This lesson helps us understand what a past participle adjective is, and how to use it correctly in a sentence.
What is a past participle adjective?
A past participle adjective is a past participle form of a verb (V3) that functions as an adjective in a sentence.
| V1 (base form) | V2 (past form) | V3 (past participle) |
| Break | Broken | Broken |
| Lie | Lied | Lied |
| Listen | Listened | Listened |
| Love | Loved | Loved |
| Bake | Baked | Baked |
| Go | Went | Gone |
| Do | Did | Done |
| Give | Gave | Given |
| Drive | Drove | Driven |
| Break | Broke | Broken |
I won’t buy a broken phone.
‘Broken’ is the past participle adjective (past participle of ‘break’) in the above sentence. It is referring to the physical state of the noun ‘phone’. It is working as an adjective.
Examples:
- A motivated man can do anything.
- He fought with a shattered nose.
- Don’t mess with him; he is a trained fighter.
- It will not be a paid task.
- He is demotivated.
- We are bored right now.
- He was fired for consuming tainted supplements.
- My friend Jon is scared of dogs.
- Everyone was confused after my performance.
- They are selling colored glasses.
- What did you do with the burnt clothes?
- The cops found some destroyed papers in his apartment.
- She needs a written apology.
Position of a past participle adjective
A past participle adjective, or even a present participle adjective, is placed at the following places:
- Just before a noun
- After a linking or stative verb
Just before the noun it modifies
This is the most common position of a past participle adjective, Here, it comes right before the noun it modifies.
Examples:
- Behave like a grown man that you are.
- Don’t buy that. It is a disputed property.
- Can I have a glass of boiled water?
- My cousin Totu loves having frozen yogurt.
- This is a stolen bike; I won’t buy it.
After a linking/stative verb
A past participle adjective can also come after a linking verb.
Examples:
- My friend Jon is scared of dogs.
- Everyone was confused after my performance.
- I was really embarrassed when our pictures were shown on the big screen.
- She does not get tired.
- Nothing seems to be working for me. I am just frustrated.
- We all are thrilled to hear this.
Hyphenated past participle adjectives
Past participles are sometimes combined with a noun or an adjective using a hyphen; the entire hyphenated expression works as an adjective.
Examples:
- I am a self-made person.
- He is a self-driven man.
- Coal-powered engines are no longer in use.
- Meat-fed animals are believed to live longer.
- A well-known actor follows me on Instagram.
Past participles that are often used as adjectives
- Shocked
- Agitated
- Demotivated
- Tired
- Exhausted
- Terrified
- Scared
- Petrified
- Frightened
- Confused
- Frustrated
- Embarrassed
- Depressed
- Bored
- Excited
- Thrilled
- Amazed
- Motivated
- Amused
- Overwhelmed
- Relaxed
- Satisfied
- Amazed
- Interested
Why Past Participle Adjectives Are Important
✅ They describe states and conditions: a tired child, a stolen car, a trained athlete
✅ They help build concise and powerful sentences
✅ They’re common in news headlines, product descriptions, and exams
✅ Native speakers use them constantly — knowing them improves fluency
Examples of Past Participle Adjectives by Theme
| Category | Examples |
| Physical condition | injured, burned, frozen, swollen, wounded, bruised, bandaged, paralyzed |
| Emotional state | frustrated, amazed, scared, relaxed, bored, embarrassed, overwhelmed, thrilled, disappointed, satisfied, horrified, confused, delighted |
| Completed status | finished, completed, done, approved, registered, written, painted, installed, fixed, submitted, closed, booked |
| Action history | trained, punished, rejected, award |
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You are doing great brother….just keep it up
Thank you, Sachin!
Hello Mr. Ashish
Amazing job
I Have a question
Your mail has been successfully sent.
Is (sent) in this sentence an adjective or v3? Or can be both?
Thanks
Hello Ayser,
The word’ sent’ in the sentence is a verb in the passive voice. It does not modify the subject ‘your mail’. It indicates the action done to it.
Thank you for the kind words!
Why past participle don’t have position as a present participle. ,Just after the noun it modifies,
Past participle phrases can also be used at the beginning, middle, or at the end of a sentence.
Hello sir
I hope you are doing well
Sorry it’s a little long
I have one question. I read in one book, participles are divided into two parts, verb participles, adjective participles. Again, verb participles will be divided into two parts, present participle verbs, past participle verbs. And then for adjective as well, present participle adjective, past participle adjective. Present participle is functioning as number one, main verb, he is washing his car. Number two, an adjective, I need to attend a speaking class, they buy a washing machine. Number three, an adverb, he left the class crying. Past participle verb, functioning as a main verb, I have spoken with the manager. As an adjective, we buy used machines. And now we have present participle adjective with past participle adjective, like confused, confusing, confused. I was confused because the lesson was confusing. Now, my question is that, what is the difference between a present participle verb, for example, I need to attend a speaking class with this, the confusing lesson was not appropriate for those students. Both of them have verb-ing and they are participles. But why in one part we have present participle verb and the other part we have present participle adjective? Or the other example, the broken chairs are outside. It’s written that this is present participle verb functioning as an adjective. And the other one, it’s written past participle verb functioning as an adjective, like the word people left the province and the war prolonged. I’m just trying to say, what is the difference between present participle verb with present participle adjective? I know that they can function as a main verb, but I don’t know what is the difference between present participle verb and past participle verb. I don’t know what is the difference between present participle verb with present participle adjective. I know that they can function as a main verb.Now, should we divide participles into two parts, and verb participles, adjective participles, and then again to two more parts, present and past? Or no, just participles, we have present participles, past participles. I became confused.
That’s a lot of questions to answer. For you to understand better, ask short questions, Sadeq!
can you tell me where’s the references?
What references are you looking for, Laurice?