Which of the following sentences contain a participle used as an adjective?
(A) From the bus window, we saw dancing peacocks in a mustard field near Alwar.
(B) Reading in dim light can hurt your eyes.
(C) Dadi keeps a faded photograph of her school friends in her prayer box.
(D) The children are making paper boats to float in the puddles near the gate.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A) and (C) only
(A) From the bus window, we saw dancing peacocks in a mustard field near Alwar. — Correct.
- “Dancing” stands before “peacocks” and describes them, so it is a present participle used as an adjective.
(B) Reading in dim light can hurt your eyes. — Incorrect.
- “Reading” is the subject of “can hurt”. It is a gerund (an -ing word used as a noun), not a describing word.
(C) Dadi keeps a faded photograph of her school friends in her prayer box. — Correct.
- “Faded” is the past participle (V3) of “fade”. It stands before “photograph” and describes it, like an adjective.
(D) The children are making paper boats to float in the puddles near the gate. — Incorrect.
- “Making” is part of the verb “are making”, which shows an action going on. It does not describe any noun.