
Participles
Participles in the English Language are used as verbs and adjectives. They are also known as verbal adjectives.
Examples of Participles:
- I saw a student jumping.
- A rolling stone gathers no moss.
- Driven by passion, he entered the teaching profession.
- Having finished my work, I left my office.
There are three kinds of Participles in English, namely
- Present Participle: eating, playing, drinking, cleaning etc.,
- Past Participle: eaten, played, drunk/drunken, cleaned etc.,
- Perfect Participle: having eaten, having played, having drunk, having cleaned etc.,
Present Participle:
The Present Participles are the ‘ing’ forms of the verbs and show an action going on and incomplete. As a Participle, it is used as an Adjective.
Examples:
- I found my friend sleeping soundly.
- The crying girl had a beautiful face.
- We saw a woman carrying vegetables.
Past Participle:
The Past Participle is the form of a verb ending in ‘-ed’, ‘-d’, ‘-t’ or ‘-n’ and shows an action as completed. As a Participle, it is used as an Adjective.
Examples:
- Opened windows helped her escape easily.
- Known by the fact, he didn’t attend the interview.
- The students should not carry heavily laden bags.
- Time misspent is time lost.
- He is the most learned man in our community.
Perfect Participle:
The Perfect Participle is formed with ‘having’ +Verb and represents an action as having been completed sometime in the past.
Examples:
- Having read this novel, I started reading another novel.
- Having finished her work, she went to meet her friend.
- Having not applied for the job, she did not attend the interview.
Uses of the Participle:
As a Main Verb in the Continuous and Perfect Tenses:
Examples:
- She is reading a novel.
- We are watching TV.
- They were playing chess.
- I shall be attending the classes tomorrow.
- He has finished his homework.
- You had forgotten to send an email.
As an Adjective in different positions and functions:
- As an Adjective, before a Noun it qualifies:
Examples:
- I appreciated her pleasing personality.
- She reads only some interesting books.
- Barking dogs seldom bite.
- He picked up a wounded bird.
- Don’t cry over spilled milk.
- As a Predicative Adjective: (Modifying the Subject)
Examples:
- The story is quite exciting.
- The lecture is boring.
- The girl came running.
- The news is shocking.
- She seemed disappointed by the results.
- The children felt excited about the tour.
- They look worried.
- As an Objective Complement: (Modifying the Object)
Examples:
- I found him escaping.
- The teacher heard the boys murmuring.
- He got his leg fractured.
- They left her broken
- As a Noun with the Definite Article:
Examples:
- The dead leave their blessing upon the living.
- The infected and dying need urgent medical care.
As an ‘Adverb’ used to describe verbs:
Examples:
- The boy ran screaming out of the room.
- The toys lay scattered on the floor.
Absolutely with a noun or pronoun:
Examples:
- The weather, being cool, they played outside.
- My friends, having arrived, we started our programme.
- God willing, we shall soon be rich enough.
- Tagore, being a renowned writer, we always remember him.
- The teacher, being absent, the students went for games.
- Their funds, having exhausted, they minimized their expenditure.
Note: 1
Here in the above sentences, the participle is used after a noun or pronoun and formed an independent phrase which is called an Absolute Phrase. The nouns or pronouns used in absolute phrases are called Nominative Absolutes.
Note: 2
We can easily change an Absolute Phrase into a Subordinate Clause:
Examples:
- God willing, we shall soon be rich enough.
- If God is willing, we shall soon be rich enough.
- My friends, having arrived, we started our programme.
- When my friends had arrived, we started our programme.
- Tagore, being a renowned writer, we always remember him.
- We always remember Tagore because he was a renowned writer.
As a Participle Phrase:
A Phrase with a Participle is called a Participle Phrase.
Examples:
- Expecting his arrival, we waited at the railway station.
- Speaking of our principal, he is very much dedicated.
- Who is the man sitting in the office?
- Rejected by the interviewer, the candidate felt disappointed.
Use of ‘Being’ and ‘Having’ in the Participle Phrases:
We use the participle phrases to express the reasons. Participle Phrase carries the reason part. We don’t require to use the conjunctions like because, as, since or so. A comma is placed after the Participle Phrase.
Use of ‘Being’ in a Participle Phrase:
Examples:
- Being a teacher, you have to motivate the students.
(As you are a teacher, you have to motivate the students.)
- Being late, I was not allowed to the class.
(Because I was late, I was not allowed to the class.)
- The teacher being absent, the class was monitored by the leader.
(Since the teacher was absent, the class was monitored by the leader.)
- Not being an expert, I have not been considered for the job.
(As I am not an expert, I have not been considered for the job.)
Use of ‘Having’ in a Participle Phrase:
- Having a test to write, she spent the weekend studying.
(She spent the weekend studying because she has a test to write)
- After having some rest, she started preparation.
(As she has some rest, she started preparation.)
- Having an idea to share, she got on to the stage.
(Since she has an idea to share, she got on to the stage.)
- Having finished her work, she went home.
(As she had finished her work, she went home.)
- Having attended the interview, she is expecting to get the job.
(She is expecting the job because she has attended the interview.)
- Having visited my friend, I decided to help him.
- Having said that, I would provide all the bonuses.
- Having been a teacher for several years, I know how to handle the students.
- Having been to Delhi several times, I thought to visit Chennai instead.
Correct use of the Participle:
Same Subject:
When two sentences refer to the same subject, we often can make one sentence shorter (Participle Phrase) with the use of a ‘participle’ using the same subject.
Examples:
- Shankar went to the office. He happened to meet his friend.
- Going to the office, Shankar happened to meet his friend.
- Swetha was tired of preparation. Swetha spent the day leisurely.
- Being tired of preparation, Swetha spent the day leisurely.
- I entered the classroom. I found the student was sitting on a bench.
- Entering the classroom, I found the student was sitting on a bench.
- Mohan is hungry. He stole the burger.
- Being hungry, Mohan stole the burger.
Different Subjects:
When both the sentences have the same subject, a separate subject is not required in the Participle Phrase.
When different subjects are used in two different sentences, we have to use a suitable subject in the Participle Phrase. Otherwise, it may not be clear who performs the action.
Examples:
- It was a rainy day. We did not go out shopping.
- Being a rainy day, we did not go out shopping. (incorrect)
- It being a rainy day, we did not go out shopping. (correct)
- The snake bit the boy. The farmer decided to kill the snake.
- Having bitten the boy, the farmer decided to kill the snake. (incorrect)
- The snake having bitten the boy, the farmer decided to kill it. (correct)
- The car is very expensive for me. I can’t afford to buy a car.
- Being very expensive for me, I can’t afford to buy the car. (incorrect)
- The car, being very expensive for me, I can’t afford to buy. (correct)
Note:
Some Participles like regarding, concerning, considering, taking, speaking, touching, owing to can be used without the subject in the Participle Phrase.
Examples:
- Considering his dedication, he was offered a promotion.
- Taking this into consideration, I shall support you.
- Frankly speaking, I don’t like your attitude.
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