DOING DOUBLE WORK

113. We have found now three forms of the verb, the simple form, the s-form, and the past time form, and, in addition, the I-form, or the first person form of the verb be. There are no other real verb forms, but there are two other changes made in the form of the verb when it ceases to be used as the predicate, the asserting word of the sentence, and becomes, in part, another part of speech.

Notice in the following sentences:

Making shoes is his work.

He enjoys making shoes.

In each of these sentences the word making, from the verb make, is used as a noun. In the first, Making shoes is his work, making is used as the subject of the sentence. In the second, He enjoys making shoes, making is used as the object of the verb enjoys. But making is not like the ordinary noun, for it has an object making—what?—making shoes. Shoes is the object of the action expressed in making. A noun never takes an object; so while the word making is used as a noun, it is also partly a verb. It is a form of the verb used as a noun, but keeping in part its verb nature, partaking of the nature of two parts of speech at the same time.

Hence these forms of the verb are called participles. Participle means partaker.

The participle may also be used as an adjective. Notice the following:

The crying child came toward us.

The rescuing party arrived.

In these sentences crying and rescuing are formed from the verbs cry and rescue, and are used as adjectives to describe the noun child and the noun party. So a participle is a mixed part of speech. It is partially a verb, but is not a true verb. A true verb is always used as the predicate, the asserting word in the sentence and always has a subject. The participle never has a subject; it may have an object, but not a subject.

114. There are two forms of the participle. The active form or the present form as it is sometimes called, ends in ing, as, waiting, walking, saying. It expresses action, existence, or possession as going on at the time mentioned in the sentence.

115. The other form of the participle is the passive form or the past form of the participle. This ends in ed in the regular verbs, and has various forms in the irregular verbs. It is formed in regular verbs by adding d or ed to the simple form, hence has the same form as the past time form, as for example, present time form, call—past time form, called—past participle, called. You will find the past participle forms of irregular verbs in the list of irregular verbs given in this lesson, as for example—present time form, go—past time form, went—past participle, gone.

116. You will find as we study the verb phrases in later lessons that these participles are used in forming verb phrases. As for example:

He is coming.

They are trying.

He has gone.

A participle is a word derived from a verb, partaking of the nature of a verb and also of an adjective or a noun.

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