Participle Modifiers 2 -ed / -ing
Ongoing Process vs. Completed State
We use participle modifiers to indicate:
an ongoing process
a completed process
Completed -ed /Ongoing -ing
| COMPLETED STATE | ONGOING QUALITY OR STATE |
|---|---|
We use the past participle, ending in -ed or -en, to modify a noun that is a completed state. |
We use a present participle, ending in -ing, to modify a noun that is undergoing a process. |
|
|
Grown children often move
out of the house. |
Growing children need a lot
of food. |
Broken dishes were all over the floor. |
Breaking dishes and shouts could be heard in the kitchen. |
Fallen trees littered the forest floor. |
Falling trees are a danger to hikers. |
Fried potatoes would taste good right now. |
Frying potatoes smell delicious. |
Watch out for fallen rocks along the road |
Watch out for falling rocks along the road |
a 
a Participle – the suffix -en is a variant of -ed.
Verb or Adjective?
| VERB-LIKE | ADJECTIVE-LIKE |
|---|---|
With adjectives, we can typically use very or too before the modifier. However, the modifiers presented on this page are problematic. They are verb-like. Note that we cannot use very before these participle modifiers, which is true for adjectives. |
In the examples, on the previous page Participle Modifiers 1, we can use very before the participle modifier. |
a growing child — a very growing child |
an amused child — a very amused child |
a grown child —a very grown child
|
an amusing child — a very amusing child |
*yellow highlight indicates as example of incorrect usage
"The degree adverbs very and too modify adjectives and adverbs, but not nouns and verbs…" (CaGEL 532)
In current linguistic analysis, these -ing modifiers are called gerund-participles. (CaGEL 540) See Gerund -Grammar Notes.
Participle Modifiers
States & Functions
Completed vs. Natural Quality States
| -ED — COMPLETED STATES | -ED — NATURAL QUALITY OR STATE |
|---|---|
Past participle modifiers ending in -ed or -en may indicate the state of a process or activity completed by someone. (These are verb-like modifiers. Note that we cannot use very before these participle modifiers, which is true for adjectives.) |
Past participle modifiers may indicate the natural quality or state of the noun. |
The recently spotted owl was making a nest. (an owl seen or located by someone) |
We saw a very spotted owl making a nest. (an owl with natural coloring including spots) |
The black-eyed boxer walked into the ring. (an eye that was harmed by another fighter) |
The black-eyed terrier walked into the ring. (a dog with naturally black eyes) |
We made the pie with pitted cherries. (pits that were removed by us) |
We made the sculpture from pitted wood. (wood with natural scars) |
The freshly-washed dog sat in the sun. (a dog that was washed by someone) |
The short-haired dog sat in the sun. (a dog with naturally short hair) |
Would you like some frozen yogurt. (yogurt that was frozen by someone) |
Would you like to visit the frozen tundra? (a Antarctic region that is permanently frozen) |
She wore a shirt with rolled-up sleeves. (sleeves that were rolled up by someone) |
She wore a long-sleeved shirt. (a shirt with long-sleeves) |
Ongoing Process vs. Function
| -ING – ONGOING PROCESS OR STATE | -ING – FUNCTION |
|---|---|
Present participle modifiers ending in -ing may indicate something still undergoing a process or activity. These are verb-like modifiers. Note that we cannot use very before these participle modifiers, which is true for adjectives.) |
Present participle modifiers ending in -ing may indicate the function of something. These modifiers are noun-like. [activity + noun] Also see Nouns as Modifiers. |
ONGOING QUALITY OR STATE We have a talking parrot (a parrot that talks.) |
FUNCTION We have a talking machine. (a device for talking, a text reader) |
Don't awaken a sleeping dog. (a dog that is sleeping) |
Don't forget your sleeping bag. (a bag for sleeping) |
Look! It's a shooting star. ( a star that is shooting across the sky) |
He practices his rifle skills at the shooting range. (an area for target practice) |
It's a slow-moving train. (a train that is moving slowly) |
It's a moving van. (a truck for transporting households) |
A hiking party was seen to the north of the volcano. (a group that is hiking) |
Mr. Hanson was wearing his hiking shoes (shoes that are for trekking.) |
The waiting parents were very worried. (parents that are waiting) |
The doctor's waiting room was brightly decorated. (a room for waiting) |
Commonly Confused (by native speakers)
| PITTED OLIVES | OLIVES |
|---|---|
These olives have no pits. |
These olives have pits. |
Pitted olives are those which have had the pit removed by someone. |
While olives could be described as 'pitted olives' – a natural quality or state of having pits – more often they are just called 'olives'. The modifier is unnecessary: Does a naturally grown olive without a pit exist? Because of the confusion, some speakers clarify the terms as 'olives with pits' or 'olives without pits'. |
Practice
Ongoing or Completed?
- Select the modifier that best completes the sentence. * indicates an incorrect answer.
- Click the "check" button to reveal the correct answer.