Participate or Participate In: Which One Is Correct?
The use of the verb participate can sometimes be confusing, particularly when it comes to combining it with prepositions. In this blog post, we will clarify how to correctly use participate within sentences.
Participate is an intransitive verb and therefore does not take a direct object. In other words, it is never followed immediately by a noun. It is used with the preposition in to indicate the activity or event in which someone is taking part:
✅ The team is going to participate in the marathon next week.
❌ The team is going to participate the marathon next week.
✅ Dad enjoys participating in discussions about politics.
❌ Dad enjoys participating discussions about politics.
✅ Very few people participated in the study.
❌ Very few people participated the study.
It is important to note that participate is not always followed by in. If the context is clear and the activity or event is obvious, participate can stand alone:
✅ The forum is set to begin next Monday. Everyone over the age of 18 is eligible to participate.
❌ The forum is set to begin next Monday. Everyone over the age of 18 is eligible to participate in.
✅ The community planned a clean-up event, but some residents refused to participate, believing it was the local government's responsibility.
❌ The community planned a clean-up event, but some residents refused to participate in, believing it was the local government's responsibility.
In everyday English, it is more common to say take part instead of participate, as the latter is considered rather formal:
✅ Everyone in the class is expected to take part in the debate.
I hope you have found this content helpful in your English learning journey. If so, please consider supporting this blog by buying me a coffee. Your contributions greatly help in maintaining the blog and are highly appreciated!
Examples from the Media
Guest speakers from around the world will join our own writers, editors, digital developers and photographers, to participate in more than 200 programmed sessions on everything, from the American presidential elections to the Arab spring. —The Guardian (2012)
Thousands of runners participated in the GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon in 2012, and organizers expect a strong turnout again this year despite the recent bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon. —Toronto Star (2023)
Hackers broke into the network of financial technology business Banktech, but the only customers whose data was compromised were those participating in a trial of cashless gaming by Wests Newcastle in its New Lambton venue. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2023)
We'll be hosting a series of smaller group discussions building off the themes that we've heard this morning on stage. I am hosting one of them as well as other folks involved in the program across the morning. If you've signed up to participate, please join us. —The Washington Post (2022)
Real-World Examples of Misuse
 |
| 1. Write two activities means to simply list or name two activities without providing any further explanation or details. For example, if you were asked to 'write two activities', your response might be playing games and watching performances. On the other hand, write about two activities means to describe the activities in more detail, not just name them. Since the instruction involves diary writing, which requires elaboration, write about two activities is more accurate and appropriate here. 2. The verb participated needs the preposition in to correctly indicate involvement in an activity. 3. Using from is more natural than during in this context because it better conveys the idea of recalling specific moments or experiences taken away from the event. 4. Fun Day is the name of the event, so it does not require the definite article the. Alternatively, using the event helps avoid repeating Fun Day while still referring to it effectively. (Source: Evangel College) (Also by the Same School: 1/2/3) |
0 Comments