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par·ti·ci·ple
 participle
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- pronunciation:
- par
tih
sI
p
 l
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition: |
A participle is a certain form of a verb. Words like "broken," "fallen," and "begun" are participles, and so are "breaking," "falling," and "beginning." The first set of participles can be used in sentences with the verb "have," as in "The water has begun to boil." The second set of participles can be used with a form of the verb "be," as in "The play is beginning." The first set of participles are called "past participles," and the second set are called "present participles." Sometimes these types of words can also be used alone as adjectives, for example, when we say "the broken lamp" or the "falling snow." Past participles are also used in sentences like "The leaves were blown away by the wind," "The money was hidden under a rock," and "The songs were sung too fast."
In the sentence "The old forgotten mine was discovered by the wandering hikers," there are three participles: "forgotten," "discovered," and "wandering."
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