noun
participle
PAR-tih-sih-pul/ˈpɑːrtɪsɪpl/
A verb form used as an adjective or with auxiliary verbs to form tenses.
In the phrase the running child, running functions as a participle.
Etymology
Latin participium meant “sharing” as well as naming the grammatical form. The name captures its shared grammatical character: it is formed from a verb but can do the work of an adjective.
In context
we use the modal verb plus have plus the past participle in this case plus have plus the past participle. In this case, Rob must have eaten my cake.
More examples
- The present participle 'running' follows 'is' in 'She is running.'
- In 'They have eaten,' 'eaten' is a past participle.
- Our teacher asks us to underline the participles in each sentence.
Forms
participle · participles
participial adjective — Relating to or containing a participle.