A participle is a form of a verb that can act as both a verb and an adjective. It is a non-finite verb, meaning it does not indicate tense on its own.
Example:
- The crying baby woke up the whole neighborhood. (Here, ‘crying’ is a participle from the verb ‘cry’, and it describes the noun ‘baby’).
Types of Participles
There are three main types of participles:
- Present Participle
- Past Participle
- Perfect Participle
1. Present Participle
Formation: Verb + -ing (e.g., walking, talking, eating, laughing)
Usage:
- As an Adjective: Describes a noun that is performing an action.
- It was an amazing movie.
- Look at the setting sun.
- To form Continuous Tenses: Used with helping verbs (is, am, are, was, were).
- She is writing a letter.
- They were playing football.
2. Past Participle
Formation: For regular verbs: Verb + -ed (e.g., walked, talked, cooked). For irregular verbs: 3rd form (e.g., written, eaten, broken, gone).
Usage:
- As an Adjective: Describes a noun that has received an action.
- The broken glass was lying on the floor.
- We found a closed door.
- To form Perfect Tenses: Used with helping verbs (has, have, had).
- He has finished his homework.
- They had left before we arrived.
- To form Passive Voice: Used with helping verbs (is, am, are, was, were, be).
- The letter was written by me.
- The food is being cooked.
3. Perfect Participle
Formation: Having + Past Participle (e.g., having finished, having eaten, having written)
Usage: Used to show that one action was completed before another action in the past.
- Having completed his work, he went home. (First he completed his work, then he went home).
- Having eaten dinner, they started watching a movie.
Participial Phrase
A participial phrase is a group of words that includes a participle and its modifiers, objects, or complements. The entire phrase acts as an adjective.
Rule: The noun or pronoun being modified must be placed immediately after the phrase to avoid a dangling modifier error.
Examples:
- Driving down the road, Rahul saw a beautiful rainbow. (Correct – ‘Rahul’ is the one driving).
- Having been told about the storm, we decided to stay indoors. (Correct – ‘We’ were told).
Common Errors & SSC CGL Tips
Spotting errors related to participles is common in SSC CGL. Watch out for these:
1. Misplaced Modifier (Dangling Participle)
- Incorrect: Running quickly, the bus was missed by the man. (It sounds like the bus was running).
- Correct: Running quickly, the man missed the bus. (The man was running).
2. Confusion between Present and Past Participle
- Boring vs. Bored
- The lecture was boring. (The lecture causes boredom).
- The students were bored. (The students feel boredom).
- Interesting vs. Interested
- This is an interesting book.
- I am interested in history.
3. Incorrect Form in Perfect Tenses
- Incorrect: She has eat her lunch.
- Correct: She has eaten her lunch.
Quick Revision Table
| Type | Form | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Participle | Verb + ing | Active Meaning | A sleeping child |
| Past Participle | Verb + ed / 3rd form | Passive Meaning | A broken window |
| Perfect Participle | Having + Past Participle | Sequence of Actions | Having finished, he left. |