T6 Participles
Printed Page H-95
participle A verb form showing present tense (dancing, freezing) or past tense (danced, frozen) that can also act as an adjective.
Use the present form of the participle (-ing) if it describes someone or something causing or producing a mental state. Use the past form (-ed) if it describes someone or something experiencing the mental state. Problem participles include the following pairs:
| annoying/annoyed | exhausting/exhausted |
| boring/bored | pleasing/pleased |
| confusing/confused | surprising/surprised |
| disappointing/disappointed | terrifying/terrified |
| exciting/excited | tiring/tired |
- The class was confused by the confusing directions.
- The teacher was surprised by the surprising number of questions.
Change a participle to its present form (-ing) if it describes someone or something causing or producing a situation.
Change a participle to its past form (-ed) if it describes someone or something experiencing a situation.
