Non-finite Verb - Participle

What is a non-finite verb?

When a verb in a sentence does not change its form according to subject or tense, it is a non-finite verb.
In those sentences, the verbs to read, to swim, singing, dancing, moving, running do not change their forms.


Examples of non-finite verb:

I love to sing.	I love singing.	I see a moving car.
He loves to sing.	He loves singing.	He sees a moving car.
They loved to sing.	They loved singing.	They saw a moving car.

To sing in the first column, singing in the second column, moving in the third column are non-finite verbs.

How amy types of non-finite verb are there?

Non-finite verbs are of three types –

• Infinitive [to + verb (base form)],
• Participle [verb + ing],
• Gerund [verb + ing].

Participle

What is a participle?

Participle is a non-finite verb ending with ‘-ing’, ‘-ed’ or ‘-en’.

A participle can be used as a verb or as an adjective.  –

Look at the following sentences –

• The car is moving.

In this sentence, the moving (move + ing) is a participle form of the verb move. This participle is called present participle.
A present participle is formed by joining '-ing' with a verb (base form).

Here ‘moving’ is used as a verb.

• I see a moving car.

In this sentence, the verb ‘moving’ is also a present participle.

Here 'moving' is used as an adjective because here it is qualifying the noun 'car'.

• A tired man was sitting there.

In the sentence above, the verb tired is a participle. Tired is formed by using '-ed' with verb Tire (base form). It is called past participle.

Here it is qualifying the noun man, so it an adjective. 

• Having written the letter, I posted it.

This sentence is in perfect tense because the structure is – Have + V3.
The third form of the verb write is used here. This structure is known as perfect participle.
Hence, Having written is an example of perfect participle.

So, it is clear that participle is of three types –

1. Present participle, 
2. Past participle and
3. Perfect participle. 

1. Present Participle: 

Present participle is formed by adding '-ing' to main verb (base form).

E.g. –

Go > going,

Eat > eating, 

Write > writing, 

Read > reading. 

Put > putting, 

Set > setting, 

Open > opening, 

Visit > visiting,

Am / is / are / was / were > being.

Read more: Rules to add '-ing' to a verb.

Use of Present Participle: –

Usage  1: In a continuous tense –

• I am going to college.

• We were trying to open the door.

• We shall be playing cricket. 

Usage  2: In a joining of two consecutive actions by a common person –

• We went to the field. We played cricket. 

=> Going to the field, we played cricket.  

• The soldiers were tired. They retreated. 

=> Being tired the soldiers retreated.

2. Past participle: 

Past participle is formed by adding ‘-ed’, ‘-en’ '-t' etc. to a verb (base form).

• Eat > eaten
• Take > taken
• Break > broken
• Walk > walked
• Boil > boiled

Read more: Verb forms including past participle form.

Use of Past Participle: –

Usage 1: As an adjective –

• Don't play with the broken glass.
• The boiled egg is inside the refrigerator.


Usage 2: In a sentence of active voice (perfect tense) –


• They have arrived.
• He has gone to school.
• I shall have written a letter.
• The child had broken the glass.


Usage 3: In a sentence of passive voice –

Every sentence of passive voice contains the past participle form of the main verb.

• The glass had been broken.
• The audience were entertained by the artist.
• Football has been played by us.
• The boy is beaten by the mob.

3. Perfect Participle: 

A perfect participle is formed by using third form of the main verb with 'having'.

Structure – Having + main verb (third form)

Use of Perfect participle: –

Perfect participle is used in joining of two consecutive actions by two different subjects.


• The sun rose. The soldiers began to move.
=> The sun having risen, the soldiers began to move.

• The bell rang. The students came out of the class-room.
=> The bell having rung, the students came out of the class-room.

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