阅读理解：古英语中过去分词的变化和德语、荷兰语基本上是一样的

In Old English, past participles of Germanic strong verbs were marked with a ge- prefix, as are most strong and weak past participles in Dutch and German today, and often by a vowel change in the stem.

past participle过去分词

德语中，前缀ge-的作用之一是形成动词的过去分词。而元音变音也是德语的一个重要特征。

Those of weak verbs were marked by the ending -d, with or without an epenthetic vowel before it.

epenthesis [ep·en·the·sis || e'penθɪsɪs]n.  在一个词里加 (原词里没有的) 音节使发音比较容易些

enthetic[en`WetIk]adj.外来的

Modern English past participles derive from these forms (although the ge- prefix, which became y- in Middle English, has now been lost).

Modern English 近代英语，现代英语：从大约1500年至今的英语也作New English

Middle English n. 中世纪英语，中古英语

古英语中的前缀ge-在中古英语中变成y-，在近代英语中已经消失了。

Old English present participles were marked with an ending in -ende (or -iende for verbs whose infinitives ended in -ian).

present participle n.[语]现在分词

古英语中用后缀-ende或-iende代替后缀以-ian结尾的动词不定式中-ian形成现在分词。在现代德语中是-end。如德语动词leben的变化：

leben ⇒ to live （动词原形）

lebend ⇒ living （现在分词，德语中的动名词后缀是-ung） 

gelebt ⇒ lived  （过去分词）

ich/er/sie lebte ⇒ I/he/she lived(过去式)

 

In Middle English, various forms were used in different regions: -ende (southwest, southeast, Midlands), -inde (southwest, southeast), -and (north), -inge (southeast，请注意：这个后来成为标准，也是去掉结尾的e).

 

The last is the one that became standard, falling together with the suffix -ing used to form verbal nouns. See -ing (etymology).

verbal noun n.[语]动词性名词,名词化的动名词

Modern English verbs, then, have two participles:

现代英语中有两种分词。

• The present participle, also sometimes called the active, imperfect, or progressive participle, takes the ending -ing.

现在分词也称为主动分词、未完成分词、进行分词。

我想如果用这些名词中的任何一个都不会再有人把现在分词和“时间”上的“现在”再联系在一起。

强烈建议您认真读一读：

Participles are often identified with a particular tense, as with the English present participle and past participle (see under English below).

However this is often a matter of convention; present participles are not necessarily associated with the expression of present time, or past participles necessarily with past time.

现在分词和“时间”上的“现在”的表达没有关系。

过去分词和“时间”上的“过去”的表达没有关系。

passive participle 被动分词

• It is identical in form to the gerund (and verbal noun); the term present participle is sometimes used to include the gerund, and the term "gerund–participle" is also used.

所谓的动名词实际上就是现在分词作名词使用时的称谓，也有人称为“动名词分词”。

• The past participle, also sometimes called the passive or perfect participle, is identical to the past tense form (in -ed) in the case of regular verbs, but takes various forms in the case of irregular verbs, such as sung, written, put, gone, etc.

the passive or perfect participle 被动或完成分词

我相信，如果把past participle（过去分词）翻译成”完成或被动分词”,也就不会再有人把它和时间上的“过去”联系在一起。

很多小朋友搞不清楚“现在式”和“现在分词”的区别，也同样搞不清楚“过去式”和“过去分词”的区别。我以为，主要的原因是望文生义。其实，在汉语中我们也经常犯这个毛病。

 

Details of participle formation can be found under English verbs and List of English irregular verbs.

The present participle, or participial phrases (clauses) formed from it, are used as follows:

• to form the progressive (continuous) aspect: Jim was sleeping.

形成“进行（持续）”时态（这里的时态实际上是指aspect）。

 

• as an adjective phrase modifying a noun phrase: The man sitting over there is my uncle.

作为形容词修饰名词。

• adverbially, the subject being understood to be the same as that of the main clause: Looking at the plans, I gradually came to see where the problem lay.

当副词使用，作状语。

• similarly, but with a different subject, placed before the participle (the nominative absolute construction): He and I having reconciled our differences, the project then proceeded smoothly.

absolute construction 独立结构，

• more generally as a clause or sentence modifier: Broadly speaking, the project was successful. (See also dangling participle.)

broadly speaking 一般地说, 泛泛地说

dangling participle n.[文法]虚悬分词

Past participles, or participial phrases (clauses) formed from them, are used as follows:

• to form the perfect aspect: The chicken has eaten.

构成完成时态（主动）——the perfect aspect

• to form the passive voice: The chicken was eaten.

形成被动语态——the passive voice

• as an adjective phrase: The chicken eaten by the children was contaminated. (See also reduced relative clause.)

relative clause n. 关系从句（定语从句）

• adverbially: Seen from this perspective, the problem presents no easy solution.
• in a nominative absolute construction, with a subject: The task finished, we returned home.

这就是所谓的“过去分词独立结构”——有逻辑说语的过去分词短语。

Both types of participles are also often used as pure adjectives (see Types of participles above).

Here present participles are used in their active sense ("an exciting adventure", i.e. one that excites), while past participles are usually used passively ("the attached files", i.e. those that have been attached), although those formed from intransitive verbs may sometimes be used with active meaning ("our fallen comrades", i.e. those who have fallen).

及物动词的过去分词作定语多表示被动，而不及物动词（多没有被动）的过去分词作定语表示主动。

intransitive verb 不及物动词

fallen[5fC:lEn]adj.倒下的, 伐倒的, 伏地的, 堕落的, 落下来的, 陷落的vbl.fall 的过去分词

fall[fC:l]n.秋天, 落下, 瀑布, 降低, 落差, 采伐量, 堕落, 下降vi.倒下, 落下, 来临, 失守, 变成, 垮台, 下跌, 阵亡vt.<</SPAN>美><</SPAN>英方>击倒, 砍倒(树木)adj.秋天的

其实，中国的学生几乎都不会犯这样的错误。只有稍加注意就可以了。

 

Some such adjectives also form adverbs, such as interestingly and excitedly.

The gerund is distinct from the present participle in that it (or rather the verb phrase it forms) acts as a noun rather than an adjective or adverb: "I like sleeping'"; "Sleeping is not allowed."

英语中的动名词和现在分词都是“v+ing”形式，但它们的区别是清楚的：动名词作为名词使用，而现在分词是其它的词类使用。

There is also a pure verbal noun with the same form ("the breaking of one's vows is not to be taken lightly"). For more on the distinctions between these uses of the -ing verb form, see -ing: uses.

For more details on uses of participles and other parts of verbs in English, see Uses of English verb forms, including the sections on the present participle and past participle.