The Participle

Participle II

Non-Perfect		Active	Passive (переходные глаголы)
		written spoken
Perfect

  1. --------------------------- 2. часть сказуемого (образует сказуемое) He is studying (форма Present Continuous) 3. ------------------ 4. определение (Attribute) the boy crying the crying boy 5. обстоятельство (Adverbial modifier) 1) crossing 2) when, while, not When crossing the street Not knowing that        

Eg: I was impressed by her dancing (attribute to the noun “dancing”)

Compare: I was impressed by her dancing (gerund) the part so well.

The Participle has 5 forms: 2 – syntactical (present and past – playing, written) and 3 analytical (passive, perfect, passive perfect –being read, having read, having been read. By comparing the present and the past participle we shall see what grammatical categories this non-finite form possesses.

Eg: I looked at the playing boy.

The action “playing” is active performed by the modified word, taking place at the same moment with the action of the finite form of the verb, of a temporary one and taking place at a given moment in the past. Consequently, the present participle has voice (active), tense (relative-simultaneousness) and aspect (continuous). The present participle has a tendency of losing the category of tense and then it turns into an adjective and, consequently, it loses its other grammatical categories.

Eg: a running boy (at a certain moment)

running water (action is permanent)

There are adjectives which are clearly felt as participle – a charming woman, a pressing issue. The most typical meaning of the past participle is state or quality as a result of an action.

Eg: A broken vase lay on the floor.

“Broken” names a passive action, directed to a modified word, an action proceeded by that of the finite form of the verb. The given past participle has voice (passive), tense (relative), aspect (perfect). These are the categories of the Participle. Not all verbs can have independent Past Participle. Subjective verbs can have no independent past participle: has died – the participle is not independent, it is an analytical form. But there is an exception: some verbs of motion (all subjective) have independent past participles.

Eg: When we came here he was gone.

In this case the past participle “gone” has no passive meaning. Past participle “gone” with the attributive meaning has no category of voice. Sometimes we come across past participles which have no meaning of priority and no aspective meaning.

Eg: A red car driven by a middle-aged man.

Past Participle here has only the category of passive voice, but no meaning of priority. Such forms as “written, being worn” are used as attributes in the below given sentence. The present participle (active and passive) can also be used adverbially (as adverbs).

Eg: The book written by O. Jespersen describes English syntax.

Eg: Skirts being worn this season are about 10 santimetres above the knee.

Eg: Being asked his name, he replied. Asked his name, he answered.

Eg: He left saying nothing.

According to some grammarians the present participle has no adverbial function, whenever it is not an attribute; it should be considered the predicative of a double predicate.

Eg: Smiling bitterly she left the examination room. “Left smiling” may be considered an inverted double predicate.