Study Note: Super Sentences: Using Participles Like a Pro! ✨ (แต่งประโยคขั้นเทพ: ใช้ Participles อย่างมืออาชีพ!)
A. Verb Forms as
Adjectives: Participles are special forms of verbs
that can act like adjectives. They describe nouns! 📝 There are two
main types:
- Present Participle (-ing form):
Describes something/someone that is doing the action or causing
a feeling/state. Often describes an ongoing action. 🏃♀️
- Examples: a developing
story (เรื่องราวที่กำลังดำเนินไป),
an interesting book (หนังสือที่น่าสนใจ - it causes interest), running
water (น้ำที่กำลังไหล)
- Past Participle (-ed or
irregular form like -en): Describes
something/someone that receives the action or feels an
emotion/state. Often describes a completed action or state. ✅
- Examples: a broken
window (หน้าต่างที่แตกแล้ว - it
received the action), an interested student (นักเรียนที่รู้สึกสนใจ - they feel
interest), a written report (รายงานที่ถูกเขียนแล้ว) (Nordquist, 2020a).
B. What are
Participial Phrases? These are phrases that
start with a participle (-ing or -ed/-en) and include other words (like objects
or adverbs). The whole phrase works together to describe a noun or give more
information about the main clause. (Purdue University Online Writing Lab [OWL],
n.d.-b). 🧩
C. Why Learn This?
Using participles and participial phrases is key to making your writing more
advanced! They help you:
- Make sentences shorter and less
repetitive (กระชับ ไม่เยิ่นเย้อ).✂️
- Add more description and detail
smoothly. 🎨
- Combine ideas elegantly,
sounding more fluent like a native speaker or skilled writer (เขียน/พูดได้สละสลวยขึ้น). 🗣️✍️
2. How to Use
Participles and Phrases ✍️ (วิธีการใช้ Participles และ Phrases)
A. Participles as
Simple Adjectives:
- Before a Noun:
This is very common.
- Examples: We bought
chilled drinks. 🥤 / It was an
exciting adventure. 🏞️ / Look at
the sleeping cat. 😴🐈
- After Linking Verbs:
Like be, seem, look, feel, become. Here, they describe the subject.
- Examples: The ending of
the movie was surprising. 😮
/ He felt disappointed with his score. 😞
/ You look tired. 😩
- Key Difference -ing vs. -ed/-en
Adjectives: This often confuses learners! 🤯
- -ing
describes the cause of a feeling or the characteristic of
something: The boring lesson made the students feel sleepy.
(บทเรียนที่น่าเบื่อ ->
causes boredom). 🥱
- -ed/-en
describes the feeling someone has or the state of something that
received an action: The bored students started looking out the
window. (นักเรียนที่รู้สึกเบื่อ ->
feel boredom). 😒
(British Council,
n.d.-b).
B. Participial
Phrases Modifying Nouns (Post-modifiers): These phrases
come after the noun they describe, acting like an adjective clause (but
shorter!).
- Present Participle Phrase
(-ing): Often replaces an active relative
clause (who/which/that + be + -ing or active verb).
- Example: The man talking
to the teacher is my father. (= The man who is talking to
the teacher...) (ชายคนที่กำลังคุยกับคุณครูคือพ่อของฉัน). 👨🏫🗣️
- Example: I read a book
discussing Thai history. (= a book which discusses Thai
history). 📖🇹🇭
- Past Participle Phrase
(-ed/-en): Often replaces a passive
relative clause (who/which/that + be + past participle).
- Example: The cake made by
my mother was delicious. (= The cake which was made by my
mother...) (เค้กที่แม่ทำอร่อยมาก). 🎂👩🍳
- Example: Emails sent
after 5 PM will be answered tomorrow. (= Emails which are sent
after 5 PM...) 📧🕔
C. Participial
Phrases Modifying the Whole Sentence/Subject (Sentence Modifiers):
These phrases, often placed at the beginning of a sentence (followed by a
comma), add background information like time, cause, or condition. Crucially,
they must logically describe the subject of the main clause. ☝️
- Present Participle Phrase
(-ing): Shows an action happening at the
same time or causing the main action.
- Example: Feeling tired,
she went to bed early. (Because she felt tired...) (เมื่อรู้สึกเหนื่อย เธอก็เข้านอนแต่หัวค่ำ). 😴➡️🛌
- Example: Opening the door,
he saw a package on the step. (When he opened the door...) 🚪➡️📦
- Past Participle Phrase
(-ed/-en): Often shows the reason for the
main action, usually with a passive meaning.
- Example: Impressed by her
performance, the judges gave her full marks. (Because they were
impressed...) (เมื่อประทับใจกับการแสดงของเธอ กรรมการก็ให้คะแนนเต็ม). 🤩💯
- Example: Lost in the city,
the tourist asked for directions. (Because he was lost...) 🗺️❓
- Perfect Participle Phrase
(having + Past Participle): Shows that
the action in the participle phrase was completed before the action
in the main clause. Can be active (having done) or passive (having
been done).
- Example (Active): Having
finished her homework, she could relax. (After she finished...) (หลังจากทำการบ้านเสร็จ เธอก็พักผ่อนได้). ✅➡️😌
- Example (Passive): Having
been warned about the storm, they stayed indoors. (After they
were warned...) (หลังจากถูกเตือนเรื่องพายุ พวกเขาก็อยู่แต่ในบ้าน). ⛈️➡️🏠 (Cambridge
University Press & Assessment, n.d.-b).
D. Danger Zone:
Dangling Modifiers! ⚠️ (ระวัง! Modifier ที่ไม่มีประธานรองรับ)
- What is it?
This is a common mistake! It happens when a participial phrase (especially
at the beginning of a sentence) doesn't clearly and logically modify the
subject of the main clause. It seems to modify the wrong thing, creating a
confusing or funny sentence. 😂❓
- Incorrect Example:
Walking down the street, the buildings looked very tall. (ฟังดูเหมือนตึกกำลังเดิน!) Who
was walking? The sentence doesn't say properly. 🚶♀️❓🏢
- How to Fix It:
- Make sure the subject of the
main clause is the one doing/receiving the action of the participle: Walking
down the street, I thought the buildings looked very tall. (Now
it's clear I was walking). ✅
- Rewrite the sentence, perhaps
turning the phrase into a full clause: As I was walking
down the street, the buildings looked very tall. ✅
- Place the phrase closer to the
noun it modifies if possible (less common for introductory phrases).
- Always Check:
Ask yourself, "Who or what is doing the action in the participle
phrase?" Does it match the subject of the main verb? 🤔
(Purdue University Online Writing Lab [OWL], n.d.-c).
3. Summary Table:
Understanding Participial Phrases 📊 (ตารางสรุปการใช้ Participial Phrases)
|
Phrase Type |
Structure |
Function |
Example Sentence |
Implied Meaning / Replaced Clause |
|
Present (Modifying Noun) |
Noun
+ -ing phrase... |
Describes
the noun (ongoing/active action) |
Can
you see the dog chasing its tail? |
...which
is chasing its tail. |
|
Past (Modifying Noun) |
Noun
+ -ed/-en phrase... |
Describes
the noun (completed/passive action) |
The
phone dropped on the floor is broken. |
...which
was dropped on the floor... |
|
Present (Modifying Sent.) |
-ing
phrase..., Subject + Verb |
Gives
reason, time, circumstance (active meaning) |
Realizing
his mistake, he apologized. |
Because
he realized his mistake... |
|
Past (Modifying Sent.) |
-ed/-en
phrase..., Subj + Verb |
Gives
reason, time, circumstance (passive meaning) |
Annoyed
by the noise, she closed the window. |
Because
she was annoyed by the noise... |
|
Perfect (Modifying Sent.) |
Having
+ P.P..., Subject + Verb |
Shows
first action completed before the second |
Having
booked the tickets, we felt relieved. |
After
we had booked the tickets... |
Note: Participles
and their phrases are powerful tools for creating descriptive, varied, and
concise sentences. They often function similarly to adjective or adverb clauses
but are more economical. Always ensure clarity by avoiding dangling modifiers
(Nordquist, 2020b; Purdue University Online Writing Lab [OWL], n.d.-b).
4. Practice Time! ✍️🧠
(ฝึกใช้ Participles และ Phrases)
A. Combine the
Sentences: Use a participial phrase.
- The girl saw her friend. She
waved excitedly. -> ______
- The book was written by a famous
author. It became a bestseller. -> ______
- He finished his project. He felt
very proud. -> ______
B. Spot the
Dangling Modifier (and Fix It):
- Reading the book, the characters
seemed very real. -> ______
- Covered in mud, my mom made me
take off my shoes. -> ______
C. -ing or -ed?
Choose the correct participle.
- It was a very (tired / tiring)
journey.
- I was (surprised / surprising)
by the loud noise.
- He told us an (amused / amusing)
story.
(Example Answers:
A1. Seeing her friend, the girl waved excitedly. OR The girl, seeing her
friend, waved excitedly. A2. Written by a famous author, the book became a
bestseller. OR The book written by a famous author became a bestseller. A3.
Having finished his project, he felt very proud. B1. Reading the book, I
thought the characters seemed very real. OR As I was reading the book, the
characters seemed very real. B2. Covered in mud, I had to take off my shoes
(because my mom made me). OR Because I was covered in mud, my mom made me take
off my shoes. C1. tiring C2. surprised C3. amusing)
✅
5. Key Takeaways 🔑
(สรุปหัวใจสำคัญ)
- Participles (-ing and -ed/-en)
act like adjectives to describe things. 🎨
- Participial phrases (starting
with a participle) add detail, replacing longer clauses. ✍️➡️✨
- Phrases can describe a noun
right next to them or provide background info at the start of a sentence.
- BIGGEST RULE:
Avoid dangling modifiers! Make sure introductory phrases clearly link to
the main subject. (จำให้แม่น!) ⚠️➡️✅
- Using these well makes your
writing much more dynamic and impressive! 🌟
6. References 📚
(แหล่งอ้างอิง)
- British Council. (n.d.-b).
Adjectives ending in '-ed' and '-ing'. LearnEnglish. Retrieved
April 19, 2025, from https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/beginner-to-pre-intermediate/adjectives-ending-in-ed-and-ing
- Cambridge University Press &
Assessment. (n.d.-b). Participle clauses. Cambridge Dictionary.
Retrieved April 19, 2025, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/participle-clauses
- Nordquist, R. (2020a, February
11). Participle definition and examples in English. ThoughtCo.
Retrieved April 19, 2025, from https://www.thoughtco.com/participle-english-grammar-1691585
- Nordquist, R. (2020b, August
27). Participial phrase definition and examples. ThoughtCo.
Retrieved April 19, 2025, from https://www.thoughtco.com/participial-phrase-grammar-1691586
- Purdue University Online Writing
Lab [OWL]. (n.d.-b). Participle phrases. Retrieved April 19, 2025, from
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/gerunds_participles_and_infinitives/participle_phrases.html
- Purdue University Online Writing
Lab [OWL]. (n.d.-c). Dangling modifiers and how to correct them. Retrieved
April 19, 2025, from
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/dangling_modifiers_and_how_to_correct_them.html
7. Further Study 🎓
(ศึกษาเพิ่มเติม)
- Khan Academy - Participles: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/grammar/parts-of-speech-the-verb/verbals/v/introduction-to-participles-v2
(Offers video explanations) 🎬
- Grammar Bytes! - Dangling
Modifiers: https://chompchomp.com/terms/danglingmodifier.htm
(Interactive exercises) 💻
- Practice identifying and writing
these structures in your own reading and writing! Keep learning! 💪
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