Past participles have a number of uses, though mainly they are used for forming grammatical structures such as perfect tenses (We had discovered a key.) or as an adjective form of a verb (We took the discovered key.). In the perfect tenses, past participles come after have or had in the past, present and future forms. Below is an exercise that tests how when to use a past participle or a different verb form, based on this understanding of the perfect tenses (with answers).

Using past participles in the perfect tenses – exercise

Complete the following sentences with the verb in brackets, deciding if you need a past participle or another verb form.

We have _____ living her for twenty years. (to be)
What kind of nuts did you _____ in this meal? (to use)
They _____ had enough of the injustice, and told the man to stop. (to have)
The internet has _____ a huge impact on the way we interact. (to have)
Can you _____ me to the nearest post office? (to direct)
I have _____ the eggs, now to complete the cake. (to beat)
The window was _____ twice before they found the culprit. (to break)
I will _____ waiting for your return. (to be)
We will have _____ Grandma before Christmas Day. (to visit)
You must _____ the garden shed before it collapses. (to mend)
When they have _____ the art of dancing, they will try fencing. (to master)
Julio ran through the bath-house naked, because Julio _____ causing a scene. (to love)