What Are Participles?

A participle is a non-finite verb. It is partly a verb and partly an adjective. There are two types of participles – the present participle and the past participle. The present participle is the ing form of the verb. Examples are: singing, working, waiting, listening, playing etc.

The past participle is the third form of the verb. Examples are: sung, worked, waited, listened, played, written, risen etc.

The present participle is used to make continuous tense forms.

• They are playing.
• You have been working hard.
• She is looking at something.

The past participle is used to make perfect and passive verb forms.

• They have arrived.
• She has been informed.
• The meeting has been postponed.

The present and past participle are also used as adjectives.

Fill in the blanks with a present or past participle form of the verb.

1. It is dangerous to get off a ……………………. train. (moving / moved)
2. A ……………….. child dreads fire. (burning / burnt)
3. It is a …………………… issue. (burning / burnt)
4. The journey was ……………………… (tiring / tired)
5. He looked ………………….. (exhausting /exhausted)
6. The news was …………………….. (exciting / excited)
7. The children were …………………….. about the picnic. (exciting / excited)
8. The town wore an ………………………… look. (abandoning / abandoned)
9. She came ………………….. into the room. (dancing / danced)
10. The …………………… children started making trouble. (boring / bored)

Answers

1. moving, 2. burnt, 3. burning, 4. tiring, 5. exhausted, 6. exciting, 7. excited, 8. abandoned, 9. dancing, 10. bored