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Rinoceronte Posted 16 years ago
Linguistics Studies

Why Past Participle is not past

Past Participle in fact is not past because it can be not only:

"a written letter" (the action of writing is over here, i.e., is past). For Russians: "??????????".

...but also:

"a kept word" (the action of keeping may not be over at all, i.e., may be present). The "kept word" is not only the one that "has been kept" already, but also the one that "is being kept", or "has been being kept". For Russians: "????????????" (? ?? ?????? "??????????").

So, the Participle should have rather been called Passive, not Past, since it describes Voice, not Time, and can be both past and present.
  

Top answer

Hello. In your very examples participle acts more of an adjective, namely verbal adjective. That's why "a written letter" still does have something to do with present ("written" is just an attribute).

  • Hello.
  • In your very examples participle acts more of an adjective, namely verbal adjective.
  • That's why "a written letter" still does have something to do with present ("written" is just an attribute).
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35 Answers
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Hello. In your very examples participle acts more of an adjective, namely verbal adjective. That's why "a written letter" still does have something to do with present ("written" is just an attribute).
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FandorinHello. In your very examples participle acts more of an adjective, namely verbal adjective. That's why "a written letter" still does have something to do with present ("written" is just an attribute).
Hello. That's what the "past" participle is supposed to do - to act either as a verbal adjective, or as a part of compound predicatives in present tense
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FandorinHello. In your very examples participle acts more of an adjective, namely verbal adjective. That's why "a written letter" still does have something to do with present ("written" is just an attribute).
To prevent you from saying that I confuse participle and "the third form", I do not. They are the same thing. Participle is not "?????????", no matter w
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Well, that is all well known.
rinoceronte in contexts like "the letter is being written" or "the letter has been being written".
First of all, it's a phrase not a sentence to talk about any actions since it doesn't say anything about the process.
"??????????" can mean that the word is still being kept (if you haven't recanted of your word, we can say it i
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FandorinWell, that is all well known.
!?!?!?! What's well-known? That Past Participle is not Past Participle, but Passive Participle? Who is it well-known by?
FandorinFirst of all, it's a phrase not a sentence to talk about any actions since it doesn't say anything about the process
Ok, I will make it simpler. A quote of you
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rinoceronte
FandorinWell, that is all well known.
!?!?!?! What's well-known? That Past Participle is not Past Participle, but Passive Participle? Who is it well-known by?
It is just you who is trying to invent some terms, not me. If it helps you understand English better- it is your choice. Gobbledygook is not my cup of tea
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Apart everything the only thing I can't agree at all upon is the word "????????????". That's all.
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Fandorin
rinoceronte
FandorinWell, that is all well known.
!?!?!?! What's well-known? That Past Participle is not Past Participle, but Passive Participle? Who is it well-known by?
It is just you who is trying to invent some terms, not me. If it helps you understand English better- it is your choice.
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You are getting irritated which is not a breeding ground to a healthy dispute. We are all here to talk in a friendlly way anyway Emotion: smile. S
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FandorinYou are getting irritated which is not a breeding ground to a healthy dispute. We are all here to talk in a friendlly way anyway . Saving your time is your prerogative purely.
rinoceronteRead the theory
Sorry, the message was not intended for you just text landed a wrong window.
rinoceronte aim your cur

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