Past and present participle

Categories: Basic English

Participle

In grammar, a participle is a form of a verb that can function as an adjective or an auxiliary verb to form different verb tenses. There are two main types: the present participle, which ends in -ing (e.g., running), and the past participle, which typically ends in -ed, -en, or another irregular form (e.g., run, broken). Participles are used to create continuous verb tenses, perfect tenses, and to add descriptive detail to sentences by modifying nouns and pronouns.

How Participles are Used

• As Adjectives: Participles can describe a noun or pronoun. 
• Present Participle: The crying baby had a wet diaper. (Describes the baby) 
• Past Participle: The broken window needed repair. (Describes the window) 
• As Auxiliary Verbs: Participles are used with helping verbs to form specific verb tenses. 
• Continuous Tenses: Used with forms of "to be" to show an ongoing action. 
• He is singing. 
• She was running. 
• Perfect Tenses: Used with forms of "have" to show completed actions. 
• I have eaten. 
• She had seen him before.

Examples of Both Types 

• Present Participle (-ing):
• The sleeping dog barked.
• They are watching the game.
• Past Participle (-ed, -en, etc.):
• The painted fence looked new.
• The spoken word is difficult to take back.
• The car was thrown from the road.

In English grammar, there are two primary types of participles: the present participle (verb + -ing, e.g., running) and the past participle (verb + -ed or an irregular form, e.g., broken, eaten). Participles can function as adjectives or be used with auxiliary verbs to form continuous and perfect tenses. There is no "future participle" in English grammar; instead, the present or past participle is used to express future continuous or future perfect tenses, respectively. 

Present Participle (-ing form)

Form: Base verb + -ing
Examples: running, singing, working,dancing

Uses:

• Continuous tenses:
• She is singing.
• They were dancing.
• Adjectives:
• The boiling water
• A charming smile
• Participial phrases:
• Walking down the street, he saw a parade.
  (Describes the subject “he”)

Past Participle (usually -ed, or irregular)

• Form: usually -ed for regular verbs; irregular verbs have unique forms.

Form:

• Regular: Base verb + -ed → worked, played
• Irregular: Varies → eaten, gone, broken, left,write → written

Uses:

• Perfect tenses:
• She has eaten.
• I will have finished.
• Passive voice:
• The cake was baked.
• The window was broken.
• Adjectives:
• A broken heart
• The painted wall

• The broken vase is on the floor.

• The cake was baked .

3. Future Participle ❌

• In English, there is no such thing as a “future participle.”
• English only has present and past participles.
• To talk about future actions, we use auxiliary verbs (will, shall, going to) with the base verb → I will eat, She is going to run.

❌ Why No “Future Participle”?

The term “future participle” doesn’t exist because participles are non-finite verb forms—they don’t carry tense by themselves. Instead, auxiliary verbs like will, have, be are used to express future time:

• Future Continuous: will be working → uses present participle
• Future Perfect: will have finished → uses past participle

So, the participle's form stays the same; it's the auxiliary verb that shifts the tense.

 So: Present participle = -ing form, Past participle = 3rd form, and no future participle exists in English.

Notice:

• The present participle always ends with -ing.
• The past participle is sometimes the same as the past tense (played → played), but irregular verbs (go → gone, write → written) must be memorized.
• No future participle exists in English — future is formed with will/shall/going to.