THE PARTICIPLE

English Grammar – Explanation and Practice Exercises

CLASS VIII ENGLISH GRAMMAR EXPLANATION & PRACTICE

Introduction Active Forms Passive Forms Revision Table Remember

UNDERSTANDING THE PARTICIPLE

A participle is a verb form that can function as an adjective or help form verb tenses and other verb constructions.

Participles are commonly used to:

• Describe a person, place, thing or situation.
• Show an action happening at the same time as another action.
• Show that an action was completed before another action.
• Form continuous and perfect tenses.

Examples:

• The crying baby needs attention.
• The broken window needs repair.
• Having completed his homework, Ravi went out.

Participles have active and passive forms. In the active form, the subject performs the action; in the passive form, the subject receives the action.

We will first study the active forms and then the passive forms.

PART I: PARTICIPLES IN ACTIVE VOICE

1. Present Participle – Active

Active Form 1

Structure: V-ing

The present participle is formed by adding -ing to the base form of a verb.

It generally expresses an action that is happening at the same time as the main action. It can also describe a person or thing.

Examples:

1. The smiling girl welcomed the guests.
2. I saw a boy running across the road.
3. Walking along the river, we enjoyed the scenery.
4. The students sitting in the classroom are preparing for the examination.
5. He came running towards me.

Understand the use:

The barking dog disturbed the neighbours.

(Barking describes the dog.)

She stood watching the children.

(Watching expresses an action happening at the same time as the main action.)

EXERCISE 1: PRESENT PARTICIPLE – ACTIVE

Complete the following sentences using the present participle form of the verbs given in brackets.

1. The __________ children were making a lot of noise. (play)
2. I saw a man __________ across the busy road. (run)
3. __________ along the beach, we collected beautiful shells. (walk)
4. The girl __________ near the window is my sister. (sit)
5. He entered the room __________ a song. (sing)

2. Perfect Participle – Active

Active Form 2

Structure: having + past participle (V³)

The perfect participle expresses an action that has been completed before the action of the main verb.

It is commonly used when we want to show the sequence of two actions clearly.

Examples:

1. Having finished his homework, Ravi went out to play.
2. Having completed the project, the students submitted it.
3. Having lost his wallet, he reported the matter to the police.
4. Having heard the news, she immediately called her friend.
5. Having reached the station, we bought our tickets.

Understand the sequence:

First: Ravi finished his homework.

Then: Ravi went out to play.

We combine these actions:

Having finished his homework, Ravi went out to play.

The perfect participle makes it clear that the first action was completed before the second.

EXERCISE 2: PERFECT PARTICIPLE – ACTIVE

Combine the following pairs of actions using a perfect participle.

1. She completed her assignment. She submitted it to the teacher.
2. He locked the door. He left the house.
3. They finished their lunch. They resumed their journey.
4. The students heard the instructions. They started the activity.
5. I read the book. I returned it to the library.

PART II: PARTICIPLES IN PASSIVE VOICE

In passive participle constructions, the person or thing referred to receives the action.

There are three important forms to understand.

3. Past Participle – Passive

Passive Form 1

Structure: V³ (past participle)

The past participle is the third form of a verb. With transitive verbs, it commonly expresses a passive meaning. It often describes a person or thing that has received an action.

Examples:

1. The broken window needs to be repaired.
2. The stolen bicycle was found by the police.
3. The injured player was taken to the hospital.
4. The written report was submitted yesterday.
5. The decorated room looked beautiful.

Understand the difference:

Active: The boy broke the window.

Passive: The broken window needs repair.

Here, broken describes the window. The window receives the action of breaking.

Important: The past participle does not always express a passive meaning. With intransitive verbs, it can have an active meaning.

Examples:

• The fallen leaves covered the ground.
• The retired teacher visited our school.
• The escaped prisoner was caught.

In these examples, the leaves fell, the teacher retired and the prisoner escaped. They did not receive these actions.

EXERCISE 3: PAST PARTICIPLE – PASSIVE

Fill in the blanks with the correct past participle form of the verbs given in brackets.

1. The __________ documents were kept in a safe place. (steal)
2. The __________ road was repaired by the workers. (damage)
3. The __________ guests were welcomed by the principal. (invite)
4. The __________ building has been converted into a library. (abandon)
5. The __________ cake was served to the children. (bake)

4. Present Passive Participle

Passive Form 2

Structure: being + past participle (V³)

The present passive participle expresses an action that is in progress and is being received by the person or thing referred to.

It is used when the action is happening at the same time as the main action.

Examples:

1. The road being repaired is closed to traffic.
2. The patient being examined by the doctor is my grandfather.
3. The house being constructed near our school belongs to my uncle.
4. The issue being discussed in the meeting is very important.
5. The students being trained for the competition are working hard.

Understand the difference:

Active: The workers repairing the road are very experienced.

Passive: The road being repaired by the workers will reopen soon.

In the first sentence, the workers perform the action. In the second, the road receives the action.

EXERCISE 4: PRESENT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE

Complete the following sentences using the present passive participle form of the verbs given in brackets.

1. The bridge __________ over the river will be ready next year. (construct)
2. The matter __________ by the committee is very serious. (discuss)
3. The patient __________ by the doctor needs immediate attention. (examine)
4. The books __________ for the school library will arrive tomorrow. (purchase)
5. The children __________ for the annual function are practising every day. (train)

5. Perfect Passive Participle

Passive Form 3

Structure: having been + past participle (V³)

The perfect passive participle expresses an action that has been completed before the action of the main verb. The person or thing referred to receives the action.

Examples:

1. Having been warned about the danger, the tourists returned to their hotel.
2. Having been selected for the final round, the players began their preparation.
3. Having been informed about the meeting, the teachers reached the hall on time.
4. Having been praised by the principal, the students felt encouraged.
5. Having been repaired, the road was reopened to traffic.

Understand the sequence:

First: The tourists were warned about the danger.

Then: They returned to their hotel.

We combine these actions:

Having been warned about the danger, the tourists returned to their hotel.

The perfect passive participle clearly shows that the warning was received before the tourists returned.

EXERCISE 5: PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE

Combine the following pairs of sentences using a perfect passive participle.

1. The students were informed about the examination. They reached the examination hall on time.
2. The building was damaged in the earthquake. It was declared unsafe.
3. The player was selected for the national team. He started practising harder.
4. The instructions were explained clearly. The students began the activity.
5. The stolen car was recovered by the police. It was returned to its owner.

PART III: QUICK REVISION TABLE

Type	Structure	Example
Present participle – Active	V-ing	running
Perfect participle – Active	having + V³	having completed
Past participle – Passive	V³	broken
Present passive participle	being + V³	being repaired
Perfect passive participle	having been + V³	having been repaired

IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES

Active	Passive
The boy carrying the bag is my friend.	The bag being carried by the boy is heavy.
Having completed the work, she went home.	Having been completed, the work was submitted.
The smiling child looked happy.	The injured child was taken to hospital.

REMEMBER

1. Present participle: V-ing. It commonly expresses an action in progress or describes someone or something.
2. Perfect participle: Having + V³. It shows that an action was completed before another action.
3. Past participle: V³. It commonly has a passive meaning when used with transitive verbs, but it can also have an active meaning with certain intransitive verbs.
4. Present passive participle: Being + V³. It shows an action being received while it is in progress.
5. Perfect passive participle: Having been + V³. It shows an action received and completed before another action.

One important grammatical distinction

A participle is not a tense by itself. Its time relationship is understood from the context and the main verb. Also, the perfect participle and perfect passive participle are not interchangeable: the former is active, while the latter is passive.

↑ Back to Top