Participle facts for kids

A participle is a special kind of word in English grammar. It acts a bit like a verb and a bit like an adjective. Think of it as a word that can show action (like a verb) but also describe something (like an adjective).

Participles are formed from verbs. There are two main types:

• Present participles usually end in -ing (like running, singing).
• Past participles often end in -ed, -en, or -t (like walked, eaten, built).

Here are some examples of how participles are made from verbs:

Participles often describe nouns, just like adjectives do. They can come before the noun or sometimes after it.

• The visiting dignitaries enjoyed the baked apples. (visiting describes dignitaries, baked describes apples)
• Please bring all the documents required. (required describes documents)

Present Participles

Present participles always end with -ing. They are used in a few ways:

• To show ongoing action: They help form the progressive aspect (actions happening now or over a period).
  • Jim was sleeping.
  • They are playing outside.
• To describe a noun: They act like adjectives.
  • Let sleeping dogs lie. (sleeping describes the dogs)
  • The shining sun warmed us. (shining describes the sun)
• To add more information to a sentence:
  • Broadly speaking, the project was successful.

Past Participles

Past participles can end in -ed, -en, -t, or have other irregular forms. They are used for:

• To form the perfect tenses: These tenses show actions that are completed or have happened before.
  • The chicken has eaten.
  • They had finished their homework.
• To form the passive voice: This is when the subject of the sentence receives the action.
  • The chicken was eaten.
  • The ball was thrown by the pitcher.
• To describe a noun: They can act like adjectives, showing something that has been done to the noun or something the noun has done.
  • Our fallen comrades. (fallen describes comrades who have fallen)
  • The attached files. (attached describes files that have been attached)
• To add more information to a sentence:
  • Seen from this perspective, the problem has no easy solution.

Irregular Past Participles

Many verbs have irregular past participles, meaning they don't just add -ed. Often, they end in -en or -ne.

See also

In Spanish: Participio para niños