| Grammatically Correct 3/28/06 A weekly grammar tip created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors. |
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| Participles as Verbals: Forms and Uses by Candice Chovanec Melzow |
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Participles belong to a category of words known as verbals. Participles look like verbs, and, like verbs, they describe an action or state of being. However, the difference lies in how participles function. Usually participles function as adjectives (ex: the barking dog), but they may occasionally function as adverbs (ex: He earned money running the shop.). When participles function as adjectives, they generally precede nouns and pronouns in sentences, and when participles function as adverbs, they usually follow the verb in a sentence. Most participles have an –ed or –ing ending. There are two types of participles: present participles and past participles. Present participles have an –ing ending, while past participles usually have one of several past tense endings, including –ed, -en, and -d. Participles may occur as one word, or they may be part of a participial phrase. Let’s take a look at some examples: Present participle The screaming child disrupted the church service. Past participle I like my drinks with crushed ice. Present participial phrase Taking the test, John felt his mind go blank. Past participial phrase Minnie, unsteadied by the accident, tried to regain her footing. |
Definitions
Participle (n) The definition of the word featured in this grammar tip was adapted from The Longman Advanced American Dictionary. |
| Recommended Grammar Website of the Week by Candice Chovanec Melzow |
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Along with our website, we recommend the following site: “The Participle” at http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/participle.htm. This website offers clear explanations of several of the uses for participles. |
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| Test Your Knowledge by Candice Chovanec Melzow |
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Test your ability to recognize and categorize participles by underlining the participle in each sentence and writing whether it is a present participle (PR) or a past participle (PA). Mark C if the sentence does not contain a participle. 1. The dog’s wagging tail indicated that he was happy. 2. James goes to the golfing range with his friends on Sundays. 3. Running late for school, Michelle was forced to skip her shower. 4. Stuart goes to Grandy’s to eat fried chicken and mashed potatoes. 5. Lacey waited tables while she attended The Victoria College. Answers 1. The dog’s wagging tail indicated that he was happy. PR 2. James goes to the golfing range with his friends on Sundays. PR 3. Running late for school, Michelle was force to skip her shower. PR 4. Stuart goes to Grandy’s to eat fried chicken and mashed potatoes. PA; PA 5. Lacey waited tables while she attended The Victoria College. C |
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Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas. Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu. Subscribe/Unsubscribe/View Archive
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