Present Participles

A participle is a word formed from a verb which can be used as an adjective.

There are two types of participles:

• The Present Participle
(ending -ing)


• The Past Participle
(usually ending -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n)

The "Note" section on the right explains how to form present participles.

Examples of Present Participles Being Used As Adjectives

Here are some examples of present participles being used as adjectives:

The Verb	The Present Participle
To run	running water
To flourish	flourishing business
To discourage	discouraging glance

Present Participles in Participle Phrases

It is really common to see present participles in participle phrases. A participle phrase also acts like an adjective. In the examples below, the participle phrases are shaded and the present participles are in bold:

• My mother is next to the lady wearing the red hat.

(The participle phrase wearing the red hat describes the lady.)

• I know a pond teeming with fish.

(The participle phrase teeming with fish describes a pond.)

• Frantically shuffling through her coppers, Jackie hoped to find another silver coin.

(The participle phrase Frantically shuffling through her coppers describes Jackie.)

• Relying on Mark's inability to cast accurately, Lee plonked his bait exactly where Mark had just caught the small pouting.

(The participle phrase Relying on Mark's inability to cast accurately describes Lee.)

More Examples of Present Participles Used as Adjectives

Here are some real-life examples of present participles (shaded) being used as adjectives:

• Always be wary of any helpful item that weighs less than its operating manual. (Terry Pratchett)
• Somewhere on this globe, every ten seconds, there is a woman giving birth to a child. She must be found and stopped. (Sam Levenson, 1911-1980)
• Love is the big booming beat which covers up the noise of hate. (Margaret Cho)
• All existing business models are wrong. Find a new one. (Hugh Macleod)

·         Present Participles Used in Verb Tenses

·         As well as being used as adjectives, present participles are also used to form verb tenses. Here are the verb tenses (present participles shaded):

The 4 Past Tenses	Example
simple past tense	I talked
past progressive tense	I was talking
past perfect tense	I had talked
past perfect progressive tense	I had been talking
The 4 Present Tenses	Example
simple present tense	I talk
present progressive tense	I am talking
present perfect tense	I have talked
present perfect progressive tense	I have been talking
The 4 Future Tenses	Example
simple future tense	I will talk
future progressive tense	I will be talking
future perfect tense	I will have talked
future perfect progressive tense	I will have been talking