Participles
Essential Question
When (and why) would a verb act like an adjective?
Grammar in the World
Sometimes, things are not what they seem. For example, take a look at the houseplant in this picture. On the surface, it is just an ordinary plant, but there is more to it than meets the eye. This is actually a carnivorous plant: The Venus flytrap. It lures and captures flies, then devours them. So, what do you think this has in common with participles?
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Like a Venus flytrap, a participle can look like one thing but it is actually a little different than it seems.
If you have discovered one thing about English grammar by now, it is probably that words that look like one thing may actually be another. For example, you learned that gerunds are words that look like a verb but are actually a noun. Today, you are going to learn about a way words that look like verbs can function as yet another part of speech. See if you can figure out what those words are in the What Do You Know? section below.
What Do I Know?
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Corpse Flower
Read each of the following sentences and identify which word is a participle.
Building Blocks
Grammar is a complex system and structure of language. Mizzou Academy Grammar Lab spotlights one skill (or block) at a time, but it’s often helpful to see how a skill works together with other, related blocks to build the language structure as a whole. You may find the following resource topics helpful as context for this lesson:
Learn About Participles
So what, exactly, are these words that look like verbs but disguise themselves as a different part of speech? Participles, like gerunds, are verbals—words that combine the characteristics of a verb and another part of speech (e.g. a noun or an adjective).
In the case of a gerund, the verb (an action word) takes on an -ing at the end and then functions as a noun in a sentence.
In the case of a participle, the verb takes on an -ing at the end and then functions as an adjective that describes a noun or pronoun in a sentence.
For example, a participle is formed when a word that is normally a verb or part of a verb (e.g. blushed, was blushing) acts as an adjective (e.g. blushed cheeks, blushing bride).
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Participle forms are determined by the verb tense: |
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Present = verb ending with -ing |
Past = verb ending with -ed |
working loving relaxing cooking |
worked loved relaxed cooked *Even though they don’t end with -ed, past tense irregular verbs often have irregular past participle endings, as well. Here are some common examples: written broken given known cut slept sung |
Here are some examples of how verbals function as participles:
Verb: pouring
Sentence with pouring as a verb: The rain is pouring down.
Participle: pouring
Sentence with pouring as a participle: I walked home from school in the pouring rain.
Verb: cooked
Sentence with cooked as a verb: Yesterday evening Rachel cooked salmon with chimichurri for dinner.
Participle: cooked
Sentence with cooked as a participle: The perfectly cooked steak was juicy and delicious.
Verb: broken
Sentence with broken as a verb: I have broken a lot of glasses because I am rather clumsy.
Participle: broken
Sentence with broken as a participle: The broken glass on the floor cut my foot.
Do I Get It?
What have you learned about participles? Use the following interactive exercise to find out.