Quick Participle Grammar Notes

Participles - Present and Past – Verbs Ending in “ing” and “ed”

• Present participles end in “ING” (interesting)
• Past participles end in “ED” (interested)


Uses:

1. When present participles (ing) are used like adjectives or adverbs, they are ACTIVE in meaning:
 Modern art is interesting.
 Pour boiling water onto the pasta.
 She sat in the corner crying.

2. When past participles (ed) are usled like adjectives or adverbs, they are passive in meaning.
 I am interested in modern art.
 Look at that broken doll.
 He sat in his chair, filled with sadness at his mother’s funeral.

3. Participles used after a noun act like a relative clause.
I met a woman riding a donkey. (=who was riding …)
The car stolen in the night was later found. (=that was stolen…)

4. Participles used as adverbs can also describe:

• Two actions happening at the same time -- She sat by the fire reading a book.

• Two actions that happen one after another – Opening his case, he took out a gun.

Note: If it is important to show that the first action is completed before the second action begins, we use the perfect participle – (having had, having finished)
Having finished lunch, we set off on our journey.
Having had a shower, she got dressed.

• Two actions that happen BECAUSE of another.—Being tired, he went to bed early last night.

5. Many verbs are followed by “ing” forms:
I spent the holiday reading.
Don’t waste time thinking about the past.
Let’s go swimming.
He keeps asking me to go out on a date.