Participle

The Participle is a non-finite form which has certain verbal features and the syntactical functions of adjectival and adverbial character.

There are two participles in English – Participle I and Participle II. They are also called the present and the past participles though they differ in voice rather than in tense.

Objective verbs have four forms of Participle I:

Indefinite active	Indefinite passive
writing	being written
Perfect active	Perfect passive
having written	having been written

Subjective verbs have only two forms of Participle I:

Indefinite active	Indefinite passive
standing	-
Perfect active	Perfect passive
having stood	-

Participle II has only one form: written.

Most subjective verbs have no forms of Participle II outside the analytical forms of the verb. (Such participles as died, risen, walked can not be used predicatively or attributively, they only help to form the analytical forms of the verb – have walked, etc.)

The tenses of the participle are relative and show whether the action named by the participle took place at the same time with that of the finite verb or whether it preceded it.

Participle I Indefinite active (or passive) shows that the action named by the participle took place at the same time with that of the finite verb. These forms denote simultaneousness in the present, past or future.

E.g. That day we stayed at home watching TV.

Participle I Perfect active and passive shows that the action named by the participle preceded that of the finite verb. These forms denote priority to a present, past or future action.

E.g. Having said what I was obliged to say I want to tell you now how sorry I am.

Participle II in most cases denotes priority.

E.g. She pulled the long forgotten letter out of its hiding place.

Participle II may sometimes have a meaning of simultaneousness.

E.g. The dog carried by a child gave a sharp yelp of protest.

Participle I Indefinite and Perfect may take direct objects.

E.g. Holding the child close to her she seemed to be showing him something.

Having written the last word she looked up interrogatively.

Participles I and II may be modified by adverbs.

E.g. Deeply hurt, she cleared the table silently.

We saw him crossing the street very quickly.

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