Structure & Written Expression

PRESENT AND
PAST PARTICIPLE
Rina Suryani Oktari
Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala

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 PRESENT PARTICIPLES

 Present participles are

formed by adding -ing to
the verb.

Example
walk + ing = walking
move + ing = moving

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 PRESENT PARTICIPLES
As adjective
As Part of a verb
Present participle (Verb + Ing) function as adjective if
A Present participle (verb+ing) function as
part of a verb if the use with tobe (am, is,
B not join by to be (am, is, are, was and were).
are, was, and were).
Example

Example The train arriving at the station now is an hour late.

The train is arriving at the station now.
Analyze: Arriving is adjective because not join by be.
While , Subject of the above sentence is train and it
Analyze: arriving is part of a verb because
verb is is.
following by is (to be).

Sometimes the participle of a verb can be used as an adjective.

Examples:
• The crawling ants look very busy.
• Their scurrying bodies are all over the grass.

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 PAST PARTICIPLES

Past participles are formed by

adding -ed to the verb.

Example

walk + ed = walked
move + ed = moved

* Remember if a verb ends in e, drop

the e before adding ed.

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 PAST PARTICIPLES
A AS PART OF A VERB
Past participle will be function as part of a verb if join
B Function of Past Participle as (adjective) if not join by
by have, has, had and be (am, is, are, was, were).
Example
1. The mailman has left a letter in the mailbox. (Left is
part of a VERB)
2. The classes were taught by Mr. Hasan. (Taught is
part of a VERB)
Explained : Of the first sentence, left is a part from verb
because join by has. Of the second sentence, taught is a
part from verb because join by be (were)
Sometimes the participle of a verb can be used as an adjective.
Examples:
• Workers moved stored eggs each day.
• The ants must move to an expanded nest.
AS ADJECTIVE
have, has, had and be (am, is, are, dan were).
Example
1. The letter left in the mailbox was for me. (Left is
ADJECTIVE)
2. The classes taught by Mr. Hasan were very
interesting. (Taught is ADJECTIVE)
Explained :
• Left is adjective because not join by has/have or to
be. While Subject from the first sentence is The
letter and it Verb is was.
• Taught is a adjective because not join by has/have or
to be. while Subject and verb from the second
sentence is The classes and were.

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 BE CAREFUL OF PRESENT PARTICIPLES
• A present participle is the -ing form of the verb (talking, playing).
• In structure questions on the TOEFL test, a present participle can cause confusion because it
can be either a part of the verb or an adjective.

• It is part of the verb when it is preceded by some • A present participle is an adjective when it is not
form of the verb be. accompanied by some form of the verb be.

Example
The man is talking to his friend. (VERB)
In this sentence talking is part of the verb because it
is accompanied by is.
Example
The man talking to his friend has a beard. (ADJECTIVE)
•
In this sentence talking is an adjective and not part of
the verb because it is not accompanied by some form of
be. The verb in this sentence is has.

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 Example

• In this example, if you look at only the first words of the

The child ____ playing in sentence, it appears that child is the subject and playing is
part of the verb.
the yard is my son. • If you think that playing is part of the verb, you might
choose answer (B), is, or answer (D), was, to complete the
(A) now verb.
• However, these two answers are incorrect because playing is
(B) is not part of the verb.
(C) he • You should recognize that playing is a participial adjective
rather than a verb because there is another verb in the
(D) was sentence is.
• In this sentence there is a complete subject child and a
complete verb is, so this sentence does not need another
subject or verb.
• The best answer here is (A).

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 The following chart outlines what you should remember about present participles:

P R E S E N T PA R T I C I P L E

 A present participle is the -ing form of the verb.

 The present participle can be (1) part of the verb or (2) an adjective.
 It is part of the verb when it is accompanied by some form of the verb be.
 It is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some of the verb be.
1. The boy is standing in the corner.
2. The boy standing in the corner was naughty

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 Each of the following sentences contains one or more present participles. Underline the subjects
EXERCISE once and the verbs twice. Circle the present participles and label them as adjectives or verbs. Then
indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

____ 1. The companies offering the lowest prices will have the most customers.

____ 2. Those travelers are completing their trip on Delta should report to Gate Three. (double verb are completing and should report)

____ 3. The artisans were demonstrating various handicrafts at booths throughout the fair.

____ 4. The fraternities are giving the wildest parties attract the most new pledges. (double verb are giving and attract)

____ 5. The first team winning four games is awarded the championship.

____ 6. The speaker was trying to make his point was often interrupted vociferously. (double verb was trying and was often interrupted )

____ 7. The fruits were rotting because of the moisture in the crates carrying them to market.

____ 8. Any students desiring official transcripts should complete the appropriate form.

____ 9. The advertisements were announcing the half-day sale received a lot of attention. (double verb were announcing and received )

____ 10. The spices flavoring the meal were quite distinctive.

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 BE CAREFUL OF PAST PARTICIPLES

• Past participles can cause confusion in structure questions on the TOEFL test
because a past participle can be either an adjective or a part of a verb.
• The past participle is the form of the verb that appears with have or be.
• It often ends in -ed, but there are also many irregular past participles in
English.

Example: • In the first sentence the past participle

purchased is part of the verb because
1. The family has purchased a television. (VERB)
it is accompanied by has.
2. The poem was written by Paul. (VERB) • In the second sentence the past
participle written is part of the verb
because it is accompanied by was.

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A past participle is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some form of be or have.

Example

1. The television purchased yesterday was expensive. (ADJECTIVE)

2. The poem written by Paul appeared in the magazine. (ADJECTIVE )

• In the first sentence purchased is an adjective rather than a verb because it is not
accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb, was, later in the sentence).
• In the second sentence written is an adjective rather than a verb because it is not
accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb, appeared, later in the sentence).

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 Example
• In this example, if you look only at the first few
words of the sentence, it appears that pack-ages is
The packages ____ mailed at the subject and mailed is either a complete verb or
the post office will arrive a past participle that needs a help-ing verb.
Monday. • But if you look further in the sentence, you will see
that the verb is will arrive.
• You will then recognize that mailed is a participial
(A) have adjective and is therefore not part of the verb.
• Answers (A) and (B) are incorrect because mailed
(B) were is an adjective and does not need a help-ing verb
(C) them such as have or were.
• Answer (C) is incorrect because there is no need
(D) just for the object them.
• Answer (D) is the best answer to this question.

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 The following chart outlines what you should remember about past participles:

PA S T PA R T I C I P L E S

 A past participle often ends in -ed but there are also many irregular past participles.
 For many verbs, including -ed verbs, the simple past and the past participle are the
same and can be easily confused.
 The -ed form of the verb can be (1) the simple past, (2) the past participle of a verb, or
(3) an adjective.

1. She painted this picture.

2. She has painted this picture.
3. The picture painted by Karen is now in a museum.

U n i v e r s i t a s S y i a h K u a l a
 Each of the following sentences contains one or more past participles. Underline the
EXERCISE subjects once and the verbs twice. Circle the past participles and label them as
adjectives or verbs. Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

(double verb was offered and was not accepted)

____ 1. The money was offered by the client was not accepted.
____ 2. The car listed in the advertisement had already stalled.
(double verb were taught and
____ 3. The chapters were taught by the professor this morning will be on next week's exam.
will be )

____ 4. The loaves of bread were baked in a brick oven at a low temperature for many hours.
(double verb were reached and
____ 5. The ports were reached by the sailors were under the control of a foreign nation.
were)

____ 6. Those suspected in the string of robberies were arrested by the police.
(double verb is served and is)
____ 7. The pizza is served in this restaurant is the tastiest in the county. (double verb are listed and have)
____ 8. The courses are listed on the second page of the brochure have several prerequisites.
____ 9. All the tenants were invited to the Independence Day barbecue at the apartment complex.
____ 10. Any bills paid by the first of the month will be credited to your account by the next day.
the tastiest in the county.

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