past participles
Completed action forms
Past participles are verb forms that typically end in -ed for regular verbs (walked, finished) or take irregular forms (broken, sung, gone).
They combine with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses (has eaten, had written) and passive constructions (was hired, were chosen).
Past participles also function as adjectives: a broken window, frozen vegetables, the elected officials.
Despite the name, past participles don't always indicate past time—they mark completed or passive states regardless of when the action occurs.
- spokenExpressed in words aloud
- writtenComposed in text
- has beenPerson past prominence
- present perfectTense for past-to-now actions
- eatenTaken as nourishment
broken · ended · sung · irregular verbs · auxiliary verbs · verb forms · passive voice · frozen · syntax · tense · verbs · sent · flown · nominalization · finished · seen · morphology · forgotten
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