What Are Participial Adjectives And How Do You Use Them?

Answer: Participial adjectives are those adjectives that are formed from verbs, specifically from participles.

Participles are verb forms that can function as adjectives, and they come in two types: present participles (ending in “-ing”) and past participles (often ending in “-ed” or irregular forms). Participial adjectives modify nouns and add descriptive information to them.

Here’s how you can use participial adjectives:

1. Present Participial Adjectives:
   • Formed by adding -ing to the base form of the verb.
   • Example: “The falling leaves covered the ground.”
   • Explanation: “Falling” modifies the noun “leaves,” describing their current state.
2. Past Participial Adjectives:
   • Formed from the past participle of a verb (often ending in -ed or irregular forms).
   • Example: “The broken window needed repair.”
   • Explanation: “Broken” describes the noun “window,” indicating its damaged state.
3. Placement in Sentences:
   • Participial adjectives can be placed before or after the nouns they modify.
   • Example: “The girl, smiling, waved at her friends.”
4. Agreement:
   • Participial adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in terms of number and gender.
   • Example: “The frightened children sought refuge.”

Using participial adjectives adds vivid details to your writing, providing more information about the characteristics or qualities of the nouns they modify.