Download Participle and Participial Phrases

Participle and Participial Phrases
• There are two types of participles: present participle and past
participle.
• The present participle is indicated by “ing” attached to a verb (“ing”
form), and the past participle is generally indicated by “ed”
attached to a verb (except for irregular verbs that have special form
of past participle).
• These participial forms can function as adjectives (called verbal
adjectives), such as: hard working farmer, increasing price,
cultivated land, broken tree, etc.
• Like adjectives, they qualify nouns or pronouns, and like verbs, they
may take objects and may be described by adverbial qualifiers.
• Therefore, a participle with qualifiers or objects is called participial
phases.
• However, participles are commonly used as qualifiers of the nouns
that follow them. In the following examples, observe several
positions of the participles and participial phases, and the nouns
and pronouns they qualify.
• Present and past participles
The following are some examples of sentences employing present and
past participles.
Increasing price of fertilizers and pesticides will impose high
production cost on agricultural products.
(“increasing” is a present participle qualifying the noun “price of
fertilizers and pesticides”).
The government introduces the biological control as a part of
integrated pest management program.
(“integrated” is a past participle qualifying the noun “pest
management program”).
Fifty percent of germinating seeds died due to high temperature.
(“germinating” is a present participle qualifying the noun “seeds”).
• Participial phrases
In the following examples you will see that the participial phrases may come
before of after the noun or pronoun they qualify. However, the participial
word in the phrase should clearly indicate the noun or pronoun it qualifies.
The “ani-ani” is a traditional tool used by farmers in harvesting local rice
variety.
(“used by farmers” is a participial phrase qualifying the noun “traditional
tool”).
Most farmers living in transmigration area came from Java.
(“living in transmigration area” is a participial phrase qualifying the noun
“farmers”).
Plants grown in a glasshouse are normally free from pest and disease
problems.
(“grown in a glasshouse” is a participial phrase qualifying the noun
“plants”).
Plants showing the symptoms of virus disease should be eradicated as
soon as possible.
(“showing the symptom of virus disease” is a participial phrase qualifying
the noun “plants”).
• Assignment 1
Make your own sentences employing present
participle, past participle, and participial phrases
(5 each).