2007-03-07 17:23:40 · 15 answers · asked by VioletJ 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Married is past participle of the verb "to marry"
Born is past participle of the verb "to bear"
Participles have the sense of, and can be used as if they were adjectives
2007-03-07 17:43:26 · answer #1 · answered by QQ dri lu 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think this is a really good question that, you know, takes someone with a little knowledge of English grammar to answer it. If you said "I am marrying Mary." The am + ing verb mean a present participle and it is used to make the progressive tense. There is such a thing as a persent perfect tense and it is a action that is complete in the present. I am saved. Gee! that looks a lot like the construction of "I am married," doesn't it? The past perfect would be an action that ended in the past. I was married is an example of this tense... I believe.
I have found an interesting word called a verbal. It means a word that combines characteristics of a verb with those of a noun or adjective. Well, an infinitive is a verb form having the characteristics of a verb and a noun and ususal begins with 'to.' A gerund seems to be pretty much the same thing ... I think it maybe ends in '-ing.' And, a participle is a verb form or verbal having the characteristics of a verb and an adjective. Let us see if we cannot find a case when 'married' would clearly be an adjective and certianly not confused with a verb tense. A married person has a duty of faithfulness to his spouse. I think that we can eliminated married as a predicate in this sentence. And, I moreover I believe it is safe to say that it is a verbal used as an adjective. I think that we may well find people who disagree with this. To them I would say that I don't believe in grammar and they are surely entitled to make up their own. I do what I like with words and I accept that some people feel I am a clout for my usage. But, then I run to the end of my patience with them. Participles are used as adjectives. They are verb forms. But, they are not predicates. I think I should slove it by say that when the form is liked to verb that seems to be the predicate that it is more than likely a tense of some sort. So I say it is a verb. You may change it to I was or I will be... etc. I am married. has strong support for it being a verb. I feel the same with I am born... I will be born. (the future perfect? he he he) ( I am joking.) My only trouble with this is that when I was in school we had a construction that we called a predicate noun and predicate adjective. These were formed with a verb of being. ( I am the king of grammar. And, I am noble. ) These I believe to be examples of each. My mind has just froze and I cannot think of another word to say.
2007-03-08 04:39:50 · answer #2 · answered by madchriscross 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In I am married: "married" is an adjective, whilst in "I was born in 1970", "born" is a past participle. In fact, the word "born" is always part of a verb, never an adjective.
If you said "I was married in 1970" (i.e. got married in that year), that too would be a past participle.
Also consider the following: "I was married (past participle) in 1970; I was still married (adjective) in 1971; I was divorced (past participle) in 1972; I am still divorced (adjective)".
2007-03-08 02:47:12 · answer #3 · answered by GrahamH 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Their function is the one of "nominal predicate". They complement the verb BE and their part of speech is not changed, so "married" is an adjective and "born" is an adjective as well
2007-03-08 10:52:16 · answer #4 · answered by zmayche 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"married" is an adjective in this usage, to fill it out...I am a married person. The "am" is what makes it an adjective. I am short. Short is an adjective because of the "am", which makes the next word describe the noun.
If it was just "I married", "married" would be a verb, it would be something you did. I married so and so.
"was born" is a verb phrase
2007-03-08 01:26:01 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
They are participles, i.e. infinite forms of a verbs that function like adjectives. So, according to your perspective, you can sort them under the verbal or the adjectival parts of speech.
2007-03-10 01:22:10 · answer #6 · answered by Sterz 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Marcelo is correct, except I'd add that 'married' is used as an adjective in your example, and 'born' is used in its verb sense (past participle)
2007-03-08 02:24:22 · answer #7 · answered by JP 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No! adjectives are 'describing' words they describe a noun..eg
A big house,a red car,a thoughtful person,a quick kiss.
big,red,thoughtful and quick are adjectives.
Adverbs (many end in 'ly')..modify verbs eg.
I ran quickly, they kissed passionately,he read quietly.
quickly,passionately and quietly are adverbs.
2007-03-08 04:26:37 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Verbs
2007-03-08 01:25:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Married- noun and adj.
born adj.
2007-03-09 07:20:04 · answer #10 · answered by mrs tog 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋