participle

A participle is a non-finite verb form that can function as an adjective or as part of verb constructions. In English, the two basic participle types are the present participle and the past participle. The present participle is built with the suffix -ing (running, singing) and often marks progressive aspect. The past participle usually appears in -ed for regular verbs (talked) and in irregular forms (gone, written). Some grammars also describe a perfect participle formed with having + past participle (having eaten).

Participle forms are distinct from gerunds, the -ing form used as a noun. The same形 of word can function as a participle or a gerund depending on its syntactic role in a sentence.

Uses of participles include: functioning as adjectives, as in a burning candle or a cracked window, where the participle directly modifies a noun; forming participial phrases, such as Walking along the road, he waved; and contributing to compound verb constructions, including passive voice (is written) and progressive aspect (is singing). A perfect participle clause, such as Having finished the assignment, she left, communicates a prior action related to the main clause. Participles can also appear in reduced relative clauses, e.g., The man killed in the accident instead of The man who was killed in the accident.

In many languages, participles have a wider range of forms and can express additional tenses, voices, or agreement features. In English, they remain flexible tools for combining description, aspect, and clause structure in concise form.