What part of speech is “caught”

caught is a past participle verb form of the verb 'catch' that is used in either the active or passive voice to express an action or state of being that has occurred in the past. It indicates that an action was successful and completed within a specified timeframe. Its purpose is to indicate a sense of completion within the action that was taken and to convey the idea that the action is finished, or over with. In order for caught to be properly used, it must be used in conjunction with an auxiliary verb, such as 'have,' 'has,' 'had,' 'will,' or 'would.' Use cases for this form of 'to catch' include catching a bus, catching a cold, as well as to indicate that one was apprehended or arrested, among many other options.

1. I have caught the bus on time every day this week.

2. She was caught stealing money from the office.

3. They had caught the culprit before anyone noticed the crime had even taken place.

caught should always be in the past participle form when used as a verb, and should never be used to indicate that an action is currently taking place or something that is planned for the future; in those cases, the infinitive form of 'to catch' should be used.