A participle is a verbal (a verbal is based on a verb and indicates action or a state of being). Many participles can be used as adjectives (an exciting movie, the amazing stunt, a satisfying meal). There are two types of participles: present participles and past participles. Present participles end in ing, and past participles end in -ed, -en, -d, -t, –n, or irregular . Be careful what ending you use. There is a big difference between a walked dog and a walking dog, or an interested person and an interesting person. Participles used as adjectives may precede or follow the word they are modifying.
Because it can be difficult to know when a participle is being used as an adjective, here are a few tips:
1. It can be used before the noun it modifies. an encouraging word, a shocking secret, a worried mother
2. It can be used in the predicate, especially after the verb seem. Aunt Tilly felt ghost annoying. She seemed bored.
3. It can be used in the comparative form. They were more frightened than we were. Ted's final grades were most pleasing.
4. It can be modified by very. Jackie was very relaxed after her vacation. The audience was very pleased with the concert.
Not all participles pass every one of these tests, especially the fourth criteria. Using very with a past participle isn't easy. In many cases, very is used with much: Benny was very much praised by his employer. Gertrude was very much moved by the unexpected gift. Sometimes very can be replaced by quite. Gertrude was quite moved by the unexpected gift. BUT NOT: Benny was quite praised by his employer.
It is unfortunate for the English learner that there is no fool-proof way to tell which participles acting as adverbs can be used with very, quite, or very much. If you cannot recognize what sounds "right" and what doesn't, ask someone. If you are in doubt, using very much is generally safer.
The present participle (ing ending) shows an ongoing condition or feeling or describes the person or thing that causes the reaction. (A frightening movie. The movie causes the fright.) The present participle (ing ending) describes how something is—the condition of it. The noun described has a more active role: The mugger made a threatening move towards me. (The mugger was making the move that was threatening to me.)
The movie was The Incredible Shrinking Man. (The man was shrinking.)
Cowboy Bob put on his riding clothes when he went for a canter. (The clothes were styled or used for riding.)
The weather was freezing cold Saturday. (The condition of the cold was freezing.)
The sailing ship ran aground in Newfoundland. (A ship that sails.)
Uncle Fester has a snoring parrot. (The bird snores.)
The newest broadcasting station plays only rap music.
XYZ's holding company went bankrupt last month.
Grandmother lost her reading glasses again. (Glasses used for reading.)
The rustic cabin didn't even have running water!
Her clinging gown made her look fat.
The burning grass crept close to the house.
Past Participles as Adjectives
When you
are describing a person’s reaction or feeling, or a condition or an action that
is completed, use the past participle form (-ed, -en, -d, -t, –n, or
irregular
ending). The noun described has a
passive
relationship with something.
I was
threatened
by the mugger.
Jennifer's burned hand hurt her very much. ( The burning of the hand had already happened.)
The broken chair was used for firewood. (The process of breaking was completed in the past. The chair was in ruins.)
Ground lamb makes the best stuffed grape leaves. (The meat is was ground before you make the dish.)
Her recipe called for 12 beaten eggs. (The eggs are beaten before you add them to the other ingredients.)
Nancy found a hidden staircase behind the paneling in the old house. ( The act of hiding the staircase had been done before.)
All the protesters had shaved heads. (The heads were hairless before they began protesting.)
All the words on the test were misspelled by Algie. (The test is over. He isn't misspelling anything now.)
The book was known to all of us. (We weren't just finding out about the book. We knew before.)
Gertrude threw out the spoiled meat. (The process of spoiling was done--it was bad meat.)
Laura, fascinated by the movie star, wrote him a letter every day.
NOTE: Past participles (ed ending) modifiers are often used with an accompanying preposition. Some examples are:
She
was: amazed at ______; amused by
______; annoyed by _________; bored by ______; confused by _______; disappointed
by _________; satisfied with ________; shocked at ______;
Use Present or Past Participles?
Not many participle adjectives can be used in both the present (-ing) and past (-ed, etc.) participle form. If you are unsure, try changing the participle adjective to a participial clause. If it makes sense as a participle clause, it will probably make sense as a participle adjective. Examples:
Correct: The yowling cats annoyed the whole neighborhood.
Correct: The cats that were yowling annoyed the whole neighborhood.
Incorrect: The yowled cats annoyed the whole neighborhood.
Incorrect: The cats that were yowled annoyed the whole neighborhood.
Yowling works because present participles are similar to active verbs. They are happening now, and the subject is doing the action. Yowled doesn't work because most past participles are similar to passive verbs. The action is done to the subject by something or someone else. They receive the action. A cat can be fed, but it can't be yowled.
Some verbs can be used both was in both forms: All of these examples are correct.
The breaking dishes made a mess in the kitchen.
The dishes that were breaking made a mess in the kitchen.
The broken dishes made a mess in the kitchen.
The dishes that were broken made a mess in the kitchen.
Comparing the Meanings of Present and Past Participles used as Adjectives:
|
Present Participle Adjectives - Ongoing Action |
Past Participle Adjectives - Completed Action |
|
A baking cake smells wonderful. (It is still being baked) |
Baked cakes covered the table at the church supper. (They are finished baking.) |
|
Shining stars covered the night sky. (They are in the process of shining.) |
The stars that had shone last night were covered by clouds tonight. (The stars were not shining tonight) |
|
Falling snow covers the sidewalks. (It is still snowing.) |
Fallen snow covered the sidewalks. (That snow has already fallen.) |
|
Crying children make me nervous. (They are still crying.) |
The children who cried made me nervous. (They have stopped crying.) |
Also Note :
|
Present Participle Adjectives - Cause of feeling |
Past Participle Adjectives - Receiver of feeling |
|
Confusing directions were on the exam. (The directions caused confusion.) |
Confused students blamed the directions. (The students received the confusion from the directions.) |
|
Relaxing music played in the background. (The music is causing the relaxation.) |
Relaxed music makes me sleep. (The music was written to be calming--someone created it that way.) |
|
An encouraging word is all we need. (The words "give" encouragement.) |
Encouraged by the words, we went on with our work. (We received the encouragement.) |
|
A tiring speech followed the banquet. The speech was causing the tiring.) |
The tired listeners wanted to go home. (Something caused the listeners to be tired.) |
More Cause/Receive Participles
| Cause (-ing) |
Receive (-ed, -en, -d, -t, –n, or irregular .) |
| amazing | amazed |
| amusing | amused |
| bending | bent |
| biting | bitten |
| exciting | excited |
| frustrating | frustrated |
| growing | grown |
| knitting | knit |
| shocking | shocked |
| shutting | shut |
| spilling | spilled/split |
| swelling | swollen |
| terrifying | terrified |
| weaving | woven |
| writing | written |
In Summary:
A participle is a verbal ending in -ing (present) or -ed, -en, -d, -t, or -n (past) that functions as an adjective, modifying a noun or pronoun.
Present participles (-ing ending) show an ongoing condition or feeling or describes the person or thing that causes the reaction.
Past participles (-ed, -en, -d, -t, –n, or irregular ending) show a person’s reaction or feeling, or a condition or an action that is completed.
Participles must be placed as close to the nouns or pronouns they modify as possible, and those nouns or pronouns must be clearly stated.
Not all participles can be used as adjectives in both the present and past form.
You cannot use all participles as adjectives on all occasions.
Participles as adjectives can be confusing and complicated. The reasons why one participle can be used in a certain situation, but not in a different context, or why one participle can be used but not another is still being studied by grammarians. The best way you can learn what is correct and what isn't is to decided each participle individually, and learn by examples of what you study and hear.