31/10/2017 Participle clauses

Introduction

What are participles?

There are three participles: present participle, past participle and perfect participle:

Jack is riding his bike - present participle

May has decided to go to university - past participle

Having eaten already, I did not feel lie another meal - perfect participle

Uses
1. Participle clauses can replace relative clauses. These are sometimes called reduced relative
clauses:

The woman who is leading the investigation is Dr Smith - relative clause

The woman leading the investigation is Dr Smith - participle clause/reduced relative

clause

2. Participle clauses can follow prepositions and conjunctions

After resting for a few minutes, I continued my run

Before having surgery, Jack was given anaesthetic

3. Participle clauses talk about things in a sequence. The perfect participle clause expresses
the action that happened before the other one:

Having unpacked my suitcases, I went out to explore the city.

Compare this with a present participle clause, which indicates that the two actions happen at
the same time

Unpacking my suitcase, I realised I had forgotten to pack my medicine.

4. Participle clauses oer an alternative to the passive:

I was almost killed, which is why I was so shaken up - passive

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31/10/2017 Participle clauses

Having almost been killed, I was shaken up - participle clause

Greg had been stung my the comment, and quietly slipped out of the room. -perfect
participle clause

Stung my the comment, Greg quietly slipped out of the room.-past participle clause

5. Participle clauses oer an alternative to an unreal present or real future conditional:

If you look after this sofa carefully, it will last for many years - rst conditional

Looked after carefully, this sofa will last for many years - participle clause

If I was given the chance to act in a lm, I would denitely do it - second conditional

Given the chance to act in a lm, I would denitely do it - participle clause

6. Participle clauses are used to talk about reason (in place of words like so or therefore):

I believed that I was being followed, so I turned the corner and ran.

Believing I was being followed, I turned the corner and ran.

7. Participle clauses are used to talk about result (in place of words like because or as a
result):

I got up late, because I had overslept.

I got up late, having overslept.

8. Participle clauses are used to talk about time (in place of words like when, while or as
soon as):

While I was lying in bed, I could hear someone moving around downstairs

Lying in bed, I could hear someone moving around downstairs

9. The present participle can be used to describe the following verbs:

come, go, sit

Jack went running down the road.

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31/10/2017 Participle clauses

The present participle can also be used after verbs of the senses if we do not want to
emphasise that the action was completed.

feel, nd, hear, listen to, notice, see, smell, watch

Did you hear her singing?

The present participle can be used to shorten or combine active clauses that have the same
subject.

The fans left the stadium and cheered.

The fans left the stadium cheering.

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