What is the Difference Between Present Participle and Past Participle?

The main difference between present and past participles lies in their form and function in a sentence. Here are the key differences:

1. Form: Present participles end in -ing, while past participles end in -ed, -en, -d, -t, or -n.
2. Function: Present participles are used to form continuous (or progressive) tenses, such as the present continuous, past continuous, and future continuous tenses. In contrast, past participles are used to form perfect tenses, such as the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses.
3. Participle Phrases: Both present and past participles can be used in participle phrases to modify nouns or pronouns. For example, the present participle "barking" can be used in the phrase "The barking dog wanted to come inside", while the past participle "opened" can be used in the phrase "She crawled out the opened window to escape the fire".
4. Time: Present participles carry an element of meaning that equates to "at the time". In present continuous tenses, "at the time" means "now." In contrast, past participles refer to an action that happened in the past.

In summary, present participles are formed by adding -ing to the base form of a verb and are used to create continuous tenses, while past participles are formed by adding -ed, -en, -d, -t, or -n to the base form of a verb and are used to create perfect tenses and act as adjectives.

Comparative Table: Present Participle vs Past Participle

The main difference between the present participle and the past participle lies in their form and function within a sentence. Here is a table highlighting the differences:

Some examples of verbs in their present and past participle forms are:

• Walk: Present Participle: walking, Past Participle: walked
• Eat: Present Participle: eating, Past Participle: eaten
• Write: Present Participle: writing, Past Participle: written

Remember that present participles can be used as adjectives (e.g., The walking man) or to form progressive tenses (e.g., I am writing), while past participles are used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses (e.g., I have written) or as adjectives (e.g., The written letter).