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Past participle: the usage and exercises with detailed answers

The past participle is an English grammar concept that is quite simple yet plays an important role. Have you firmly grasped the meaning, structure, and usage of the past participle yet? If not, check out this article from PREP for guidance!

I. Past participle definition

The past participle in English grammar refers to a form of a verb that is used in the simple past tense, past perfect tense, and passive voice, and is used as adjectives.

Typically, the past participle form of a verb is made by adding the suffix "-ed" to regular verbs, but some verbs are irregular when it comes to forming the past participle. Below are some past participle examples:

I have watched the movie.
The book was written by a famous author.
They had already had dinner when I arrived.

II. Past participle formation

The past participle form in English can be formed following these rules:

Rule	Example
Add "-ed"	play ➡ played walk ➡ walked listen ➡ listened
Verbs ending in the sound "e" add “-d”	bake ➡ baked smile ➡ smiled share ➡ shared
Verbs ending in a single consonant after a vowel double the consonant then add “-ed”	stop ➡ stopped plan ➡ planned ban ➡ banned

Note: These are the general rules for forming regular past participles in English. As for irregular verbs, be sure to refer to the list below for their unique forms.

III. Past participle table with irregular verbs

Below is a list of 360 of the most common irregular English verbs. In the third column, you will find the past participle form for each verb.

Infinitive form	Past tense	Past participle	Meaning
abide	abode/abided	abode/abided	Dislike; to live or stay somewhere
arise	arose	arisen	to start to happen or exist
awake	awoke	awoken	to wake up
backslide	backslid	backslidden/ backslide	to go back to doing something bad when you have been doing something good, especially to stop working hard or to fail to do something that you had agreed to do
be	was/were	been	used to say something about a person, thing, or state, to show a permanent or temporary quality, state, job, etc.
bear	bore	borne	to accept, tolerate, or endure something, especially something unpleasant
beat	beat	beaten/beat	to defeat or do better than
become	became	become	to start to be
befall	befell	befallen	to happen to a person or place
begin	began	begun	to start to happen or exist
behold	beheld	beheld	to see or look at someone or something
bend	bent	bent	to (cause to) curve
beset	beset	beset	hurt or troubled by something bad
bespeak	bespoke	bespoken	to suggest or show
bet	bet/betted	bet/betted	to risk money on the result of an event or a competition, such as a horse race, in the hope of winning more money
bid	bid	bid	to offer a particular amount of money for something that is for sale and compete against other people to buy it, especially at a public sale of goods or property
bind	bound	bound	to tie something or someone tightly or to fasten something
bite	bit	bitten	to use your teeth to cut into something or someone
bleed	bled	bled	to lose blood
blow	blew	blown	to move and make currents of air, or to be moved or make something move on a current of air
break	broke	broken	to (cause something to) separate suddenly or violently into two or more pieces, or to (cause something to) stop working by being damaged
breed	bred	bred	to keep animals for the purpose of producing young animals in a controlled way
bring	brought	brought	to take or carry someone or something to a place or a person, or in the direction of the person speaking
broadcast	broadcast	broadcast	to send out a programme on television or radio
browbeat	browbeat	browbeaten/browbeat	to try to force someone to do something by threatening them or persuading them forcefully and unfairly
build	built	built	to make something by putting bricks or other materials together
burn	burnt/burned	burnt/burned	to be hurt, damaged, or destroyed by fire or extreme heat, or to cause this to happen
burst	burst	burst	to break open or apart suddenly, or to make something do this
bust	busted/bust	busted/bust	to break something
buy	bought	bought	to get something by paying money for it
cast	cast	cast	to choose actors to play particular parts in a play, film, or show
catch	caught	caught	to take hold of something, especially something that is moving through the air
chide	chid/chided	chid/chidden/chided	to speak to someone severely because they have behaved badly
choose	chose	chosen	to decide what you want from two or more things or possibilities
cleave	clove/cleft/cleaved	cloven/cleft/cleaved	to separate or divide, or cause something to separate or divide, often violently
cling	clung	clung	to stick onto or hold something or someone tightly, or to refuse to stop holding it, him, or her
clothe	clothed/clad	clothed/clad	to provide someone with clothes
come	came	come	to move or travel towards the speaker or with the speaker
cost	cost	cost	to calculate the future cost of something
creep	crept	crept	to move slowly, quietly, and carefully, usually in order to avoid being noticed
crossbreed	crossbred	crossbred	to cause a plant or animal to breed with another plant or animal of a different type in order to produce a new variety (= type of plant or animal)
crow	crew/crewed	crowed	make a very long and loud sharp cry
cut	cut	cut	to break the surface of something, or to divide or make something smaller, using a sharp tool, especially a knife
daydream	daydreamed daydreamt	daydreamed daydreamt	to spend time thinking pleasant thoughts about something you would prefer to be doing or something you would like to achieve in the future
deal	dealt	dealt	to do business
dig	dug	dug	to break up and move soil using a tool, a machine, or your hands
disprove	disproved	disproved/disproven	to prove that something is not true
dive	dove/dived	dived	to jump into water, especially with your head and arms going in first, or to move down under the water
do	did	done	to perform, take part in, or achieve something
draw	drew	drawn	to make a picture of something or someone with a pencil or pen

Please refer to the following articles:

IV. The usage of past participle

Let's explore some ways to use a past participle together with PREP!

1. Perfect tenses

1.1. Past perfect tense

In the past perfect tense, the past participle is used in combination with the verb "had" to express an action that occurred before another action in the past. In this case, the past participle is usually formed following general rules or as the third column words in the irregular verbs table. For example:

They had traveled to many countries before they settled down in France.
By the time she arrived at the party, most of the guests had already left.

1.2. Present perfect tense

In the present perfect tense, the past participle is used in combination with the verb "have" or "has" to express an action that occurred in the past but is still relevant or connected to the present. For example:

She has visited Paris twice in her life
We have lived in this city for five years.
They have already finished the project.

2. Adjectives

Past participles can serve as the adjectives in the sentence. For example:

The broken window needs to be repaired.
She was impressed by the painted artwork on the wall.
The stolen car was found abandoned in a nearby field.

3. Passive voice

The past participle is used in passive voice constructions to express an action that is done to the subject rather than by the subject. The general structure of a passive sentence is:

S + be + past participle

For example:

The book was written by a famous author.
The car was repaired by the mechanic.
The cake was eaten by the children.

V. Exercises on past participles with detailed answers

Exercise: Give the correct form of the verbs in parenthesis:

The movie was ________ (direct) by a famous director.
The book was________ (write) by Mark Twain.
The cake ________ (bake) by my mom yesterday.
The letter has been ________ (send) to the recipient.
The lost key ________ (find) by the janitor this morning.
The broken vase was ________ (repair) by a skilled artisan.
The book ________ (write) by a renowned author in 2010.
The house ________ (clean) by the maid.
The car ________ (repair) by the mechanic.
The cake _______ (bake) by my sister.
She leaves with her_______ (break) heart.

Answer keys:

directed
written
was baked
sent
was found
repaired
was written
was cleaned
was repaired
was baked
broken

The past participle is an essential part of English grammar that students must master before advancing to more advanced topics. If you have confusion, don’t hesitate to reach out to PREP for clarification.

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.