participleadj

Participle adjective, hereafter called participleadj, refers to adjectives formed from verb participles. In English, the most common sources are the present participle (-ing) and the past participle (-ed or -en), along with a number of irregular forms such as broken, written, or worn. These forms function as adjectives that modify nouns or noun phrases.

Participle adjectives occur in two broad patterns. As attributive adjectives, they appear before the noun: a boring lecture, a broken vase, an excited crowd. As predicative adjectives, they follow linking verbs: The lecture was boring; The vase is broken; The crowd is excited. The -ing forms generally describe properties or processes that provoke a reaction or indicate ongoing characteristics, while the -ed or -en forms describe a resulting state or condition.

A common distinction is between the two main classes. -ing adjectives often denote something that has the feature described, typically capable of causing a reaction: an exciting movie, a fascinating idea. -ed (or -en) adjectives describe a state resulting from an action: a tired runner, a broken window, a written note. This contrast can help avoid ambiguity, as in The movie is exciting (causes excitement) versus The crowd is excited (experiencing excitement).

Not all participleadj are interchangeable with participles used in verb phrases. Some -ed adjectives are less compatible with certain adverbs or with intensifiers, and a small set are restricted to predicative use. Overall, participle adjectives are a productive, cross-cutting feature of many languages, providing concise ways to express state, process, and evaluation.