The present participle and past participle as modifiers - II

[Joe Carillo]

Last week, to rectify an English textbook’s wrongheaded explanation of how the present participle and the past participle work as modifiers, I started a review of the participle as one of the three English verbals (the other two being the infinitive and the gerund), or verb forms that function not as verbs but as other parts of speech.

I explained that the participle works as an adjective and that it comes in two forms: the present participle, a verb that ends in “-ing,” and the past participle, a verb that typically ends in “-ed.” I discussed how the present participle expresses present action in relation to the time expressed by the operative verb, then gave examples showing how the present participle works.

This time I’ll continue my reply to Forum member Nathan_Yell, who had called my attention to this bizarre prescription of that English textbook for using participles—use the present participle “if the noun/pronoun it describes is the one causing the adjective,” and use the past participle “if the noun/pronoun it describes is not the one causing the adjective.”

Now, what does the past participle actually do?

In contrast to the present participle, the past participle expresses completed action in relation to the time expressed by the operative verb. Take, for instance, this example provided by that textbook: “The disappointed passengers went back home because of the airline’s flight cancellation.” Here, the past participle “disappointed” functions as an adjective modifying the noun “passengers.” It’s meant to convey the idea that the disappointment of the passengers over the airline’s flight cancellation had already taken place before their action of leaving the airport for home.

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As a drill, the past participle is also at work in the following sentences: “They converted the demolished apartment into a warehouse.” “The fallen log was chopped into firewood.” “A comet is a rarely seen sight.” (Note that “demolished” is a typical past participle that ends with “-ed,” “demolish” being a regular verb, while “fallen” and “seen” both end with “-en,” “fall” and “see” being irregular verbs.)  

Now, regarding this incorrect example of present participle usage provided by that textbook, “The cried baby in the airport caught the passengers' attention,” it’s wrong not because the noun “baby” is or is not the one causing the adjective, but simply because what’s called for in this particular situation is the present participle “crying.”

In the same token, this incorrect example of past participle usage provided by that textbook, “The disappointing passengers went back home because of the airline’s flight cancellation,” is wrong not because the noun “passengers” is or is not the one causing the adjective, but simply because what’s called for in this particular situation is the past participle “disappointed.”  

Let me reiterate at this point that as Nathan_Yell had correctly surmised, that textbook’s rules for using the past participle and the present participle are absolutely false and absurd. And he was also correct in saying that their usage depends on the sense of the sentence. Indeed, from a semantic standpoint, it could very well be said that in the examples given, the past participle “disappointed” in “disappointed passengers” refer to their state of being, while the present participle “disappointing” in “disappointing passengers” refer to their behavior.

From a grammatical standpoint, however, it’s more precise and instructive to say that the present participle applies when a present action is expressed in relation to the time expressed by the operative verb of a sentence, and that the past participle applies when a past action is expressed in relation to the time expressed by the operative verb of a sentence.

I trust that this discussion has adequately clarified that textbook’s wrong instruction about the usage of the present participle and past participle.

(Next: Beware that mass nouns are distinct from collective nouns)     May 17, 2018

This essay appeared in the column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Campus Press section of the May 10, 2018 issue (print edition only) of The Manila Times, © 2018 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.