Editing Participle (section)

====English "Modern English"====
In [[Old English]], past participles of [[Germanic strong verb]]s were marked with a ''ge-'' prefix, as were most strong and weak past participles in Dutch and German today, and often by a vowel change in the stem. Those of weak verbs were marked by the ending ''-d'', with or without an [[epenthesis|epenthetic]] vowel before it. Modern English past participles derive from these forms (although the ''ge-'' prefix, which became ''y-'' in Middle English, has now been lost).

Old English present participles were marked with an ending in ''-ende'' (or ''-iende'' for verbs whose infinitives ended in ''-ian''). In [[Middle English]], various forms were used in different regions: ''-ende'' (southwest, southeast, [[English Midlands|Midlands]]), ''-inde'' (southwest, southeast), ''-and'' (north), ''-inge'' (southeast). The last is the one that became standard, falling together with the suffix ''-ing'' used to form [[verbal noun]]s. See [[-ing#Etymology|''-ing'' (etymology)]].

[[Modern English]] verbs, then, have two participles:
* The ''present participle'', also sometimes called the ''[[active voice|active]]'', ''[[imperfect]]'', or ''[[progressive aspect|progressive]]'' participle, takes the ending ''-ing''. It is identical in form to the [[gerund]] (and [[verbal noun]]); the term ''present participle'' is sometimes used to include the gerund, and the term "gerund–participle" is also used.
* The ''past participle'', also sometimes called the ''[[passive voice|passive]]'' or ''[[perfect (grammar)|perfect]]'' participle, is identical to the [[simple past|past tense]] form (in ''-ed'') in the case of regular verbs, but takes various forms in the case of [[English irregular verbs|irregular verbs]], such as ''sung'', ''written'', ''put'', ''gone'', etc.

Details of participle formation can be found under [[English verbs]] and [[List of English irregular verbs]].

The present participle, or participial phrases (clauses) formed from it, are used as follows: 
*to form the [[progressive aspect|progressive]] (continuous) aspect: ''Jim was '''sleeping'''.''
*as an [[adjective phrase]] modifying a noun phrase: ''The man '''sitting''' over there is my uncle.'' 
*adverbially, the [[subject (grammar)|subject]] being understood to be the same as that of the main clause: '''''Looking''' at the plans, I gradually came to see where the problem lay.'' ''He shot the man, '''killing '''him.'' 
*similarly, but with a different subject, placed before the participle (the [[nominative absolute]] construction): ''He and I '''having''' reconciled our differences, the project then proceeded smoothly.''
*more generally as a clause or sentence modifier: ''Broadly '''speaking''', the project was successful.'' (See also [[dangling participle]].)

Past participles, or participial phrases (clauses) formed from them, are used as follows:
*to form the [[perfect (grammar)|perfect]] aspect: ''The chicken has '''eaten'''.''
*to form the [[English passive voice|passive voice]]: ''The chicken was '''eaten'''.''
*as an adjective phrase: ''The chicken '''eaten''' by the children was contaminated.'' (See also [[reduced relative clause]].)
*adverbially: '''''Seen''' from this perspective, the problem presents no easy solution.''
*in a nominative absolute construction, with a subject: ''The task '''finished''', we returned home.''

Both types of participles are also often used as pure adjectives (see [[#Types of participles|Types of participles]] above). Here present participles are used in their active sense ("an ''exciting'' adventure", i.e. one that excites), while past participles are usually used passively ("the ''attached'' files", i.e. those that have been attached), although those formed from [[intransitive verb]]s may sometimes be used with active meaning ("our ''fallen'' comrades", i.e. those who have fallen). Some such adjectives also form adverbs, such as ''interestingly'' and ''excitedly''.

The [[gerund]] is distinct from the present participle in that it (or rather the verb phrase it forms) acts as a noun rather than an adjective or adverb: "I like ''sleeping'''"; "''Sleeping'' is not allowed." There is also a pure [[verbal noun]] with the same form ("the ''breaking'' of one's vows is not to be taken lightly"). For more on the distinctions between these uses of the ''-ing'' verb form, see [[-ing#Uses|''-ing'': uses]].

For more details on uses of participles and other parts of verbs in English, see [[Uses of English verb forms]], including the sections on the [[Uses of English verb forms#Present participle|present participle]] and [[Uses of English verb forms#Past participle|past participle]].