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Questions tagged [participles]

A participle is a form of a verb that is used in a sentence to modify a noun, noun phrase, verb or verb phrase, and thus plays a role similar to that of an adjective or adverb.

A participle is a form of a verb that is used in a sentence to modify a noun, noun phrase, verb or verb phrase, and thus plays a role similar to that of an adjective or adverb. It is one of the types of nonfinite verb forms. Its name comes from the Latin participium, a calque of Greek metochḗ "partaking" or "sharing"; it is so named because the Ancient Greek and Latin participles "share" some of the categories of the adjective or noun (gender, number, case) and some of those of the verb (tense and voice).

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How Would You Explain "One's Work Protecting...." Grammatically?

I do not feel comfortable with such constructs that contain "one's work ...ing" as the following: "University of British Columbia marine biologist Amanda Vincent has won the prestigious Indianapolis Prize for her work protecting seahorses." "Learn…
Yasuro
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the implied subject of "looking down into a valley"

Human beings like a prospect from which they can survey a landscape, and at the same time they enjoy a sense of refuge. A cave on the side of a mountain, a child’s tree house, and the king’s castle are situations with appeal. Protection afforded by…
Kinam99
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Participles - Past simple + Simple continuous or past simple + past simple?

Megan fell off her bike, hurt___ her leg. Should it be hurt or hurting? My mind goes to hurt, however it seems like there are different rules in participles for example; Hearing the news, she fainted.
Don K
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Participle modifying a noun other than a subject

Example: "John jumped over the girl shouting angrily." I assume the participle construction replaces a relative clause in this case. ("who shouted angrily"). My question: Can a participle modifying a noun other than a subject also replace an…
Leo
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"Not to have been asked" vs "not being asked"- what's the difference?

Sentence Transformation: She will be upset that she wasn't asked. The answer to this statement is as follows: She will be upset not to have been asked. Could this also be possible? She will be upset not having been asked. What's the…
QueenB
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What is the correct use of present participle and "by" in a sequence of actions?

When writing a sequence of actions that happen after each other I get regularly confused about the correct use of the present participle. For example in: A: I prefer learning by gaining an overview first and then deepen the understanding of the…
Lenar Hoyt
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What Do We Call: Having Been + Present Participle?

I am inquiring in terms of classic prescriptive grammar. As a preface, please consider the following usage of the perfect participle. I, [having played] well, am proud of my game. The participial phrase, having played well, is an adjectival…
Matthew Rips
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Why is it a "vexed question", rather than a "vexing question"?

If I understand it correctly, a "vexed question" is bothering, annoying, and frustrating us; not being bothered, annoyed, and frustrated by us. As such, I'd expect the active (present, -ing) participle, not the passive (past, -ed). Yet, Google…
Fab
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Participle clauses

I have this participle clause in this sentence: Having confessed his mistake, he begged for forgiveness. I want to rewrite this sentence but I'm considering which one is correct. He has confessed his mistake, he begged for forgiveness. He…
19932 gembui
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Repeated vs Repeating

In the past, I was taught (in an overly-simplified way) that past participles modify people whereas present participles modify things. For example: He is bored School is boring I understand there are exceptions (e.g. 'He is boring' is correct but…
user66608
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How can you tell when a participle is being used as an adjective?

How can you tell when a participle is being used as an adjective? I feel completely lost trying to guess. Just as a completely arbitrary example For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering…
user99677
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grammatical elements in 'as + ing'?

In dictionary, I see phrases in the form of 'as + ing' quite many times, for example, attribute : regard something as being caused by (something or someone) Is 'as' here a preposition or conjunction? And how the past participle 'being caused'…
le4m
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Awkward mission statement with "being" used possibly incorrectly in a participle clause

I am a native English speaker but have lived abroad for many years now. I hear various proficiencies in English every day and therefore, some common mistakes that wouldn't sound natural/correct back home slowly sound fine to me now. So, recently a…
user435677
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Rules to follow to choose when to use the present participle and when to use the past participle

Mark, dressed in black, walked across the room. Mark, dressing in black, walked across the room. I think both sentences are correct but what's the difference in meaning between both of them? Also, is there a set of rules to follow that governs…
Manar
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Form of Participle Clause Subject: 'his' being or 'him' being

I have come across the following sentence (a bit modified) in a news article: "The opposition leader's bid for power failed to gain traction, and his claim to the presidency is rooted in his being the head of the current legislature." I wonder why…
user48754
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