V-ing / V-ed (participle)

RuleA participle describes a noun: the present participle (V-ing) is active/ongoing; the past participle (V-ed) is passive/completed.

Curiosity

"the man waiting outside" and "the report written yesterday." How do -ing and -ed attach to a noun?

Intuition

A participle is a verb acting as an adjective. -ing means the noun does the action (the waiting man = the man who waits). -ed/p.p. means the noun receives it (the written report = the report that was written).

Visualization

See the parts: the noun and the participle are highlighted and labeled active or passive. The relation: "the participle modifies the noun."

A participle is a verb used to describe a noun.

the candidateselectedfor the role

Essence

Present participle (V-ing) = active; past participle (V-ed/irregular) = passive. Watch the "-ing vs -ed adjective" pair too: interesting (causes the feeling) vs interested (feels it). TOEIC tests the direction (active/passive) of the participle.

Examples

The employees attending the seminar received certificates.

The documents signed by the CEO are confidential.

We received an encouraging response from the client.

Mini-quiz

"The applicants ___ for the interview should wait here." Which fits?