Past Participle | Examples & Use in Tenses

A past participle is a form of a verb that can be used in three ways: as an adjective, to form the passive voice, or to form perfect verb tenses. All verbs have both present participle and past participle forms.

For regular verbs, the past participle is formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the verb (e.g., “spell” becomes “spelled”).

For irregular verbs, the past participle can be formed in various ways, often using the endings “-en,” “-n,” “-ne,” and “-t” (e.g., “write” becomes “written,” and “lose” becomes “lost”).

How to form past participles of verbs

For regular verbs, the past participle is typically formed by adding “-ed” (or just “-d” if the word ends in an “e”) to the end of the word. Thus, the past participle of a regular verb is the same as the simple past form (e.g., “rained” and “rained”).

Forming the past participles of irregular verbs is more complex. There is no specific pattern to the ending that is added to the verb. Some common endings include “-en,” “-n,” “-ne,” and “-t.” The past simple form and past participle of an irregular verb may not be the same (e.g., “ate” and “eaten”).

Past participles in perfect verb tenses

There are three perfect verb tenses:

• Past perfect (describes an action or event that occurred before another past action or event)
• Present perfect (describes an action or event that began in the past and continues into the present)
• Future perfect (describes an action or event that will be completed by a particular time in the future)

These perfect verb tenses are formed by combining a past participle with a conjugated form of “have,” which is an auxiliary verb.

How to use a past participle as an adjective

Past participles (or participial phrases) can be used as adjectives to describe a noun or pronoun.

Participial phrases

A participial phrase is a phrase that begins with a participle and is used to modify a noun or pronoun in a sentence.

When a participial phrase begins a sentence, the phrase should be followed by a comma. If a participial phrase is used in the middle of a sentence, it should be set off with commas unless it is essential to the sentence.

Past participles and passive constructions

The passive voice is used to indicate that a subject is being acted on rather than performing an action. Typically, passive sentences are formed with a conjugated form of the verb “be” and a past participle.

Frequently asked questions about the past participle

What is the past participle of run?

The past participle of the verb “run” is “run.” Because it is an irregular verb, the past participle of “run” is not formed by adding “-ed.” The simple past tense form of “run” is “ran.”

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you use past participles correctly.

What is the past participle of swim?

The past participle of the verb “swim” is “swum.” “Swim” is an irregular verb, so its past participle is not formed by adding “-ed.” The simple past tense form of “swim” is “swam.”

What is the past participle of ride?

The past participle of the verb “ride” is “ridden.” Because “ride” is an irregular verb, its past participle is not formed by adding “-ed.” The simple past tense form of “ride” is “rode.”

What is the past participle of set?

The past participle of the verb “set” is “set.” “Set” is an irregular verb, so its past participle is not formed by adding “-ed.” The simple past tense form of “set” is also “set.”