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.
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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)
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