Participles

Learn everything you need to know about participles in English grammar with this comprehensive guide. Discover the forms, functions, and practical examples of present, past, and perfect participles, and improve your writing and speaking skills.

What Is a Participle?

What is a participle? A participle is a verbal form of a verb. It can function as an adjective to modify nouns or pronouns, or it can be used as part of a verb phrase to form certain tenses and voices. Participles commonly end in -ing, -ed, or an irregular past participle form.

There are three main types of participles in English: the present participle, the past participle, and the perfect participle.

The present participle always ends in -ing.

Present participle examples:

• A crying baby
• The smiling girl is my sister.

The past participle of all regular verbs ends in -ed. Irregular verbs, however, have various past participle forms, such as thrown, ridden, built, gone.

Present Participle

The present participle always ends in -ing. It is formed from a verb and is commonly used with the verb to be (am, is, are, was, were, been) as an auxiliary verb to create continuous (progressive) tenses.

The present participle is used:

1. As part of the continuous form of a verb

• They are playing football at the moment.
• He is reading a book.

2. As an adjective

• A crying baby
• The smiling girl is my sister.

3. After verbs of perception

• I saw them crossing the street.
• I could hear them playing in the garden.

4. With the verbs spend and waste: verb + time/money expression + present participle

• Don’t waste time playing computer games!
• I’ve spent the whole weekend revising for my exam.

5. With the verbs catch and find: verb + object + present participle

• Don’t let him catch you reading his letters.
• I found him sitting on a park bench reading a book.

6. To show two actions happening at the same time

• He left the room laughing.

Note: Present participles and gerunds both end in -ing, but they have different functions. Gerunds are used as nouns, while present participles function as adjectives or as parts of verb phrases.

Past Participle

The past participle of all regular verbs ends in -ed. Irregular verbs have various past participle forms, such as thrown, ridden, built, gone.

The past participle is used:

1. As an adjective

• A broken vase
• Spoken words cannot be revoked.

2. With the auxiliary verb have to form the perfect aspect

• Harry has worked in this company for 5 years.
• When I came, he had left.

3. With the verb be to form the passive voice

• This house was built in 1815.
• The book was given to me.

4. With modal verbs: modal + have + past participle

• The police could have charged them with threatening behaviour.
• I should have finished by the middle of the week.

5. To replace a “subject + passive verb” construction

• She entered, accompanied by her daughters.

6. After verbs such as want, make, have, and like + direct object

• I want this text translated by noon.
• He made his presence felt.

Perfect Participle

The perfect participle is formed with having + past participle. It is used to show that one action was completed before another action in the past.

• Having finished his work, he went home.
• Having been warned, she avoided the area.

Present Participle vs. Past Participle

Present Participle

The present participle usually has an active meaning and typically ends in -ing.

• He found the house burning.

The present participle is often used to replace clauses where the subject performs an action.

• He opens the door and looks inside → Opening the door, he looks inside.

It is also used in nominative absolute constructions to describe an active situation.

• The weather being fine, nobody wanted to stay at home.

Past Participle

The past participle generally has a passive meaning or expresses a completed state.

• He found the house burned.

In some cases, especially with intransitive verbs, past participles describe a completed condition.

• A retired teacher
• The fallen angels
• An escaped prisoner

In nominative absolute constructions, the past participle describes a passive or completed state.

• All things considered, we should proceed.
• This done, I think we should start immediately.

Summary of Differences