Grammar for Everyone - Barbara Dykes 2007
Adjectival participles and gerunds
Introduction
Part II The parts of speech
Participles are one of the most flexible and useful word categories in our language. When not being used to form finite verbs, they can serve as adjectives or nouns. This expands our descriptive ability and enables us to vary sentence patterns - a skill referred to by Dr Moore as lacking in the work of many PhD students at the QIMR.
Grammar and spelling are improved with skilled use of participles, though students are often quite unaware that words they are using are participles, formed from verbs. Choose plain terms for each category and use them consistently so as not to confuse.
Before studying participles as adjectives and nouns, students should:
• understand the use of nouns as subjects, objects and complements
• understand the function of adjectives
• recognise verb forms which include participles
• be able to name the present and past participles of any common verb
Participles as adjectives
These are sometimes referred to as adjectival participles or participial adjectives. The former term is more easily recognisable.
Both present and past participles can be used as adjectives. Remember, the present participle always ends with ’ing’.
For example:
My sister has a talking doll - present
The doll has a broken finger - past
Gerunds - participles as nouns
A participle used as a noun is called a gerund. Gerunds end with ’ing’, being present participles. They may serve as subjects, objects or even complements in sentences, and they stand alone, that is without an auxiliary.
For example:
Subject: Rowing strengthens muscles.
Object: My brother teaches rowing.
Complement: My favourite sport is rowing.
Past participles are seldom used as nouns. They occur only in specialised or formal contexts.
For example:
The police published photos of their most wanted.
We distributed food to the disadvantaged.
17.1 Activities: participles
1. Students choose colourful or humorous adjectival participles to qualify given nouns. Check that they really are participles, as in coiled snake, not slippery snake.
a. clouds
b. clarinet
c. cow
d. boots
e. ice-cream
f. pencil
g. road
h. garbage
i. house
j. bus
2. Students are given two minutes to write down as many adjectival participles they can think of for:
a. a shop
b. a jaguar
c. a parachute
3. Students form adjectival participles from given verbs, present, past or both, and apply each one to a suitable noun, for example:
break - breaking weather, broken cup
a. spill
b. drink
c. dig
d. swell
e. ring
f. write
g. lay
h. grind
i. rise
j. oil
4. One student begins by naming an object. The second student qualifies it with a suitable adjectival participle. If correct, they can then supply a noun for the next student; and so on until all have had a turn.
5. Students use present participles as nouns. In turn they answer the question: What do you like doing? All answers must end in ’ing’, such as skating, cycling.
6. Students write sentences using a participle from each given verb. They underline the participle and state the function of each, for example:
bite - He put ointment on his bitten leg. (adj)
a. hold
b. deliver
c. wear
d. swear
e. fold
Checklist: participles
Students should now be able to:
• give the meaning of the word ’participle’
• describe its three functions, as verb part, adjective or noun
• recognise participles in a passage and classify them
• use participles effectively and correctly in written work
• explain the term ’gerund’ and describe its function