Past
participles can cause confusion in the structure section of the TOEFL because a
just participle can be part of main verb or it can be an adjective. The past
participle is the form of the verb that appears with have or be. It often ends
in ed, but there are also many
irregular past participles in English.
Verb
The family has purchased a television
Verb
The poem was written by Paul
In the first sentence the past participle purchased is part of the verb because it is accompanied by has. In the second sentence the past participle written is part of the verb because it accompanied by was.
In the first sentence the past participle purchased is part of the verb because it is accompanied by has. In the second sentence the past participle written is part of the verb because it accompanied by was.
The
past participle is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some form of be
or have.
Adj
The television purchased yesterday was expensive.
The
poem written by Paul appeared in the magazine.
In
the first sentence purchased is an adjective rather than a verb because it is
not accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb was later in the sentence). In the
second sentence written is an adjective rather than a verb because it is not
accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb appeared later in the sentence).
The following example shows how a past participle can be confused with the verb in
the structure section of the TOEFL.
The
packages .... mailed at the post office will arrive Monday.
(A) have
(B) were
(C) them
(D) just
In
this example, if you look only at the first few words of the sentence, it
appears that packages is the subject and mailed
is either a complete verb or a past participle that needs a helping verb. But
if look further in the sentence, you will see that the verb is will arise. You
will then recognize that mailed is a
participial adjective and is therefore not part of the verb. Answer (A) and (B)
are incorrect because mailed is an
adjective and does not need a helping verb such as have or were. Answer (C)
is incorrect because there is no need for the object them. Answer (D) is the
best answer to this question.
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