Past Participle vs. Present Past

Attribute	Past Participle	Present Past
Formation	Formed by adding -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n to the base form of the verb	Formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb
Usage	Used to form the perfect tenses and passive voice	Used to indicate actions that happened in the past
Examples	Broken, eaten, taken, written	Played, walked, talked, studied

Definition

The past participle is a verb form that typically ends in -ed, -en, or -t. It is used to form various tenses, such as the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. For example, in the sentence "I have eaten dinner," "eaten" is the past participle of the verb "eat." On the other hand, the present past is a verb form that indicates an action that took place in the past but is still relevant to the present. For example, in the sentence "I have known him for years," "known" is the present past form of the verb "know."

Usage

The past participle is used in conjunction with auxiliary verbs to form different tenses. It can also be used as an adjective to describe a noun. For example, in the sentence "The broken window needs to be fixed," "broken" is the past participle used as an adjective. The present past, on the other hand, is used to indicate an action that started in the past and continues into the present. For example, in the sentence "I have lived in this city for ten years," "have lived" is the present past form of the verb "live."

Formation

The past participle is formed by adding -ed, -en, or -t to the base form of the verb. However, irregular verbs have unique past participle forms that do not follow this pattern. For example, the past participle of the irregular verb "go" is "gone." In contrast, the present past is formed by using the auxiliary verb "have" or "has" followed by the past participle form of the verb. For example, in the sentence "She has written a book," "has written" is the present past form of the verb "write."

Examples

• Past Participle: The cake was baked by my mom.
• Past Participle: The broken vase was thrown away.
• Present Past: I have known her since we were kids.
• Present Past: He has lived in that house for decades.

Similarities

Both the past participle and present past are verb forms that indicate actions that occurred in the past. They are used in conjunction with auxiliary verbs to form different tenses. Additionally, both forms can be used as adjectives to describe nouns. For example, in the sentence "The lost dog was found by its owner," "lost" is the past participle used as an adjective. Similarly, in the sentence "The excited children have finished their homework," "excited" is the present past form used as an adjective.

Differences

While both the past participle and present past indicate actions that occurred in the past, the past participle is used to form various tenses, such as the present perfect and past perfect, while the present past specifically indicates actions that started in the past and continue into the present. Additionally, the formation of the past participle involves adding -ed, -en, or -t to the base form of the verb, whereas the present past is formed by using the auxiliary verb "have" or "has" followed by the past participle form of the verb.