The dog barks It is a barking dog

The dog barked It was a barking dog

The problem confuses the students. It is a confusing problem.

The students are confused by the problem. They are confused students.

The story amused the children. It was an amusing story.

The children were amused by the story. They were amused children.

The dog frightens the cat. The frightening dog runs after the cat.

The frightened cat runs away.

The problem confuses the students. The confusing problem frightens the students.

They are confused students.

The story amused the children. It was an amusing story.

The amused children laughed a lot.

Mathematics is interesting.

My friends are interested in sports

You seem confused

Problems often become frustrating.

I am fascinated by my children.

My children quickly became tired at school.

School can be tiring for young children

A participle is a verb form which can be used as an adjective to describe a noun.

Examples: an interesting book

an interested student

When the present participle (-ing from) is used, the noun it describes is (or was) the

performer of the activity named by the participle.

Example:

"The dog barks," the dog is the performer of the action (bark). It is a barking dog.

When the past participle (-ed, -en form) is used, the noun it describes is (or was) acted

upon.

Example:

“The child is frightened by the dog”, the child is the receiver of the action and is described

as a frightened child.

The use of participles is not restricted to the subject of a sentence. In other words, the same

statement can produce both a present (active) and a past (passive) participle.

The use of the present or past participle does not depend on the verb tense of the sentence,

but rather on the performer / receiver situation.

Participles used as adjectives often come after the noun they modify, following a linking verb

like: Be, Become, or Seem.

Performed by: Alexandra Jiménez

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with the -ed or -ing form of the verbs in italics.

1. Emily is going to Australia. The idea of going on this trip excites her.

a. Emily is _________________________ about going on this trip.

b. She thinks it is going to be an _________________________ trip.

2. I like to study sea life. The subject of marine biology fascinates me.

a. I'm _________________________ by marine biology.

b. Marine biology is a _________________________ subject.

3. Mike heard some bad news. The bad news depressed him.

a. Mike is very sad. In other words, he is _________________________.

b. The news made Mike feel sad. The news was _________________________.

4. The exploration of space interests me.

a. I'm _________________________ in the exploration of space.

b. The exploration of space is _________________________ to me.

5. The nation's leader stole money. The scandal shocked the nation.

a. It was a _________________________ scandal.

b. The _________________________ nation soon replaced the leader.

6. I bought a new camera. I read the directions twice, but I didn't understand them.

They confused me.

a. I was _________________________ when I tried to understand the directions.

b. They were _________________________ directions.

7. I spilled my drink on the dinner table. This embarrassed me.

a. I was very _________________________ when I spilled my drink.

b. That was an _________________________ experience.

8. Jane's classes bore her.

a. Jane's classes are _________________________.

b. Jane is a _________________________ student.

9. An article in the newspaper surprised Mrs. Perez.

a. It was a very _________________________ article to her.

b. Mrs. Perez was very _________________________ when she read it.

10. The loud noise frightened the children.

a. It was a _________________________ sound.

b. The _________________________ children ran into their house.

Exercise 2: Complete the sentences with the appropriate

-ed or -ing form of the words in italics.

1. embarrass Julie was really _____________.

2. embarrass Falling into the fountain was really _____________.

3. shock Her friend Paul was _____________.

4. shock It was a _____________ sight.

5. surprise The people around were very _____________ when they saw Julie in the fountain.

6. surprise It was a _____________ sight.

7. depress The next day Julie was _____________ because she had made a fool of herself.

8. depress Some people laughed at her when she fell. It was a _____________ experience.

9. interest Her friend Paul told her it was just another _____________ experience in life.

10. interest He said people would be _____________ in hearing about her fountain story.

Performed by: Alexandra Jiménez