PARTICIPLES

There are two kinds of participle: present participles and past participles. The present participle
always ends in –ing. The past participle in regular verbs ends in –ed, but many verbs have irregular past
participles. Participles are tested in both types of structure problems (sentence completion and error
identification)

SENTENCE COMPLETION (PART A)

Sentence Completion items usually test the use of participial phrases (a participle and related
words) after nouns. Participial phrases used this way are actually reduced (shortened) adjective clauses.
Present participles are used to reduce adjective clauses that contain active verbs.

Example:

Minnesota, which joined the Union in 1858, became the thirty-second state.  Minnesota, joining the
Union in 1858, became the thirty-second state.

Past participles are used to reduce adjective clauses that contain passive verbs.

Example:

The College of William and Mary, which was founded in 1693, is the second oldest college in the United
States.  The College of William and Mary, founded in 1683, is the second oldest college in the United
States.

Sample Item:
1. Natural resources provide the raw materials ________ to produce goods.
(A) Needed
(B) Are needed
(C) Which need
(D) Needing

ERROR IDENTIFICATION (PART B)

Error identification items most often text participles used before nouns and one-word adjective.

Examples:

It was an exhausting race. (Present participle)

The exhausted runners were too tired to move after the race. (Past participle)

The man stealing the money was arrested. (Present participle)

The money stolen from the bank was recovered. (Past participle)

Smoking area (Present participle)

Broken heart (Past participle)

EXERCISE

1. The largest (knowing/known) insects are found in tropical rain forests.

2. A bill of lading is a (writing/written) receipt for goods that are sent by public transportation.
3. A mosquito (filled/is filled) with blood is carrying twice its own body weight.
4. Aerodynamics is the study of the forces _______ on an object as it moves through the atmosphere.
(A) Acting
(B) Act
(C) Are acting
(D) Acted
5. Most candles are made of paraffin wax mixing with compounds that have higher melting points
(A) (B) (C)

to keep them from melting in hot weather.

(D)
6. _______ for their strong fiber.
(A) Plants are grown
(B) Plants grown
(C) Plants that grow
(D) To grow plants
7. The Massachusetts State Hose, _______ in 1798, was the most distinguished building in the United
States at that time.
(A) Completing
(B) Which was completed
(C) Was completed
(D) To be completed
8. Barbara McClintock _______ for her discovery of the mobility of genetic elements.
(A) Known
(B) Who knows
(C) Is known
(D) Knowing
9. The solitary scientist _______ by himself has, in many instances, been replaced by a cooperative
scientific team.
 (A) To make important discoveries
(B) Important discoveries
(C) Has made important discoveries
(D) Making important discoveries
10. _______ in front of a camera lens changes the color of the light that reaches the film.
(A) Although a filter placed
(B) A filter is placed
(C) A filter placed
(D) When a filter placed