The Participle
In English, the term “Verbal” more frequently includes the Verbal Adjective, the Participle. Participle is typically listed right along with the other two examples of the verbal, except those are the Verbal Nouns, the Infinitives and Gerunds [Infinitives are defined here: http://factoidz.com/the-infinitive-verbal-nouns-and-verbal-adjectives-in-english/]. Participles, along with Gerunds and Infinitives, are also commonly referred to as “Abstract,” but only in the case of the participle the title is “Abstract Adjective” rather than “Abstract Noun.”
Now onto the Participle.
Focusing on the singular Verbal Adjective, the Participle can modify or enhance in compound tenses or voices. The form of the Verbal Noun known as the Participle is the -ed or -ing form of a verb used in place of a adjective. These are known as the progressive, present, active, passive, past, perfect, or imperfect.
Participles get confused with Gerunds. So frequently, in fact, that the term Gerund-Participle is some times incorporated, which may or may not tend to cause even more confusion. Regardless, let’s differentiate clearly between the Participle (adjective substitute) and the Gerund (noun substitute).
The following -ing words are examples of present participles:
“Jack and his dog were swimming in the sewer.”
Swimming is a present participle that completes the past progressive verb were swimming.
“This huge tidal wave of sewage consumed Jack’s swimming dog.”
Swimming is a present participle modifying dog
“Without his valued dog, Jack now practices his sport in sanitary swimming pools.”
Swimming stands as the present participle modifying pools.
The following -ed / -en words are examples of past participles:
“Jack and his dog had gotten consumed in the sewer.”
Consumed is a past perfect participle that completes the past progressive verb had.
“This huge tidal wave of sewage consumed Jack’s now deceased dog.”
Deceased is a past participle modifying dog.
“Jack’s dog was not willingly drowned.”
This is the past participle forming the passive voice.
“Jack had practiced in an unsanitary swimming spot.”
Swimming stands as the perfect aspect of the past participle modifying spot
“Understood from Jack’s angle the dog died peacefully.”
Understood stands as a sentence or verb modifier.
Bring the confusion (let’s have some fun with these words now!):
What’s the difference between a Participle and a Participial? A participle is a noun and a participial is an adjective. But wait… isn’t a participle a verb? Rather, a verb which stands in place of an adjective, thereby making it a verb serving grammatically as an adjective? What’s with this noun labeling now?
Let’s recount: A participle is a verb which stands in the place of an adjective. A verb (ending in -ing) standing in place of an adjective is one of surely two kinds of participles: The past participle has the past form of the verb which would go with the verb have and usually ends in -ed. The present participle ends in -ing. A participial phrase, another addition to the verbal game here, which now fills the void of the newest edition listed herein, is the participle alongside its complements or modifiers (or both) that surrounds the written or spoken participle. But wait… All this noun / verb / adjective, participle / participial, edition / addition seems just a confusion of words, like some kind of annoying yet freaky word play.
But grammatically, the participle is a noun, while the participial is an adjective, both of which alter a verb and represent or stand in place of an adjective. Now, that’s not the most confusing definition of any word imaginable, so let’s try again:
A participle (a noun, grammatically) symbolizes, by definition, a verb plus -ing that stands in the place of an adjective. Two kinds of participles exist: The past participle has the past form of the verb which would go with the verb have and usually ends in -ed. The present participle ends in -ing. A participial phrase (”participial,” an adjective, grammatically; “phrase,” the noun which participial modifies), another addition to the verbal game here, which now fills the void of the newest edition listed herein, is the participle alongside its complements or modifiers (or both) that surrounds the written or spoken participle.
If any sense can be made out of all that, then looking back, now, the initial claim above, in the sentence…
“Jack and his dog were swimming in the sewer.”
Swimming is a present participle that completes the past progressive verb were swimming.
Since were is a modal or auxiliary verb, wouldn’t swimming be an adverb or stand as an adverb instead of an adjective or a present participle standing in for an adjective? This has been a topic of debate amongst academicians and college professors. By all means, discuss…
The Gerund has been detailed, right alongside the Infinitive, two very similar grammatical constructions here:
1) Gerund: http://factoidz.com/the-gerund-verbal-nouns-and-verbal-adjectives-in-english/
2) Infinitive: http://factoidz.com/the-infinitive-verbal-nouns-and-verbal-adjectives-in-english/=
