journey past participle tense

Past Tense of Journey: Conjugations in Past and Present Participles

What is the past tense of “journey?” Most commonly, the past tense of the word “journey” is “journeyed.” Although the word form will change based on its participle. And the sentence where it’s used. For example, referencing “journey” in the present participle form will change it to “journeying,” but in the infinitive form, will be “journey.”

What is the past tense of the word "journey"

The past tense (past participle) form of “journey” is “journeyed.” The infinitive of the word form is “journey.” The present participle form is “journeying.” The past tense form is “journeyed” and past participle form is “journeyed.”

Understanding verb tenses

The general grammar rules that govern past tenses are as follows. The simple past tense form is created by adding a -ed or -d affix to the root word of the verb. Some verbs use a -t variation where they end in a -t. For example, when "dream" turns into "dreamt."

The past perfect tense is formed for regular verbs (ending in -ed, -d, or -t) by adding "had" followed by the verb. For example, "I had finished ."

The past continuous tense is formed by the verb "be" followed by the affix or ending of -ing. For example, " we were having dinner."

Lastly, the past perfect continuous tense is formed by adding "had been" followed by the affix or ending of -ing. For example, "I had been building a castle with my sister."

For more information on forming all past tenses, visit our " understanding verb tenses " resource.

Sentence examples for the past tense of the word "journey"

• Infinitive: I journey.
• Present participle: She is journeying.
• Past tense: I journeyed.
• Past particle: I have journeyed.

Verb forms of the word "journey"

Example sentences in all verb forms:

Indefinite present tense

Present continuous tense.

She/he/it is journeying.

Present perfect continuous tense

She/he/it has/had journeyed.

Present perfect tense

She/he/it has/had been journeying.

Simple past tense

She/he/it journeyed.

Past continuous tense

She/he/it were journeying.

Past perfect tense

Perfect continuous tense.

She/he/it will/shall journey.

Simple future tense

She/he/it will/shall be journeying.

Future perfect tense

She/he/it will/shall have journeyed.

Future perfect continuous tense

She/he/it will/shall have been journeying.

Sentence examples in all forms

Sentence examples in all participles and parts of speech :

Fact checked: Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. Learn more.

About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

Core lessons

• Abstract Noun
• Accusative Case
• Active Sentence
• Alliteration
• Adjective Clause
• Adjective Phrase
• Adverbial Clause
• Appositive Phrase
• Body Paragraph
• Compound Adjective
• Complex Sentence
• Compound Words
• Compound Predicate
• Common Noun
• Comparative Adjective
• Comparative and Superlative
• Compound Noun
• Compound Subject
• Compound Sentence
• Copular Verb
• Collective Noun
• Colloquialism
• Conciseness
• Conditional
• Concrete Noun
• Conjunction
• Conjugation
• Conditional Sentence
• Comma Splice
• Correlative Conjunction
• Coordinating Conjunction
• Coordinate Adjective
• Cumulative Adjective
• Dative Case
• Declarative Statement
• Direct Object Pronoun
• Direct Object
• Dangling Modifier
• Demonstrative Pronoun
• Demonstrative Adjective
• Direct Characterization
• Definite Article
• Doublespeak
• Equivocation Fallacy
• Future Perfect Progressive
• Future Simple
• Future Perfect Continuous
• Future Perfect
• First Conditional
• Gerund Phrase
• Genitive Case
• Helping Verb
• Irregular Adjective
• Irregular Verb
• Imperative Sentence
• Indefinite Article
• Intransitive Verb
• Introductory Phrase
• Indefinite Pronoun
• Indirect Characterization
• Interrogative Sentence
• Intensive Pronoun
• Inanimate Object
• Indefinite Tense
• Infinitive Phrase
• Interjection
• Intensifier
• Indicative Mood
• Juxtaposition
• Linking Verb
• Misplaced Modifier
• Nominative Case
• Noun Adjective
• Object Pronoun
• Object Complement
• Order of Adjectives
• Parallelism
• Prepositional Phrase
• Past Simple Tense
• Past Continuous Tense
• Past Perfect Tense
• Past Progressive Tense
• Present Simple Tense
• Present Perfect Tense
• Personal Pronoun
• Personification
• Persuasive Writing
• Parallel Structure
• Phrasal Verb
• Predicate Adjective
• Predicate Nominative
• Phonetic Language
• Plural Noun
• Punctuation
• Punctuation Marks
• Preposition
• Preposition of Place
• Parts of Speech
• Possessive Adjective
• Possessive Determiner
• Possessive Case
• Possessive Noun
• Proper Adjective
• Proper Noun
• Present Participle
• Quotation Marks
• Relative Pronoun
• Reflexive Pronoun
• Reciprocal Pronoun
• Subordinating Conjunction
• Simple Future Tense
• Stative Verb
• Subjunctive
• Subject Complement
• Subject of a Sentence
• Sentence Variety
• Second Conditional
• Superlative Adjective
• Slash Symbol
• Topic Sentence
• Types of Nouns
• Types of Sentences
• Uncountable Noun
• Vowels and Consonants

Popular lessons

Stay awhile. Your weekly dose of grammar and English fun.

The world's best online resource for learning English. Understand words, phrases, slang terms, and all other variations of the English language.

• Abbreviations
• Editorial Policy

Journey Past Tense

journeyed past tense of journey is journeyed.

Journey verb forms

Conjugation of journey.

• What is the past tense of kaw in English?
• What is the second form of verb kayak?
• What is the third form of verb kayo in English?
• What is the conjugation of kaypoh in English?
• Conjugate kazoo in English?

PastTenses is a database of English verbs. One can check verbs forms in different tenses. Use our search box to check present tense, present participle tense, past tense and past participle tense of desired verb.

Conjugation verb journey

Model : obey

Auxiliary : have , be

Other forms: journey oneself / not journey

Contractions

• you journey
• he/she/it journeys
• they journey
• I journeyed
• you journeyed
• he/she/it journeyed
• we journeyed
• they journeyed

Present continuous

• I am journeying
• you are journeying
• he/she/it is journeying
• we are journeying
• they are journeying

Present perfect

• I have journeyed
• you have journeyed
• he/she/it has journeyed
• we have journeyed
• they have journeyed
• I will journey
• you will journey
• he/she/it will journey
• we will journey
• they will journey

Future perfect

• I will have journeyed
• you will have journeyed
• he/she/it will have journeyed
• we will have journeyed
• they will have journeyed

Past continous

• I was journeying
• you were journeying
• he/she/it was journeying
• we were journeying
• they were journeying

Past perfect

• I had journeyed
• you had journeyed
• he/she/it had journeyed
• we had journeyed
• they had journeyed

Future continuous

• I will be journeying
• you will be journeying
• he/she/it will be journeying
• we will be journeying
• they will be journeying

Present perfect continuous

• I have been journeying
• you have been journeying
• he/she/it has been journeying
• we have been journeying
• they have been journeying

Past perfect continuous

• I had been journeying
• you had been journeying
• he/she/it had been journeying
• we had been journeying
• they had been journeying

Future perfect continuous

• I will have been journeying
• you will have been journeying
• he/she/it will have been journeying
• we will have been journeying
• they will have been journeying
• let's journey

Perfect participle

• having journeyed

Helping millions of people and large organizations communicate more efficiently and precisely in all languages.

Here are the past tense forms of the verb journey

👉 Forms of verb journey in future and past simple and past participle. ❓ What is the past tense of journey.

Journey: Past, Present, and Participle Forms

What are the 2nd and 3rd forms of the verb journey.

🎓 What are the past simple, future simple, present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect forms of the base form (infinitive) ' journey '? 👉 It's quite simple -->

Learn the three forms of the English verb 'journey'

• the first form (V1) is 'journey' used in present simple and future simple tenses.
• the second form (V2) is 'journeyed' used in past simple tense.
• the third form (V3) is 'journeyed' used in present perfect and past perfect tenses.

What are the past tense and past participle of journey?

What is the past tense of journey.

The past tense of the verb "journey" is "journeyed", and the past participle is "journeyed".

Verb Tenses

Past simple — journey in past simple journeyed (V2) . Future simple — journey in future simple is journey (will + V1) . Present Perfect — journey in present perfect tense is journeyed (have/has + V3) . Past Perfect — journey in past perfect tense is journeyed (had + V3) .

journey regular or irregular verb?

👉 Is 'journey' a regular or irregular verb? The verb 'journey' is regular verb .

Examples of Verb journey in Sentences

•   They will have to journey to Southern Amazonia (Future Simple)
•   We journeyed with a couple of donkeys (Past Simple)
•   They left the city and journeyed north. (Past Simple)
•   They journeyed to the distant island in search for food (Past Simple)
•   It's no longer safe to journey anywhere. (Present Simple)
•   The government restricted us from journeying (Past Simple)
•   Will you journey with us to the South Pole? (Future Simple)
•   They have been journeying for thirty days (Present Perfect Continuous)
•   She's journeying with her friends (Present Continuous)
•   He will journey with her to Spain, won't he? (Future Simple)

Along with journey, words are popular imagine and transfer .

Verbs by letter: r , d , u , c , m , p , b , w , h , a , e , g , s , q , j , l , t , f , o , n , k , i , v , y , z .

English verbs

• 318 Irregular verbs
• 904 Regular verbs
• 5 Modal verbs
• 407 Phrasal verb

Online verb dictionary

We are currently working to add new verbs and examples to our website, along with detailed descriptions. Please send us a message if you have any requests or suggestions, and we will add them as quickly as we can. Thank you for your interest in our website!

our editor - Peter (Certified TEFL Tutor with over 8 years experience)

Have a question or find mistake?

Online Language Dictionaries

Perfect tenses, continuous (progressive) and emphatic tenses, compound continuous (progressive) tenses, conditional, subjunctive.

*Blue letters in conjugations are irregular forms. ( example ) *Red letters in conjugations are exceptions to the model. ( example )

Report a problem.

• Slovenščina
• FAQ Technical Questions
• Text Translation
• Vocabulary Trainer
• Online Dictionary
•   Login
• Online dictionary
• Products & Shop
• Conjugation
• Vocabulary trainer
• Dictionary API
• Add to home screen
• Browse the dictionaries
• Terms and conditions of use
• Supply chain
• Data Protection Declaration
• Legal notice
• Privacy Settings
•  EN');"> English
•  FR');"> French
•  DE');"> German
•  LA');"> Latin
•  ES');"> Spanish

Verb Table for journey

• Simple tenses
• Continuous tenses

Conditional

Simple tenses  •  continuous tenses  •  conditional  •  imperative  •  impersonal, present perfect, past perfect, will -future, going to -future, future perfect, conditional past, past participle, browse the conjugations (verb tables), look up "journey" in other languages, links to further information.

You can suggest improvements to this PONS entry here:

We are using the following form field to detect spammers. Please do leave them untouched. Otherwise your message will be regarded as spam. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

My search history

• Most popular
• English ⇄ German
• English ⇄ Slovenian
• German ⇄ Spanish
• German ⇄ French
• German ⇄ Greek
• German ⇄ Polish
• Arabic ⇄ English
• Arabic ⇄ German
• Bulgarian ⇄ English
• Bulgarian ⇄ German
• Chinese ⇄ English
• Chinese ⇄ French
• Chinese ⇄ German
• Chinese ⇄ Spanish
• Croatian ⇄ German
• Czech ⇄ German
• Danish ⇄ German
• Dutch ⇄ German
• Elvish ⇄ German
• English ⇄ Arabic
• English ⇄ Bulgarian
• English ⇄ Chinese
• English ⇄ French
• English ⇄ Italian
• English ⇄ Polish
• English ⇄ Portuguese
• English ⇄ Russian
• English → Serbian
• English ⇄ Spanish
• Finnish ⇄ German
• French ⇄ Chinese
• French ⇄ English
• French ⇄ German
• French ⇄ Italian
• French ⇄ Polish
• French ⇄ Slovenian
• French ⇄ Spanish
• German ⇄ Arabic
• German ⇄ Bulgarian
• German ⇄ Chinese
• German ⇄ Croatian
• German ⇄ Czech
• German ⇄ Danish
• German ⇄ Dutch
• German ⇄ Elvish
• German ⇄ English
• German ⇄ Finnish
• German ⇄ Hungarian
• German → Icelandic
• German ⇄ Italian
• German ⇄ Japanese
• German ⇄ Latin
• German ⇄ Norwegian
• German ⇄ Persian
• German ⇄ Portuguese
• German ⇄ Romanian
• German ⇄ Russian
• German → Serbian
• German ⇄ Slovakian
• German ⇄ Slovenian
• German ⇄ Swedish
• German ⇄ Turkish
• Dictionary of German Spelling
• Greek ⇄ German
• Hungarian ⇄ German
• Italian ⇄ English
• Italian ⇄ French
• Italian ⇄ German
• Italian ⇄ Polish
• Italian ⇄ Slovenian
• Italian ⇄ Spanish
• Japanese ⇄ German
• Latin ⇄ German
• Norwegian ⇄ German
• Persian ⇄ German
• Polish ⇄ English
• Polish ⇄ French
• Polish ⇄ German
• Polish ⇄ Italian
• Polish ⇄ Russian
• Polish ⇄ Spanish
• Portuguese ⇄ English
• Portuguese ⇄ German
• Portuguese ⇄ Spanish
• Romanian ⇄ German
• Russian ⇄ English
• Russian ⇄ German
• Russian ⇄ Polish
• Slovakian ⇄ German
• Slovenian ⇄ English
• Slovenian ⇄ French
• Slovenian ⇄ German
• Slovenian ⇄ Italian
• Slovenian ⇄ Spanish
• Spanish ⇄ Chinese
• Spanish ⇄ English
• Spanish ⇄ French
• Spanish ⇄ German
• Spanish ⇄ Italian
• Spanish ⇄ Polish
• Spanish ⇄ Portuguese
• Spanish ⇄ Slovenian
• Swedish ⇄ German
• Turkish ⇄ German

Identified ad region: ALL Identified country code: RU -->

To support our work, we invite you to accept cookies or to subscribe.

You have chosen not to accept cookies when visiting our site.

The content available on our site is the result of the daily efforts of our editors. They all work towards a single goal: to provide you with rich, high-quality content. All this is possible thanks to the income generated by advertising and subscriptions.

By giving your consent or subscribing, you are supporting the work of our editorial team and ensuring the long-term future of our site.

If you already have purchased a subscription, please log in

How to conjugate "to journey" in English?

English "to journey" conjugation, full conjugation of "to journey", translations for "to journey", present continuous, simple past, past continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, conditional, conditional present, conditional present progressive, conditional perfect, conditional perfect progressive, subjunctive, present subjunctive, past subjunctive, past perfect subjunctive, present participle, past participle.

Translations for "to journey" in our English dictionaries

Popular English verbs

Find out the most frequently used verbs in English.

CULTURE & TRAVEL

Why register, enjoy an enhanced experience.

• Access all dictionaries for free
• Browse the whole site in any of 24 languages
• Translation tool with additional allowance

'journey' conjugation table in English

Past participle, present participle, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous.

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

All ENGLISH words that begin with 'J'

• Access the entire site, including the Easy Learning Grammar , and our language quizzes.
• Customize your language settings. (Unregistered users can only access the International English interface for some pages.)
• Submit new words and phrases to the dictionary.
• Benefit from an increased character limit in our Translator tool.
• Receive our weekly newsletter with the latest news, exclusive content, and offers.
• Be the first to enjoy new tools and features.
• It is easy and completely free !

Past tense of journey

Simple past, past participle, all forms of the verb journey, share this page.

Conjugation English verb to journey

Simple present, present progressive/continuous, simple past, past progressive/continuous, present perfect simple, present perfect progressive/continuous, past perfect, past perfect progressive/continuous, future progressive/continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, conditional, progressive, perfect progressive, translation to journey.

• Dictionaries home
• American English
• Collocations
• German-English
• Grammar home
• Practical English Usage
• Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)
• Word Lists home
• My Word Lists
• Recent additions
• Resources home
• Text Checker

Definition of journey verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• They journeyed for seven long months.
• Human beings have long desired to journey into space.
• In 1834 they journeyed south, staying in Rome and Naples.
• It's a chance to journey through one of America's last wildernesses.

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.

Other results

• Long Day's Journey into Night

Nearby words

Understood! The Full Guide to Past Participles in English

A comprehensive guide to understanding the english past participle, with examples, sentences in context and a list of irregular past participles., i want to learn....

You’ve probably encountered the past participle countless times without even realizing it. In fact, there was one in the previous sentence (encountered) .

Sometimes, however, while you can use a grammar structure without knowing the ins and outs of it, a good understanding of the grammar means you’ll be able to communicate even more effectively. It will help you improve your understanding, enhance your oral and written communication skills and – why not? – give you a deeper appreciation for the complexities of the English language.

Most of the time we use past participles without even thinking about the grammar structure. This article will help you understand all there is to know about past participles, including past participle verbs, adjectives , and phrases .

What is a past participle?

A past participle is one form of a verb and refers to the past. For many verbs, the past participle ends in -ed , although there are plenty of exceptions. (The past participle is not to be confused with the present participle , which ends in -ing . Learn more in our article about the English present participle .)

The past participle is used to form past and passive tenses. It is a very flexible structure because many times it can double as an adjective and come to define a specific quality of something, like ‘a lost cause ’ or a ‘written speech.’

Let’s continue with an explanation of the most common use of the past participle, which is to form some verb tenses .

Past participle -ed ending and pronunciation

Like most English verb forms, forming the past participle is very simple. Start with the base form of a verb (for example, walk, study, start ) and then add an -ed ending to it (walked, studied, started). This form, the one used for ‘regular’ verbs, will be identical to the simple past form of the verb.

Although past participles ending with -ed are always written the same way, the pronunciation can differ in three ways, based on the last sound of the verb:

Verbs ending with the sound t or d : Add another syllable with the sound / ed /. Example: ‘Lift’ becomes ‘lifted’ and is pronounced /lift-ed/.

Verbs ending with a k, p, s, ch, sh, f , or x sound: Make a t sound at the end. Example: ‘Pass’ becomes ‘passed’ and is pronounced /past/.

Verbs ending in other consonant sounds ( b, g, j, l, m, n, r, v, z ) or a vowel sound: Make a d sound at the end. Example: ‘Live’ becomes ‘lived’ and is pronounced /livd/.

The table below shows more examples.

Pronunciation of -ed forms

Irregular past participle forms.

If this seems quite easy, don’t you worry – there are plenty of irregular forms to make things a bit more difficult! Jokes aside, take a look at the table below and then we will explain why it shouldn’t be very scary.

Most common irregular past participles

Yes, that is a lot of irregular verbs – there’s no point in denying it. Before you panic, though, let’s look at the bright side.

In this list we included both the simple past and the past participle because in most English courses these two forms are taught at the same time. That of course makes a lot of sense because, as you can see from the table, in many cases they have the same form. Let’s look at a few examples in context:

Simple past: She finished her homework before dinner.

Present perfect: She has already finished her homework .

Simple past: We ate breakfast at 8am.

Present perfect: We have already eaten breakfast.

As you can see, the past participle is part of the present perfect, which we use to talk about something we have recently finished. Keep this in mind because this is definitely one of its most common uses.

Common mistakes

The list we have seen above might also help you avoid a very common mistake among English learners. You might have noticed that the forms of the past tense (second column) and the past participle (third column) are often the same, yet they are not always the same.

In fact, a common mistake is to mix these two when trying to make a present perfect verb. Let’s see a few examples.

• Incorrect: He has went to school .
• Correct: He has gone to school.
• Incorrect: I haven’t spoke with him yet.
• Correct: I haven’t spoken with him yet.

You see the difference? However, with regular and even with some irregular verbs it’s easy not to notice this because the two forms are actually identical, as in the following examples:

• Past simple: I told him that.
• Present perfect: I haven’t told him that yet.
• Past simple: I won the game.
• Present perfect: I haven’t won the game yet.

So, remember that there are several irregular verbs that will need a little extra attention when constructing a sentence in present perfect.

Have you begun your English learning plan?

Don’t wait to have the perfect conditions to start working on your English. If you’re reading this, that means learning English is important to you, and there’s no better time to start than today. Busuu can get you started on a personalized plan where you can get as much – or as little – practice as you wish. Don’t delay, start your language learning journey now!

When do we use the past participle?

Now that everything is clear on past participle forms, we should really talk about the uses of the past participle. We have already said that it is a flexible structure, so let’s see it in action!

Verbs with a past participle

The past participle is a component of the perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect), which indicate completed actions.

• Present perfect: She has finished her homework.
• Past perfect: She had finished her homework before dinner.
• Future perfect: She will have finished her homework by the time dinner is ready.

Passive voice

In the passive voice , the past participle is always a key component, indicating an action that has been done to the subject.

• “Romeo and Juliet” was written by Shakespeare.
• The suspect will be questioned by the police.

As an adjective

The past participle is also used to form adjectives. Participles are often used to describe people’s feelings, but there are plenty of participles that describe qualities of objects as well.

• A bored student
• A concerned parent
• A broken vase
• A lesser- known fact
• A case of mistaken identity
• A worn pair of shoes

Past participle phrases

Past participles can form whole phrases that add information to a sentence, often providing a cause or a result. The past participle given is often used to introduce a condition that explains or gives a reason for the main action in the sentence.

• Known for its bustling nightlife, London attracts lots of young visitors.
• Tired from the long journey, Tim showered and went straight to bed.
• Given the circumstances, we decided to postpone our wedding.

Wrapping up

The past participle is an essential structure of the English language used to construct perfect tenses, passive voice and some adjectives.

Forming the past participle from a regular verb is really straightforward – just add -ed to the base form of the verb. Irregular verbs can present a bigger challenge and require memorization, but with exposure to everyday language and some practice, they will become very familiar. (The lucky thing about irregular English verbs is that most of them are used very frequently, so you will hear them a lot). Past participles can also introduce whole phrases that add context to a main clause.

Don’t you worry about exploring this flexible bit of grammar – as we have shown in this article, it is more common than you might think and has many uses. For arriving at this point you deserve a heartfelt “Well done!” and… wait, was that a past participle too?

Ready for more?

Keep up the good work and get started today on Busuu’s free English course, with all the lessons you will need in grammar, vocabulary and communication. Get started today, build your learning routine and achieve amazing results in no time. Happy learning!

Topics for Beginners

• How to use articles in English: A guide
• 70 Useful English Adverbs and How to Use Them
• English prepositions: Everything you need to know

Advanced Grammar Topics

• Beyond “good” and “bad”: How to use personality adjectives
• Beyond good and bad: A guide to superlatives and comparatives
• The essential guide to comparative adjectives

Recommended Articles

• From “always” to “never”: A guide to adverbs of frequency
• Connecting the dots: A guide to conjunctive adverbs
• Loanwords: How English borrow words with examples

What is a Past Participle? Definition, Examples of English Past Participles

Home » The Writer’s Dictionary » What is a Past Participle? Definition, Examples of English Past Participles

Past participle definition: A past participle is formed from a verb and modifies a noun, noun phrase, verb, or verb phrase. A past participle most often ends in –ed.

What is a Past Participle?

What does past participle mean? A past participle is formed from a verb . Because it is used to express actions that have already happened, it takes the past tense form . Most past participles end in -ed.

• Verb: to play
• Past participle: played
• Sentence: She had played for hours. (used in past perfect tense)
• Verb: to accelerate
• Past Participle: accelerated
• The speed at which the Zika virus is spreading in Puerto Rico has accelerated sharply, according to new federal data, complicating already difficult efforts to prevent thousands of pregnant women in the territory from infection. – The Wall Street Journal
• Verb: to buy
• Past participle: bought
• Social media sites are hot these days. Snapchat. Instagram. Even if Verizon had bought Pokemon Go, the mobile augmented reality app that has been around only a couple weeks and yet has tens of millions of people chasing make-believe creatures down streets and through parks, there might be more tongues wagging among analysts. – The Washington Post

Past Participles as Adjectives

Even though they are acting like adjectives, past participles still look like verbs. Finding their placement in a sentence is key to understanding how they are being used in a sentence.

• Verb: to ruin
• Past participle: ruined
• Past participle as adjective (modifying noun phrase): ruined my good mood
• Sentence: The stormy weather ruined my good mood.

In this sentence, ruined serves as an adjective to modify the noun phrase my good mood .

• Verb: to break (irregular verb)
• Past participle: broken
• Past participle as adjective: broken glass
• Sentence: We were careful to avoid the broken glass.

In this sentence, broken serves as an adjective to modify the noun glass .

Past Participles in Participle Phrases

In a participle phrase, the participle usually is the first word.

• Verb: to brush
• Past participle: brushed
• Past participle as participle phrase: brushed with a comb
• Sentence: Brushed with a comb, the dog’s fur felt smooth.

In this sentence, brushed with a comb serves as an adjective in a participle phrase to modify the dog’s fur.

• Verb: to wrack
• Past participle: wracked
• Past participle as participle phrase: wracked with doubt
• Sentence: The child had a mind wracked with doubt.

In this sentence, wracked with doubt serves as an adjective in a participle phrase to modify the child’s mind.

Forming the Past Participle: How to Form Past Participle Verbs

• talk > talked
• chew > chewed
• reach > reached

The past participle of some verbs ending in a short vowel sound require doubling the last consonant before adding “-ed”

• brag > bragged
• skip > skipped
• stop > stopped

The past participle of verbs that end with an “e” required only adding a “d” to the end of the word.

• wave > waved
• judge > judged
• reserve > reserved

The past participle of verbs ending in “y” where the “y” replaces a vowel sound require the “y” to be dropped and “-ing” to be added.

• study > studied
• imply > implied
• deny > denied

• run > ran
• sing > sang
• bring > brought

Past Participles in Other Tenses

In addition to being used as an adjectives, past participles are used to form the perfect tenses in English. Here is how they appear in the various tense.

The Four Past Tenses:

• Simple Past Tense > I spoke
• Past Progressive Tense > I was speaking
• Past Perfect Tense > I had spoken .
• Past Perfect Progressive Tense > I had been speaking.

The Four Present Tenses:

• Simple Present Tense > I speak
• Present Progressive Tense > I am speaking
• Present Perfect Tense > I have spoken
• Present Perfect Progressive Tense > I have been speaking

The Four Future Tenses:

• Simple Future Tense : I will speak
• Future Progressive Tense: I will be speaking
• Future Perfect Tense: I will have spoken
• Future Perfect Progressive Tense: I will have been speaking.

Summary: What is the Past Participle?

Define past participle: In grammar, the definition of past participle is a nonfinite verb used to signify a perfective aspect .

In summary , a past participle is formed from the past tense of a verb. It is used to create verb forms and may also modify nouns, noun phrases, adjectives, and adjective phrases.

• Phrases and Clauses
• Parts of a Sentence
• Modal Verbs
• Relative Clauses
• Confusing Words
• Online Grammar Quizzes
• Printable Grammar Worksheets
• Courses to purchase
• Grammar Book
• Grammar Blog
• Phrases & Clauses

Present and Past Participle Phrases

Present and past participle phrases explained.

Both present and past participle phrases function as adjectives , providing more information about a noun or pronoun in a sentence.

The phrases start with either a present participle or past participle.

What are Participles?

Participles are a significant part of English grammar. They are verb forms which function as adjectives, modifying nouns and pronouns. They fall into two main categories: the Present Participle and the Past Participle .  

Present participles end in -ing and past participles have a variety of endings, e.g. - ed, -en, -t, -n etc.  Here are some examples:

Examples of Present & Past Participles

So how do these participles become phrases?

With present and past participle phrases , we are adding further information after the participle, thus making it a phrase. 

Here are some examples using some of the previous participles.

You should see that the phrases do not have subjects or finite verbs , hence why they are phrases and not clauses .

Present Participle Phrases

Present Participle Phrases are groups of words that begin with a present participle and modify nouns or pronouns. 

They can appear after or before a noun, and anywhere in a sentence. In the sentences below, the participle phrase is in red and the modified noun in blue.

Present Participle Phrase Examples

• The student solving complex equations quickly impressed the mathematics professor.
• The hikers traversing steep mountain trails reached the summit with a sense of accomplishment.
• He was laughing at the dog chasing its own tail .
• I was happy to see the runner completing the marathon in record time .

It's also common to place them at the front of the noun, in which case they are called fronted present participle phrases :

Fronted Present Participle Phrases

• Walking home after school , John noticed the sky becoming darker. 
• Sneaking quietly into the room , she surprised her friend with a birthday gift.
• Feeling hot and sticky , I decided to take a refreshing cold shower.
• Attempting to reach the steep summit , the adventurous hiker pressed on.
• Listening to the peaceful sound of the waves , she found herself relaxing.

They are still giving more information about the noun (i.e. the subject in these cases) even though they appear before it. For instance in the first one, John  (the subject) was doing the action:  walking home after school .

Past Participle Phrases

Past Participle Phrases start with a past participle and also function as adjectives. Here are five examples, which can be placed after the noun or as fronted past participle phrases, where the phrase (in red) is modifying the subject (in blue).

• Jane , taken aback by the sudden announcement , sat in stunned silence.
• The students , puzzled by the complex equation , turned to their teacher for help.
• Mike , touched by the kindness of strangers , began to see hope in humanity.

Fronted Past Participle Phrases

• Taken aback by the sudden announcement , Jane sat in stunned silence.
• Puzzled by the complex equation , the students turned to their teacher for help.
• Touched by the kindness of strangers , Mike  began to see hope in humanity.
• Brought up in a well-disciplined family , she learned to respect her elders at a young age.
• Inspired by the motivational speaker , the audience left the event feeling empowered.

A key distinction between past and present participle phrases is that with the former, they are written in the past tense, indicating that the action in the phrase has happened before the rest of the sentence.

We can see the order (1, 2) by looking at two of the above sentences:

• Puzzled by the complex equation
• The students turned to their teacher for help
• Touched by the kindness of strangers
• Mike began to see hope in humanity

Reduced Relative Clauses

Past and present participle phrases are often actually reduced relative clauses. 

Relative Clauses:

• The students, who were  puzzled by the complex equation , turned to their teacher for help.
• I stared at the man who was  taking the photo

Converted to Participle Phrases:

• The students, puzzled by the complex equation , turned to their teacher for help.
• I stared at the man taking the photo

There are various rules on how to do this, so check out the lesson on reduced relative clauses to learn more.

Common Errors with Participle Phrases

Punctuation.

Punctuation with participle phrases varies depending on their placement within a sentence.

• When they are at the beginning of a sentence (fronted participle phrases), we use a comma after them as they apply to the subject immediately following. Shaken by the traumatic news , the woman could hardly stand.
• If they are after the noun in the middle/end of a sentence and they are giving non-essential information, commas are placed around them. The photographs, taken by a professional photographer , captured the essence of the event. The children spent the afternoon in the park, laughing and playing games with their friends .
• If they are after the noun in the middle/end of a sentence and they are giving essential information, no comma is needed. I was really attracted to the woman wearing the blue dres s . The pupil achieving the highest score will receive a prize.

If you are unsure of the difference between essential and non-essential information , check out this lesson on defining and non-defining relative clauses , as the same principles are being followed.

Dangling Modifiers

A common error when using participle phrases is the dreaded dangling modifier. This happens when you start a sentence with a participle phrase, intending for it to modify a certain subject, but then the subject is not in the sentence at all, confusing the reader.

Examples of Dangling Modifiers

• Running for the bus , my bag fell open.
• Exhausted from the long journey , the hotel room was a welcome sight.

Here, ' my bag ' wasn't doing the running, so the phrase is dangling. The past participle phrase " Exhausted from the long journey " is intended to modify the person arriving, but it incorrectly appears to modify the hotel room, resulting in a dangling modifier.

They could be corrected by adding in a subject that is being modified by the present and past participle phrases:

• Running for the bus, I tripped over and my bag fell open.
• Exhausted from the long journey, they found the hotel room was a welcome sight.

Misplaced Modifiers

With misplaced modifiers, the noun being modified is in the sentence, but the participle phrase is not in the correct position to clearly modify that noun.

Examples of Misplaced Modifiers

• Burnt to a crisp , I couldn't eat the pizza .
• Writing in a hurry , the essay was filled with errors by the student .

This sentence could be read to suggest that ' I ' have been ' burnt to a crisp ', rather than the pizza. In the second one, the essay was not writing.

Correct placement or re-organisation would be:

• Burnt to a crisp, the pizza couldn't be eaten / I couldn't eat the pizza, which was burnt to a crisp.
• Writing in a hurry, the student filled the essay with errors.

Using present and past participle phrases correctly and understanding "participles" and "adjectives", can significantly improve your English grammar, allowing you to express a more extensive range of sentiments and render your writing richer and more nuanced.

Now test yourself on what you've learned in this  present and past participle phrases exercise .

You might like these

Using Object Complements in a Sentence

Using object complements in a sentence enhances your ability to convey specific information about actions and their outcomes.

Nominalisation in English Grammar: High Level Writing Tips

Nominalisation is an important aspect of academic writing. This lesson teachers you what this is and how you can use it effectively in your writing.

Examples of Parallelism in English Grammar

View examples of parallelism in English grammar that show you correct and incorrect parallel sentences.

8 Parts of Speech in English Grammar

The 8 parts of speech are Nouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, Verbs, Prepositions, Pronouns, Conjunctions, and Interjections. Learn about the function of each of these grammatical categories.

Parallelism Grammar Rules (Parallel Structure)

Parallelism is about balancing the grammatical structure of words, phrases and clauses in your sentences. Parallel structure will improve your writing's coherence.

Types of Clauses in English Grammar - Independent and Dependent Clause

The two types of clauses in English grammar are the independent and dependent clause. Both have a subject and verb which makes them clauses, but while independent clauses express a complete thought, dependent clauses do not. This is the main distinction.

Phrases and Clauses - Building good sentences

Phrases and clauses are the key building blocks of sentences. A clause contains a subject and a verb and can express a complete thought. A phrase does not contain a subject or verb.

Parts of a Sentence: Subject, Verbs, Objects, Predicates, Complements

The main parts of a sentence are subjects, verbs, objects, predicates, and subject complements. All of these have a specific purpose within the structure of a sentence.

How to Use Either and Neither with Examples

Advice on how to use either and neither in English grammar. They can be adjectives, adverbs, pronouns and conjunctions.

Direct and Indirect Objects: The Differences

Direct and indirect objects are key parts of most sentences. A direct object is the receiver of action while indirect object identifies to or for whom or what the action of the verb is performed.

Subject Complements: Predicate Adjectives and Predicate Nominatives

Here we demystify subject complements, predicate adjectives, and predicate nominatives with simple explanations and examples.

New! Comments

Any questions or comments about the grammar discussed on this page?

Post your comment here.

Sign up for free grammar tips, quizzes and lessons, straight into your inbox

Grammar Rules

Subscribe to grammar wiz:, grammar ebook.

This is an affiliate link

Recent Articles

Gerund or Infinitive Quiz

Aug 11, 24 04:34 AM

Use of the Bare Infinitive

Aug 09, 24 01:59 AM

Future Continuous Tense Quiz: Yes/No Questions

Jun 29, 24 11:04 AM

Important Pages

Online Quizzes Grammar Lessons Courses Blog

Connect with Us

Search Site

Privacy Policy  / Disclaimer  / Terms of Use

Past Participles in English

Learn through the article!

Pass a language test

Check the results

Subscribe to reach fluency!

In this reference, we will discuss what a past participle is, common past participle words when to use a past participle, tips for using past participles, and the difference between past participles and present participles. We will also look at 10 examples of past participles used in sentences.

What is a past participle?

Past participle is a verb form which is typically used with perfect tenses. It can also be used as an adjective or noun in some cases. It always ends in -ed or -en. It is important to understand past participles to communicate effectively in English.

We form the past participle by adding -ed or -en to the base form of the verb. For example, the past participle of “walk” is “walked.” Similarly, the past participle of the verb “talk” is “talked.”

The past participle is often confused with the present participle, and it is important to be able to differentiate between the two. We form the present participle by attaching -ing to the base form of the verb. For example, the present participle of the verb “walk” is “walking.” Similarly, the present participle of the verb “talk” is “talking.”

So, there's a major difference between the past participle and the present participle. The past participle is used to describe an action that has already been completed, whereas the present participle is used to describe an action that is currently taking place.

Common Past Participle Words

There are many common past participle words that are used in English. Some of the most commonly used past participle words include:

There are a lot more past participle words in English. With time, you'll learn a lot more of them!

When to Use a Past Participle

We use the past participle with he perfect tenses. The perfect tenses are used to describe an action that has already been completed.

For example, the sentence “I have spoken to my teacher” is in the present perfect tense. The past participle “spoken” is used here to describe the action of speaking that has already taken place.

The past participle can also be an adjective or a noun. For example, the sentence “The broken window needs to be fixed” uses the past participle “broken” as an adjective to describe the window.

Past Participles vs Present Participles

As mentioned before, it is important to understand the difference between the past participle and the present participle. The past participle is used to describe an action that's already done, whereas the present participle helps describe an action that is currently taking place.

In contrast, the sentence “I am talking to my teacher” is in the present continuous tense. The present participle “talking” is used here to describe the action of speaking that is currently taking place.

10 Examples of Sentences with a Past Participle

Here are 10 examples of sentences with a past participle:

• She has broken the vase.
• I have found the answer.
• We have seen the movie.
• He has written the book.
• She has spoken to her teacher.
• I have chosen the right path.
• They have told me the truth.
• He has driven the car.
• We have given our best.
• She has taken the wrong turn.

These are just a few examples of sentences with a past participle. Here are some more complex sentences:

• The students have been given the assignment.
• The team has already taken the lead.
• The cat has been chosen as the mascot.

As you can see, the past participle can greatly improve the clarity of our speech.

Past participles are verb forms typically used with perfect tenses. It can also be used as an adjective or noun in some cases. It always ends in -ed or -en.

Now that you have learned about past participles in English, why not put your new knowledge to the test by trying to write some sentences with it? Take a look at the resources below for more help!

Make your next step to fluency with Promova

More helpful articles: