Grammar Tips & Articles »

past participle

This Grammar.com article is about past participle — enjoy your reading!


43 sec read
9,463 Views
  Ed Good  —  Grammar Tips
Font size:

The past participle shows up in verb conjugation in two ways: (1) to form the perfect tenses with the auxiliary verb have (I have decided to retire) and (2) to form the passive voice with the auxiliary verb to be (The case was decided by the court).

For regular verbs, you form the past participle and past tense the same way, usually by adding ‑ed.

For irregular verbs, you form the past participle in some other way; the past participle of drink, for example, is drunk.

You can identify the past participle of a verb by completing this sentence: I have [insert verb here]. If you don't know the past participle for an irregular verb like swim, then check the dictionary.

Dictionaries typically list the past tense first (swam), then the past participle (swum), and finally the present participle (swimming).

 

Rate this article:

Have a discussion about this article with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "past participle." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/past-participle>.

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Browse Grammar.com

    Free Writing Tool:

    Instant
    Grammar Checker

    Improve your grammar, vocabulary, and writing -- and it's FREE!


    Quiz

    Are you a grammar master?

    »
    Identify the sentence with correct use of the preposition 'in':
    A The keys are in the drawer.
    B She walked in the garden.
    C The cat is sleeping in the basket.
    D He arrived in the evening.

    Improve your writing now:

    Download Grammar eBooks

    It’s now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant messages.