The past participle (participle II)

T he past participle(II) is a non-finite form of the verb which combines the properties of the verb with those of the adjective, serving as a qualifying-processal name.

F o r m a l features of the past participle vary. If the past participle is formed of regular verbs, it is marked by the dental suffix - ed which is added to the bare verb concerned. If the past participle is formed of irregular verbs, it has individual (irregular) forms.

The past participle has its functional features. Its valency is not specific. Like the present participle, the past participle is capable of forming semi-predicative constructions of complex object and complex subject, as well as absolute complexes.

In the sentence, the past participle typically performs two functions: attributive and predicative. Besides, it can be part of the complex object and the adverbial modifier of several types.

11. Infinitive – gerund and Gerund - present participle correlations.

Infinitive - gerund correlation. Both non-finites are substance-processal, which means that their grammatical meaning is identical. But all other features are different: they have different formal markers, different number of grammatical categories, different number of syntactic functions, and different semantics: the gerund is more substantive in nature and more abstract in meaning, while the infinitive is more dynamic in character and more concrete in meaning.

Used in the attributive function, the infinitive has the modal force, impossible with the gerund.

English gerund always expresses something real, vivid and fulfilled, while the infinitive always expresses something hypotactic, future and unfulfilled.

Cf.: I like to read detectives (unfulfilled, future action).

I remember reading this detective (fillfilled, real action).

Gerund - present participle correlation. Both non-finites are identical in grammatical form, which meansthat they have the same formal marking and the same categoricalparadigm. But their grammatical meaning is different: the gerundis of process-substance significance, while the present participleis of process-quality significance.

Hence, the gerund testing always includes a noun- substitution procedure, backed by the corresponding question procedure; the present participle testing always includes an adjective / adverb-substitution procedure, backed by the corresponding question procedure.

Cf.: a) He insisted on telling us everything (gerund).

What did he insisted on?

He insisted on this/it.

b) Telling us everything, he didn’t mention names

(present participle).

When didn’t he mention names? When he didn ’t mention names.