Present Participles

The first type of participle is the present participle. The present participle is often referred to as
the '-ing' form of the verb. Here are some examples of present participles in bold:
The sun was shining so I went for a walk.
The man speaking English is our teacher.
That movies was extremely exciting.
It is often confused with the gerund which is also casually referred to as the 'ing' form of the
verb. The difference between the gerund and the present participle can be confusing.
Past Participles
Past participles are used in a similar manner to present participles. Here are some examples of
past participles in bold:
He has flown to Chicago twice.
The broken spirited boy returned home without a prize.
That man looks lost.
Participles are used for four main purposes:

As the main verb in tenses

As adjectives to describe a noun

As adverbs to describe how something is done

In phrases that look like clauses combined to provide additional, defining information

Participles Used as the Main Verb

Participles are used with auxiliary verbs in a variety of tenses. It is important to remember that
the changes in the conjugation of the verb are made to the auxiliary verb. The participle form
remains the same. Next, learn which tenses take the present participle or past participle form.
Present Participles
Present participles are used for continuous (or progressive) tenses. These include the present
continuous, past continuous and future continuous.
Present Continuous - They are watching TV at the moment.
Past Continuous - Mary was talking on the telephone when I came home.
Future Continuous - I'll be playing golf tomorrow at three o'clock.
Present Perfect Continuous - He has been working in the garden for twenty minutes.
Past Perfect Continuous - They had been waiting for thirty minutes when he finally arrived.
Future Perfect Continuous - Jack will have been studying for four hours by six o'clock.
Past Participles
Past participles are used with simple perfect tenses (continuous perfect or progressive perfect
tenses take the participle 'been' + the present participle - have been playing, will have been
working, etc.).
Present Perfect - She's already eaten lunch.
Past Perfect - They had left for California before she called.
Future Perfect - I will have bought the clothes by tomorrow evening.