Rinoceronte
Junior Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2010
- Member Type
- English Teacher
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: "написанное".
...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: "сдерживаемое" (а не только "сдержанное").
So, the Participle should have rather been called Passive, not Past, since it describes Voice, not Time, and can be both past and present.
"a written letter" (the action of writing is over here, i.e., is past). For Russians: "написанное".
...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: "сдерживаемое" (а не только "сдержанное").
So, the Participle should have rather been called Passive, not Past, since it describes Voice, not Time, and can be both past and present.