Adjectives: Participials

Adjectives from Verbs

Participial adjectives (-ed participials and -ing participials) are mainly derived from verbs. They serve as both attributive and predicative adjectives.

• Starting about 65,000 to 50,000 years ago, more advanced technology started appearing [ ]. (Longrich 2020)
• AI technologies are also a form of, but are internet-based attributive, compound adjective (noun + -ed participial) digital technology but are more advanced. (Shivhare 2019)
• In fact, all animals do it – with some interesting variations. (McMakin 2021)
• While the complexity is real and interesting, ultimately, how to brew is a personal choice. (Beckett 2022)
  
  Although there is a verb "to interest", the adjectives, interesting and interested, may be considered derivations from the noun. Often, where the adjective contains a prefix the derivation is more remote:
• For now, these questions remain unanswered. (Beaty 2018)
  
  There is no verb "to unanswer"; it derives from the verb "to answer" with the negative prefix "un-". In fact, "answered" as an adjective is rare ("answered question" is one possibility) but unanswered has more collocates: unanswered posts, questions, messages, points, threads, prayers ...
  Participial Adjectives also occur in adjectival compounds:
• Plant-eating animals would have struggled to stay alive. (Poropat 2020)
  
  The compound in this example consists of a noun + participial adjective. Participial compounds are often found in academic prose because, like complex noun phrases, they pack a lot of information into a short space.

Further Examples

• It is an exciting and fascinating idea. (Smart 2022)
• Researchers call it infant-directed speech. (Lam-Cassettari 2019)
• In other words, the heated air is less dense (Sherwood 2023)
• When do we become left-handed or right-handed? (Barton and Todorovic 2021)
  
  These are adjectival compounds. In this case, "handed" derives from a noun.
• It makes a quiet, high-pitched rustling sound. (Job 2021)
• Is there a better way to support a well-informed society? (Ashley 2019)
• Another example is the complex thinking you need to do when playing a fast-moving video game. (Chater 2019)
• Microbes are living single-celled creatures surrounded by a membrane. (Noll 2023)