Dan explains how to use participles as adjectives in this episode of Learners’ Questions. Improve your English grammar with Learners’ Questions from BBC Learning English. Tutul from Bangladesh says: I am confused as to when I can use participles as adjectives. For example, I can say: ”I saw a barking dog”. But I can’t say: ”I saw a barked dog”. Why not?
Participle Adjectives English has a number of adjectives made from verb participles. These end with -ing or are a past participle form of the verb (often -ed). -ing adjectives have a similar meaning to active verbs. Past participles have passive meanings. If you are unsure which to use, transform the participle adjective into a relative clause. If it doesn’t make sense as a relative clause, it doesn’t make sense as a participle adjective. There are not many verb participles that can be used as adjectives in both –ed and –ing forms.