Participles in English Grammar (With Practice Activities)
Participles are one of those grammar concepts students use all the time without realizing it. They show up in descriptions, actions, and sentence variety — especially when students are trying to make their writing sound more vivid.
In this lesson, I break participles down into clear, manageable rules, show students how they actually function in sentences, and then move them into guided and independent practice. This lesson works well as a standalone grammar mini-lesson or as part of a larger unit on sentence structure and style.
Participles: The Rules
What Is a Participle?
A participle is a verb form that acts as an adjective
It describes or modifies a noun or pronoun
Types of Participles
1. Present Participles
End in –ing
Describe an action that is happening
Example:
The running water soaked the floor.
2. Past Participles
Usually end in –ed, –en, –d, –t, or –n
Describe a completed action or state
Example:
The broken chair was removed.
Participial Phrases
A participial phrase includes:
A participle
Any words that go with it
Example:
Laughing at the joke, the student dropped his pencil.
📌 Important rule:
The participle should clearly describe the noun that comes right after it.
Common Mistake: Dangling Participles
A dangling participle happens when it’s unclear who or what the participle is describing.
Example:
❌ Walking down the street, the backpack fell.
Corrected:
✅ Walking down the street, I dropped my backpack.
Practice Together (Guided)
Read each sentence aloud and discuss as a class:
Identify the participle
Decide whether it is present or past
Identify the noun it modifies
Example:
The smiling teacher greeted the class.
Participle: smiling
Type: Present participle
Modifies: teacher
1.
The barking dog chased the mail carrier.
Answer:
Participle: barking
Type: Present participle
Modifies: dog
2.
Exhausted from the long hike, the students collapsed on the grass.
Answer:
Participle: exhausted
Type: Past participle
Modifies: students
3.
The shattered glass sparkled in the sunlight.
Answer:
Participle: shattered
Type: Past participle
Modifies: glass
4.
Smiling confidently, the speaker stepped up to the podium.
Answer:
Participle: smiling
Type: Present participle
Modifies: speaker
5.
Wrapped in a blanket, the baby slept peacefully.
Answer:
Participle: wrapped
Type: Past participle
Modifies: baby
Practice Alone (Independent)
Students complete an independent worksheet where they:
Identify the participle in each sentence
Determine whether it is present or past
Identify the noun being modified
Conclusion
Participles are a powerful tool for helping students write with more detail, clarity, and fluency. Once students understand that participles act like adjectives — not verbs — they become much easier to identify and use correctly.
This lesson sets students up for stronger sentence variety and prepares them nicely for future work with participial phrases, sentence combining, and style revision later in the year.
