Participle Adjectives / Participial adjectives

Participle Adjectives / Participial adjectives

A participle is a word that may function as a verb or as adjective. It can be used in verb tenses or as a modifier.

Some participles (like 'bored' or 'boring') can be used as adjectives. These are used in a slightly different way from normal adjectives. We usually use the past participle (ending in -ed) to talk about how someone feels:

1- I was really bored during the flight (NOT: I was really boring during the flight).

2- She's interested in history (NOT: She's really interesting in history).

We usually use the present participle (ending in -ing) to talk about the person, thing, or situation which has caused the feeling:

1- It was such a long, boring flight (so I was bored).

2- I read a really interesting book about history (so I was interested).

Be careful! 'I'm boring' is very different from 'I'm bored'! 'I'm boring' means I cause other people to be bored. This is not good! Here are some examples of when one person causes a feeling in another person:

1- I was talking to such a boring guy at the party. He talked about himself for an hour!

2- She's a really interesting woman. She's lived all over the world and speaks five languages.

These participle adjectives make their comparative by using 'more' (not -er) and their superlative by using 'most' (not -est):

1- I was more frightened of dogs than spiders when I was a child.

2- That book is more boring than this one.

3- I think Dr Smith's lesson was more interesting than Dr Brown's.

4- The 24 hours on the flight to Australia was the most bored I've ever been.

Uses of like in questions

The word like is used in different ways to ask questions. Such questions with like may have different meanings.

Like may be used to ask questions about:

Personality or the characteristics of something.

Preferences.

Physical appearance.

Hobbies.

To ask about someone's personality. 

NB: We don't use 'like' in the answer.

Example:

What's your friend like? → He's nice.

What's the house like? → It's huge.

What was the weather like? → It was sunny.

Like in the above examples is used as a preposition.

To ask about someone's physical appearance: 

NB: We don't use 'like' in the answer.

Examples:

What does he look like? → He is tall and has got black long hair.

What does she look like? → She is beautiful. She has brown eyes and short black hair.

Who do you look like? → I look just like my father.

Who does she look like? → She looks like her grandmother.

Like in the above questions is used as a preposition.

To ask about someone's hobbies: 

NB: You can use 'like' in the answer.

What does he like doing? → He likes singing.

What do you like doing? → I like reading.

Like in these examples is used as a verb.

Quick Tips on Learning English

Quick Tips on Learning English

Various versions of the English language exist. Begin by identifying the category you fall into and start by improving the clarity of your speech.

~ Focus on removing the mother tongue influence that creep into your English conversations.

~ Watch the English news on television channels like Star World, CNN, BBC and English movies on Star Movies and HBO.

~ Listen to and sing English songs

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