Question

What is the difference between simple past and past participle?

Answer 1

simple past: action completed independent of other events.

past participle: verb terse (usually combined with with some form of "have" or "be") indicating completion of event prior to some other event (or or the present).

Explanation:

`color(white)("XXXXXX")`Example:

Simple Past
`color(white)("XXX")`Joe ate the entire cake by himself.

Past Participle
`color(white)("XXX")`(in perfect forms)
`color(white)("XXX")`Joe had eaten then entire cake before Alice arrived.
`color(white)("XXXXxX")`Joe's eating of the cake occurred before the time (in the past) when Alice arrived.

`color(white)("XXX")`Joe has eaten the entire cake!
`color(white)("XXXXX")`At this point in time, Joe has finished eating the cake.

`color(white)("XXX")`Joe will have eaten the entire cake before Alice arrives.
`color(white)("XXXXXX")`Before the future event of Alice's arrival, Joe will have finished eating the cake.

`color(white)("XXX")`(in passive form)
`color(white)("XXX")`The cake was eaten before Alice arrived.