The Past Participle Form of a Verb


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In today's lesson on verbs we discuss the Past Participle Form of a verb.

Before we begin, you might want to reference our lesson, " What Is the Difference between a Verb Tense and a Time Reference?"

Before We Begin

"Does the past participle mean that the action took place in the past?"

Although the name of the verb form is "past participle", this does not mean that the action took place entirely and exclusively in the past.  The "past participle form" is not the same as "past tense".  In order to avoid confusion, some refer to it as the "3rd part of the verb" and others refer to it as "the -en form of the verb".

Regular and Irregular Verbs

Regular Verbs

In a regular verb, the past participle (sometimes called the 3rd part of the verb) is formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb.

Let's use the verb (to) wait as our example.

have + past participle form of the verb
I, you have waited
he, she, it has waited
we, they have waited


Irregular Verbs

Here is a chart of some common verbs that are irregular in the 3rd part of the verb.

Base Form Simple Past Tense Form* Past Participle** Present Perfect Tense
 
beat beat beaten has, have beaten
break broke broken has, have broken
do did done has, have done
drive drove driven has, have driven
eat ate eaten has, have eaten
give gave given has, have given
go went gone has, have gone
know knew known has, have known
make made made has, have made
put put put has, have put
see saw seen has, have seen
       
*   also known as the 2nd part of the verb; sometimes known as the -ed form of the verb
** also known as the 3rd part of the verb; sometimes known as the -en form of the verb

Next...When Is the Present Perfect Tense Used?

Please continue with our next lesson: When Is the Present Perfect Tense Used?

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