Past participles and adjectives - which of the two is correct?

Sep 2, 2026

An analytical guide compares past participles and derived adjectives in English, explaining why both forms can look similar yet carry different meanings and usage. The document discusses multiple cases where distinctions are required, focusing on participles themselves, the adjectives derived from them, or both. It illustrates differences using example sentences and highlights nuances such as older or literary senses, idiomatic expressions, and derived adjective forms.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatDOCX

Pages101

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Past participles vs. derived adjectives

The question of “drunken” vs. “drunk”

Overview of the 18 cases requiring distinction

Examples: born vs borne

Past participles and adjectives - which of the two is correct? “What shall we do with the drunken sailor?” – Das ist wohl eines der ersten englischen Lieder, das ein Schulkind lernt, ein Klassiker. Wahrscheinlich hat es aber schon zuvor die past tense und die present perfect tense gelernt, zusammen mit den Stammformen der unregelmäßigen englischen Verben, und dort heißt es “to drink – drank – drunk“, und nicht “to drink – drank – drunken“. Wieso also heißt es einmal “drunken“ und einmal “drunk“? In diesem Artikel werden 18 solche Fälle diskutiert, wo man zwischen zwei (oder noch mehr) Formen unterscheiden muss, die alle aus Perfekt-Partizipien von Verben stammen – entweder geht es um die Partizipien selber oder um die daraus abgeleiteten Adjektive, oder um beides. (Ausnahme: gold vs. golden) In alphabetischer Reihenfolge: Born vs borne Hier gilt es zwischen zwei Bedeutungen des Verbs “to bear“ zu unterscheiden: 1.1. “To bear – bore – borne“ bedeutet “tragen / transportieren“: Wenn es um das tatsächliche Tragen / Transportieren von Objekten geht, dann hat “to bear – bore – borne“ einen literarischen bzw. veralteten Klang:His coffin was borne by six officers. Then the body was borne away for burial. The clumsy great boat, swept around and borne by the tide, finally hit the pier. The ship also heaves, being borne up and dropped down as it crosses the surging sea. Her gown had a ten-yard train [= Schleppe] of pink velvet borne by eight pages [= Pagen]. A simple wooden casket bearing the body of evangelist Billy Graham was borne by a military unit on Wednesday into the U.S. Capitol and onto a black-draped catafalque in the rotunda. On the second day, the finest and richest of Macedonian arms were borne along in many wagons. The “Liber pontificalis” states that Leo III (795) had twenty silver vessels made which were borne by acolytes in the processions to the stations. In a solemn procession the relic was borne by a priest on horseback, accompanied by a large crowd of people. The figure of the beautiful woman dancing for the maharao's pleasure while borne up on the tusks of the royal elephant is a spectacle the likes of which can barely be imagined. Vast sections of Tanzania are infected with sleeping sickness borne by the tsetse fly. Malaria is borne by mosquitoes from marshy land, ditches and stagnant water. Germs borne in air and water may spawn many more deaths. The problem is exacerbated by how livestock are kept in poor countries, which can magnify diseases borne by wild animals. There is malaria, borne by the Anopheles genus of mosquito. An acrid smell of burning was borne in on the wind. Im übertragenen Sinn: His face had borne a sullen look when he came in. He had done his duty well and had borne the repute of a brave soldiers. (C. Doyle) Mr William Hope [was] one whom he had always borne in esteem. (C. Doyle) I’m looking for the visual descriptions of the Colours that were borne by the British regiments in the Crimean War. In the US Navy, names of states were borne by battleships, cruisers were named for cities, while destroyers came to be named for American naval leaders and heroes. The name [Thecla] was borne by a 1st-century saint (the first female martyr). The British title “Lord” is borne by barons, viscounts, earls and marquesses. In the French hierarchy of nobles the title chevalier was borne by a younger son of a duke, marquis or count. Even in the reign of Theodosius, the Christian Emperor of Rome, the title of Cardinal was borne by his Prime Minister. Nizam al-Mulk is a title borne by various Indian Muslim princes. She never obtained the rank of an Imperial princess, nor that of Margravine, the title borne by Charles Frederick's first wife. Redewendungen:The tree had never borne fruit. The severe orders which he had issued to his officers had borne fruit. Repeated legislative efforts to promote pay equality have borne little fruit. My father has never borne malice against a single living creature. He

FAQs

Why do “drunken sailor” and “drunk” appear in different contexts?

Both forms relate to perfect participles, but they develop distinct adjective meanings. The document explains the difference through verb stem forms and usage history, showing why the adjective form can shift between meanings.

What kinds of distinctions does the document cover in its 18 cases?

It covers situations where learners must choose between two (or more) forms originating from perfect participles—either the participles themselves, the adjectives derived from them, or both.

What does “born vs borne” mean in the document?

It distinguishes meanings of “to bear – bore – borne”: one meaning is “to carry/transport,” typically with a literary or archaic tone, illustrated with many example sentences.

Sep 2, 2026

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