we double the


 stay » stayed final consonant if the verb
 arrive » arrived (we only add -d ends with consonant-vowel-
if the verb ends in -e) consonant)
 try » tried (a final -y changes
to -i- after a consonant)

iSLCollective.com
A number of verbs have irregular past participle forms. A few examples are:

 bite » bitten  swim »


 fly » flown swum
 hit » hit
 leave » left

The past participle can refer to the same time as the verb in the main clause or
to a time before that:

Sue has all the qualifications required for the job. (required refers to the same
time as has: Sue has all the qualifications that are required for the job.)

Damaged badly by the flood, the school had to be rebuilt. (damaged refers to a
time before had to: As the school had been badly damaged by the flood, it had
to be rebuilt.)

If we want to emphasize an earlier time, we use the passive perfect participle:

Having been nominated three times for an Oscar, he is one of today's most
acclaimed film directors. (He has been nominated three times for an Oscar, and
he is one of today's most acclaimed film directors.)

The past participle can have an active or a passive meaning. When used with a
passive meaning, it is sometimes called the passive participle:

The fallen leaves covered the garden path. (the leaves that had fallen, active
meaning)
This is the first time I've been here. (present perfect
tense in active voice, active meaning)
There was a handwritten note on the table. (a note that
had been written by hand, passive meaning)
When was the last time the lawn was mowed? (past
simple tense in passive voice, passive meaning)

iSLCollective.com

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