Participle Worksheets - Free Printable

It looks like you've uploaded a worksheet titled "Participles" that includes 12 sentences, each with a blank to be filled in using the correct participle form of a given verb. The goal is to complete each sentence with a participle (either present or past) so that it makes sense grammatically and contextually.

Let's go through each sentence one by one, explain the correct answer, and provide the reasoning.

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Instructions: Complete each sentence with a participle.

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1. Tom ________ came in here. [to stare]

- Answer: *staring*
- Explanation: "Staring" is the present participle. It describes Tom’s action as he entered — he was staring when he came in. This is a common use of the present participle to show an ongoing action.

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2. We followed the ________. [to bring]

- Answer: *bringing*
- Explanation: "The bringing" is a noun phrase. We follow actions or things. Here, "the bringing" refers to the act of bringing something. So, we say "We followed the bringing" — meaning we followed the process or act of bringing.

> Note: This might seem awkward, but grammatically, "bringing" as a gerund (verb form used as a noun) fits. However, a more natural phrasing would be "We followed the person who was bringing..." But based on the instruction, "bringing" is correct as a participle used as a noun.

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3. I asked about the ________ subject. [to compute]

- Answer: *computing*
- Explanation: "Computing" is the present participle used as an adjective modifying "subject." So, "the computing subject" means the subject related to computing.

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4. We are ________ half an hour. [to dry]

- Answer: *drying*
- Explanation: "Drying" is the present participle. "We are drying" indicates an ongoing action. The full sentence: "We are drying half an hour" — this is a bit awkward. Likely intended: "We are drying for half an hour," but the structure suggests "We are drying" is the verb phrase, and "half an hour" is the duration. So, "drying" is correct.

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5. The ________ boys were a piece. [to joke]

- Answer: *joking*
- Explanation: "Joking" is the present participle used as an adjective describing the boys. "The joking boys" = boys who are joking. This fits the context.

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6. The cat is sleeping at the ________ gate. [to padlock]

- Answer: *padlocked*
- Explanation: "Padlocked" is the past participle used as an adjective. It describes the state of the gate — it has been locked with a padlock. So, "the padlocked gate" means the gate that is locked.

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7. The ________ woman found in the woods. [to lose]

- Answer: *lost*
- Explanation: "Lost" is the past participle used as an adjective. "The lost woman" means the woman who has become lost. This is a common usage.

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8. A man, the train wasn't ________. [to stop]

- Explanation: This sentence seems poorly constructed. Possibly meant to be:
"A man, the train wasn't stopping." → But that doesn’t make sense.
Alternatively: "A man, the train wasn't stopped." → Still odd.

Let’s re-express: Perhaps it should be:
"The train wasn't stopping, but a man..."
But based on the original:
"A man, the train wasn't ________."

This may be a typo. If we assume it's:
"The train wasn't ________, but a man was."
Then: "The train wasn't stopping." → "stopping" is present participle.

But since the prompt says "A man, the train wasn't ________", perhaps it's supposed to be:
"A man, the train wasn't stopped." → "stopped" (past participle).

But that still doesn't flow.

Most likely, the intended sentence is:
"The train wasn't stopping, but a man was." → then answer: stopping.

Given ambiguity, but if we assume the blank is after "wasn't", then:

- Answer: *stopping* (present participle)
- Explanation: "wasn't stopping" = continuous tense, indicating the train was not in the process of stopping.

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9. What ________? [to do]

- Answer: *doing*
- Explanation: "What doing?" — this is informal. More correctly: "What is being done?" or "What are you doing?"

But if the sentence is simply: "What ________?", and the hint is "[to do]", then likely:
"What is being done?" → "being done" uses the past participle.

But the blank is probably meant to be: "What are you doing?" → then "doing" is correct.

Since no subject is provided, and only "[to do]" is given, the most logical participle is doing, implying "What are you doing?" or similar.

So:
- Answer: *doing*
- Explanation: "doing" is the present participle, used in questions about ongoing actions.

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10. She ________ got two cameras. [to want]

- Answer: *wanted*
- Explanation: "She wanted to get two cameras." But the blank is before "got". So: "She ________ got two cameras."

This implies a past participle. But "wanted" is the past tense.

Wait — maybe it's: "She having wanted got two cameras"? No.

Or perhaps: "She had wanted to get two cameras" — but that’s not matching.

Another possibility: "She wanted to get two cameras." But again, "got" is already there.

Maybe it's: "She ________ got two cameras" — could be "She had wanted to get two cameras" → but "had wanted" is past perfect.

But the blank is singular. Perhaps it's: "She having wanted got two cameras" — but that's ungrammatical.

Alternatively, consider: "She, wanting to get two cameras, ..." — but that would require a comma.

The most plausible explanation is that the sentence is:
"She wanted to get two cameras." — but the word "got" is already there.

Wait — perhaps it's: "She ________ got two cameras." — and the answer is wanted?

But that doesn't make sense.

Let’s think differently.

Maybe the sentence is: "She had wanted to get two cameras." → then "had wanted" is the past perfect.

But the hint is "[to want]" — so the participle is wanting.

So: "She, wanting to get two cameras, ..." — but again, no comma.

Perhaps: "She was wanting to get two cameras." → "wanting" is the present participle.

But "was wanting" is rare; better to say "wanted".

Given the confusion, perhaps the intended answer is wanting, forming:
"She, wanting to get two cameras, ..." — but the sentence ends with "got two cameras".

Alternatively, maybe it's: "She wanted to get two cameras." — but "got" is already used.

This appears to be a flawed sentence.

Best guess: The sentence is meant to be:
"She, wanting to get two cameras, left the store." — but it's not.

Another idea: "She had wanted to get two cameras." → then "had wanted" uses the past participle "wanted".

But the blank is likely for a single word.

Perhaps the answer is wanted, even though it's not a participle in the strict sense — but "wanted" is the past participle of "want".

So:
- Answer: *wanted*
- Explanation: "She wanted to get two cameras" — but the sentence says "got", so maybe it's: "She wanted to get two cameras" → but "got" is redundant.

This is confusing.

Let’s skip and come back.

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11. The ________ monkeys sat at the zoo. [to watch]

- Answer: *watching*
- Explanation: "Watching" is the present participle, used as an adjective. "The watching monkeys" = monkeys who are watching. Makes sense: monkeys sitting and watching.

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12. The ________ property is expensive. [to value]

- Answer: *valued*
- Explanation: "Valued" is the past participle used as an adjective. "The valued property" = the property that is considered valuable. It's commonly used in this way.

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Summary of Answers:

| # | Sentence | Answer | Explanation |
|---|--------|--------|-----------|
| 1 | Tom ________ came in here. [to stare] | staring | Present participle showing ongoing action |
| 2 | We followed the ________. [to bring] | bringing | Gerund/noun form of the action |
| 3 | I asked about the ________ subject. [to compute] | computing | Present participle as adjective |
| 4 | We are ________ half an hour. [to dry] | drying | Present participle in progressive tense |
| 5 | The ________ boys were a piece. [to joke] | joking | Present participle as adjective |
| 6 | The cat is sleeping at the ________ gate. [to padlock] | padlocked | Past participle as adjective (passive state) |
| 7 | The ________ woman found in the woods. [to lose] | lost | Past participle as adjective |
| 8 | A man, the train wasn't ________. [to stop] | stopping | Present participle in negative progressive |
| 9 | What ________? [to do] | doing | Present participle in question (e.g., "What are you doing?") |
| 10 | She ________ got two cameras. [to want] | wanted | Past participle (though sentence is awkward) |
| 11 | The ________ monkeys sat at the zoo. [to watch] | watching | Present participle as adjective |
| 12 | The ________ property is expensive. [to value] | valued | Past participle as adjective |

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Final Answer Key:

1. staring
2. bringing
3. computing
4. drying
5. joking
6. padlocked
7. lost
8. stopping
9. doing
10. wanted
11. watching
12. valued

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Notes:

- Some sentences are awkwardly phrased, especially #8 and #10.
- In #10, "She wanted got two cameras" is incorrect. Likely meant to be: "She wanted to get two cameras." But if the sentence is "She ________ got two cameras," then "wanted" is the best fit as a past participle (though it's not a participle in a participial phrase).
- In #8, "A man, the train wasn't stopping" is unclear. Likely a typo.

But assuming the instructions are clear, the above answers are the most grammatically appropriate based on standard English usage.

Let me know if you'd like a corrected version of the worksheet!