Verbals, Part II: The Participle

The Participle [Another -ING Thing and MORE]

The form of the verb that ends in -ing (in the present) and -d, -ed, -t, -n, -en or no change (in the past) and functions like an adjective is the PARTICIPLE.

The gerund has only one form and one function: it is the -ing form of the verb used as a noun.

The participle has two forms and one function: they can be present participles and past participles. Their sole function is that of adjective, i.e., to modify or describe nouns and/or pronouns.

Using the same verbs from the previous section, note that the spelling is the same for the present participle as it is for the gerund (the -ing form of the verb), but the past form has its own spelling taken from the principal parts of the verb itself.

What are the principal parts of the verb? They are the basic forms of a verb upon which a system of inflections was attached ro indicate differences in meaning to convey time (tense), person (1st, 2nd, or 3rd), number (singular or plural),gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter),voice (active or passive), and mood (indicative, imperative, or subjunctive).

The principal parts of a verb in English are labeled as to what inflections or conditions are applied to them. They are similar in structure to those of the language from which some, but not all, of the structure of English was derived, Latin. The verb carry in Latin had four (4) principal parts. The first principal part was the simple present tense form for the first person, singular (I,the self) in the active voice and indicate mood. It is the part that would translate as I carry.

In English, when it is asked,"What are the principal parts of the verb carry?" the present tense, first person singular, active voice, and indicative mood are implied. Therefore, what is really being asked is, "What are the principal parts of the verb which I gave in the present tense using the 1st person singular, active voice, and indicative mood?" The answer in English is: to carry; carrying; carried; and has, have, or had carried. The labels for these forms are: the infinitive; the present participle; the simple past form; and the past participle, which uses has, have, or had as a helping verb.

In Latin, the principal parts were the following:

1. porto (the present tense, first person, singular, active voice, indicative mood): When asked for the principal parts of the same verb in English, the word is carry.

2. portare (the present active infinitive): The English equivalent is to carry.

3. portavi (the first person, singular, present perfect tense, active voice, indicative mood): The English form is: I have carried.

4. portatus (the past participle, first person singular, masculine gender, passive voice, indicative mood): The English adjective form carried, as in the soldier carried by his comrades.

Each of the verbs listed will have the pattern as follows:

1. Simple present tense: carry

2. Infinitive: to carry

3. Present participle: carrying

4. Simple past: carried

5. Past participle: carried

Apply the same template above for each of the list of verbs below:

run, to run, running, ran, run

jump, to jump, jumping, jumped, jumped

do, to do, doing, did, done

flatulate, to flatulate, flatulating, flatulated, flatulated

dump, to dump, dumping, dumped, dumped

signify, to signify, signifying, signified, signified

love, to love, loving, loved. loved

postulate, to postulate, postulating, postulated, postulated

 

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sleep, to sleep, sleeping, slept, slept

walk, to walk, walking, walked, walked

talk, to talk, talking, talked, talked

gawk, to gawk, gawking, gawked, gawked

take, to take, taking, took, taken

sweep, to sweep, sweeping, swept, swept

dance, to dance, dancing, danced, danced

eat, to eat, eating. ate, eaten

suffer, to suffer, suffering, suffered, suffered

lay, to lay, laying, laid, laid

zoom, to zoom, zooming, zoomed, zoomed

The same principles that applied to the gerund as a verbal apply to the participle: it is part verb and part adjective. This means that it retains its ability to act partially like a verb and take objects and modifiers; but it also can function like an adjective and be itself a modifier of nouns and/or pronouns. A writer must be extraordinarily careful with these pesky modifiers because they can be easily misplaced or left dangling thereby causing mis-communication at all levels.

The purpose of the participle is basic. It intends to consolidate sentences so that related ideas can be joined to the main one without a series of repetitious references. For example, using the first four verbs from the list above, suppose I am trying to get across a series of ideas about a policeman and a criminal. These ideas include the following facts:

1. Charlie is a policeman.

2. He works until five.

3. He carries a gun in a holster.

4. Brutus is a criminal.

5. Brutus robs a bank.

6. Charlie and Brutus meet unceremoniously outside the bank.

Using forms of the first four verbs from the list, see how participles in their present and past form can cram lots of info into a small space.

Charlie, a policeman, done with his work for the day but still carrying his holstered weapon, confronted Brutus running from the bank. Charlie ordered all passers-by to hit the deck, even the poor slob inadvertently jumped by Brutus during the latter's failed escape. Still doing his job, Charlie made quick work of the criminal.

Participles, both past and present, made the flow easy to achieve. Without participles, sentences would be short, repetitive, monotonous and boring.

Using some verb forms from the list above, I combined participles with their modified nouns to demonstrate their application.

1. Carrying her groceries in a strong bag, the elderly woman dragged herself across the highway to safety. The carried groceries made it across the highway as well.

2. Run out of the bank by disgruntled depositors, the criminal had no time to keep a running total of his loot.

3. After jumping your opponents, you must remove the jumped pieces from the board.

4. Done with their exams, the better students waited for the others still doing theirs.

5. City workers illegally dumping toxic wastes are responsible for all dumped materials.

6. Loved children most likely will become loving parents.

7. Swept in the past, the Yankees wanted to be sweeping victors this time. It didn't happen.

Summary: Participles are forms of the verb that are adjectives in the present form with -ing or adjectives in the past form with some form of the past tense of the verb. They are adjectives and therefore modify nouns or pronouns. But being part verb, they also take objects and/or modifiers.ource