What Is a Participle? | Definition, Types & Examples
Participles are formed from verbs and can serve as adjectives and indicate tense. The primary types of participles are past and present.
- Past participles (e.g., “ran,” “clapped,” “burnt”) are a component of perfect tenses, and they also appear in sentences written in the passive voice. Typically, past participles take the following endings: “-ed,” “-t,” “-en,” “-n,” or “-ne.”
- Present participles indicate continuous tenses and always take an “-ing” ending.
Avi hinted that she might not stay long.
I heard James practicing his violin.
Sharon gazed out the window at a stunning sunset.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you use past and present participles correctly.
Past participles
For regular verbs, the past participle is typically formed by adding an “-ed” ending. For example, “open” becomes “opened.” In these cases, the past participle and past simple tense of the verb look the same.
Irregular verbs usually take one of several suffixes: “t,” “-en,” “-n,” or “-ne.” For example, “choose” becomes “chosen.” In some cases, an irregular past participle is different from the past simple tense (e.g., “given” vs. “gave”).
Past participles are often found in passive voice constructions (i.e., in sentences whose subject receives the verb’s action). A past participle can also function as an adjective, a component of a participial phrase (i.e., a participle and its modifiers), or an element of one of the perfect verb tenses.
Their savings were depleted after a vacation in the West Indies.
Reminded of her appointment, the principal ran to the car.
Derek had slept before the meeting.
Present participles
To form a present participle, add the suffix “-ing” to a verb (e.g., the present participle of “fish” is “fishing”).
There are three ways to use a present participle: as an adjective, as an element of a participial phrase, and as part of a continuous verb tense.
Purring contentedly in his arms, the stray kitten fell asleep.
Mark is finishing his math homework.
Perfect Participles
Perfect participles express an event that took place before the action of the sentence’s main clause. A perfect participle must begin with “having” (the present participle of “have”) and include the past participle of the main verb (e.g., “having bought”).
Having arrived early, Pam had time to review her notes before the test.
Gerunds vs participles
Gerunds and present participles look exactly the same (i.e., they both have “-ing” endings), but they serve different grammatical roles. Gerunds function as nouns, while present participles are used as adjectives or to form verb tenses.
Maris loves playing tennis.
Participial phrases
Participial phrases are phrases that contain a participle and function as an adjective. They should be set off by commas if they occur at the beginning of a sentence or if they supply nonessential information in the middle of a sentence.
Sitting by the pond, the hiker was approached by a deer.
The train approaching the station is the one you should take.
Sam, lost in thought, stared at his textbook.
Dangling participles
A dangling participle is an error that occurs when a participial phrase unintentionally modifies the wrong noun or pronoun in a sentence, often due to improper placement.
There are two ways to resolve the error:
- State the subject right after the participle phrase
- Incorporate the subject into the participle phrase
- Walking down the street, a car honked loudly.
- Walking down the street, I heard a car honk loudly.
- Relieved to be home, the armchair looked inviting.
- I was relieved to be home, and the armchair looked inviting.
The first example says that the car was walking down the street. The second says that the armchair was relieved to be home. Placing the subject in or near the participle phrase clarifies the sentence’s intended meaning in both cases.
Participle quiz
Test your knowledge of participles using the quiz below. Select the correct answer for each question.
Frequently asked questions about participle
- What is the past participle of run?
-
The past participle of the verb “run” is “run.” Because it is an irregular verb, the past participle of “run” is not formed by adding “-ed.” The simple past tense form of “run” is “ran.”
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you use past participles correctly.
