Participles Worksheets - 15 Worksheets Library - Free Printable

Let's solve the task step by step.

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Understanding the Task

The worksheet is about participles — verb forms that can function as adjectives. The goal is to underline the participle in each sentence.

A participle is a verb form that can be used as an adjective. There are two types:
- Present participles: end in *-ing* (e.g., "running", "exciting")
- Past participles: often end in *-ed*, *-en*, or have irregular forms (e.g., "inspired", "broken")

In this exercise, we're looking for words that are derived from verbs but are being used to describe nouns (i.e., acting as adjectives).

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Solutions with Explanations

Let’s go through each sentence and underline the participle:

1. The interested students listened closely.
→ *"interested"* (past participle of "interest") describes "students" — it's an adjective.
✔ Underline: interested

2. The exciting event distracted everybody.
→ *"exciting"* (present participle) describes "event" — it means the event causes excitement.
✔ Underline: exciting

3. The alarming news turned out to not be true.
→ *"alarming"* (present participle) describes "news" — the news causes alarm.
✔ Underline: alarming

4. Several frustrated students have dropped the class.
→ *"frustrated"* (past participle) describes "students" — they feel frustrated.
✔ Underline: frustrated

5. The exhilarated women gazed down from the mountaintop.
→ *"exhilarated"* (past participle) describes "women" — they feel exhilarated.
✔ Underline: exhilarated

6. Reeling, the woman fainted.
→ *"Reeling"* (present participle) is a participial phrase modifying "the woman". It describes her state.
✔ Underline: Reeling

7. It was a terrifying possibility.
→ *"terrifying"* (present participle) describes "possibility" — it causes fear.
✔ Underline: terrifying

8. I found the situation paralyzing.
→ *"paralyzing"* (present participle) describes "situation" — it has the effect of paralyzing.
✔ Underline: paralyzing

9. The articulated idea was easy to grasp.
→ *"articulated"* (past participle) describes "idea" — the idea has been clearly expressed.
✔ Underline: articulated

10. His repeated attempts to get my attention are annoying.
→ *"annoying"* (present participle) describes "attempts" — they cause annoyance.
✔ Underline: annoying

11. The satisfied customers left the store happy.
→ *"satisfied"* (past participle) describes "customers" — they are content.
✔ Underline: satisfied

12. The confusing directions were not helpful.
→ *"confusing"* (present participle) describes "directions" — they cause confusion.
✔ Underline: confusing

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✔ Final Answer (Underlined Words):

1. interested
2. exciting
3. alarming
4. frustrated
5. exhilarated
6. Reeling
7. terrifying
8. paralyzing
9. articulated
10. annoying
11. satisfied
12. confusing

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📝 Summary

All the underlined words are participles used as adjectives to describe nouns. They come from verbs but modify nouns in the sentence.

✔ Remember:
- -ing participles often describe something that causes a feeling (e.g., "exciting", "annoying").
- -ed participles often describe something that feels a certain way (e.g., "interested", "frustrated").

This distinction helps identify which participle is being used.

Let me know if you'd like a printable version or further explanation!