The Participle

The Participle is a non-finite form of the verb which has a verbal, an adjectival and an adverbial character.

1. There are two types of Participles In English: Participle I (or the Present Participle) and Participle II (or the Past Participle). The difference between them lies not in time distinction, as it may seem judging by the traditional names applied to them, but rather in voice distinctions, Participle I being an active form and Participle II – a passive one.

• Children needing medical attention were examined by the doctor.

• Medical attention needed by children was paid to them in time.

2. Participle I is formed by adding the suffix -ing to the stem of the verb, and Participle II – by adding the suffix -ed to the stem of the regular verbs, while the irregular verbs have special forms of Participle II.

• a boy whistling a popular melody

• a popular melody whistled by a boy

• students writing a test

• the test written by students

In modern English Participle I has four forms. Each form has its meaning.

Forms of the Participle

Active

Passive

Indefinite

Ving

being + Ved / V3

Perfect

having + Ved / V3

having been + Ved / V3

The Indefinite Active

and

Passive forms

express an action or a state simultaneous with that expressed by the finite verb, so it may refer to the present, past or future

• Holding the rope with one hand, he stretches.

• Holding the rope with one hand, he stretched.

• Holding the rope with one hand, he will stretch.

The Perfect Active

and

Passive forms

denote an action or a state

prior to the action expressed by the finite verb

• Having failed twice, he didn’t want to try again.

• The instructions having been read, the workers began to assemble a turbine.

The Participle can be used in different syntactic functions. A simple participle occurs but seldom: in most cases we find a complex participle or a participial phrase, i.e. a participle with one or several accompanying words. Besides it can be used as part of a predicative construction.

• Let sleeping dogs lie. (a simple participle)

• He drank his coffee standing.

• There are some other people waiting for you.( a participial phrase)

• We found him working in the garden. (part of a predicative construction)

1.

The Participle can be used in a sentence as an attribute and an adverbial modifier of time, of reason (cause), of manner and attendant circumstances, of condition, of comparison, of concession and as a parenthesis. The Participle can also be used as a predicative and as part of a predicative construction.

2.

The Participle as a predicative

In the function of a predicative the so called participle adjectives are used. Although keeping the form of the participle, they are treated as an adjective, or a deverbal adjective.

Participle I in this function gives the qualitative characterization to the person or thing used as subject (or object, in the case of the objective predicative).

Participle II in this function denotes a state.

2.1.

We use adjectives derived from Participle I (Present Participles) e.g. surprising to describe the source or cause of an action or feeling.

• The news was surprising.

• I find the story amusing.

2.2.

We use adjectives derived from Participle II (Past Participles) e.g. surprised to describe the one(s) affected by the action or feeling.

• My parents were surprised.

• Why is she getting so amused?

2.3.

Participles as predicative follow the link verb to be as a rule. Participle I, however, may be used with other link verbs, in which case it may keep its verbal character.

• Isadora remained standing.

3.

Participle I as part of a compound verbal predicate

Non-perfect Participle I can be part of a compound verbal predicate of double orientation. The predicate of double orientation consists of two parts: the first is oriented on somebody implied, and the second refers semantically to the doer of the action expressed by the subject.

Within this type of predicate Participle I follows verbs of sense perception, such as see, hear, feel, find, catch, also some causative verbs, such as keep, leave in the Passive Voice.

• Jane was heard playing the piano.

• The boy was caught teasing the cat.

• I was kept waiting an hour or so.

• I was left standing on the stage.

4.

Here are some examples illustrating the use of the Participle in other syntactic functions.

• The fence surrounding the garden is newly painted. (attribute)

• My watch was among the things taken.

• There was a branch railway line being laid out to a new settlement which interested its residents greatly.

• Seeing him on the other side of the street, I called him. (adverbial modifier of time)

• Having sent the invitation, I felt a sense of relief.

• When heated, metals expand.

• Being an orphan at six, he was brought up by a distant relative. (adverbial modifier of reason)

• Being of a more slender figure than Mr. Jarndyce, and having a richer complexion, Mr. Skimpole looked younger. (Dickens)

• I wrote him a friendly letter, thanking him for his help. (adverbial modifier of manner and attendant circumstances)

• Gwendolen was silent, again looking at her hands.(Eliot)

• If sent immediately, the telegram will certainly be delivered by eight o’clock.

(adverbial modifier of condition)

• It was a dreadful thing that he now proposed, a breach of the law which, if discovered, would bring them into the police court.

• She paced up and down the room restlessly as if trying to make some decision. (adverbial modifier of comparison)

• As if torn with inner conflict and indecision, he cried. (Galsworthy).

• Though astonished by her interest in the details of the accident, I went on with my story. (adverbial modifier of concession)

• ... her spirit, though crushed, was not broken. (A. Bronte)

• Roughly speaking the number of birds on this island exceeds one million.

(parenthesis)

• Granting it to be true I didn’t object to his coming there.

• I am pleased with the result. (a predicative)

• The play was really boring.

• Paul was found sitting in the armchair and smoking a pipe.( part of a compound verbal predicate)