Explanation of Present Participle Adjectives

The intricacies of grammar may seem like rocket science to some. Part of the problem is the arbitrary nomenclature used to identify parts of speech. Simply speaking, present participle adjectives are nothing more than "ing" words which are used to describe, or delineate, nouns. For example, a man who is running becomes a "running man." The present participle "running" becomes an adjective.

The Present Tense

To develop a present participle adjective, you have to start with the present tense. It might sound self explanatory but many people have difficulty identifying the simple tenses. Analyze the action of a sentence. Ask yourself: What is happening in the sentence? Is it happening now or did it happen before or will it happen in the future? If the action is now, or a continuing action, then it is in the present tense.

Participles

Participles can either be past tense or present tense. A past tense participle is the "ed" form of the verb. For example, in the sentence "The child jumped," jumped is the past tense form of the verb "to jump." However, in the sentence "The child is jumping," jumping is the present participle form and indicates an action happening now or that will continue to happen from now until some undetermined time in the future. Present participles are dependent upon what some may call "linking verbs." In the example given "is" is the linking verb.

Adjectives

Adjectives are easily defined as words that modify, or describe specific qualities of nouns. In the phrase "the red door," red is an adjective that tells you more about the door. It modifies, or embellishes, the nondescript noun "door." Adjectives can only be used to modify a noun and a noun, in its simplest form, is a person, place, thing or idea. For example, the word "love" is a noun and can be modified with an adjective as in the phrase "puppy love."

Putting It All Together

In many instances, present participle adjectives arise naturally without too much effort. However, if you stop to give some thought to the noun that you wish to modify by using a present participle adjective, you must ask yourself: What quality of this noun am I trying to identify that implies a distinctive action specific to the noun? Choosing the appropriate modifier exhibits an advanced style and mastery of language. For example, "the corpse that stinks" is an adequate phrase but "the stinking corpse" is more powerfully descriptive.

Don't Overdo It

Try to avoid overusing present participle adjectives. The best language is that which is clear and concise. Identifying and using present participle adjectives correctly and sparingly will enrich your writing, but overuse will make you sound artificial. One of the most successful writing guides ever written, "The Elements of Style," by William Strunk, Jr. is a very good tutorial that explains how to use parts of speech effectively. If you are serious about exploring the fascinating but complex world of grammar, a good book to purchase would be "Analyzing the Grammar of English," by Teschner and Evans.

References

• The Elements of Style