Participles and participle clauses

Participles and participle clauses

Participles as adjectives

Participle clauses after certain conjunctions and prepositions

Participle clauses after object complements with certain verbs

Participle clauses after there is, there are

Reduced relative clauses

Adverbial participle clauses

Tip - this is quite a mammoth lesson, so you might want to do it in stages. (It was certainly a bit of a
marathon writing it!)

Introduction 1 - Underline all the present participles and the past participles in these
sentences to underline them. If there's more than one participle, underline both of
them.
1

She has a talking parrot

2

What time are you meeting your parents?

3

Anyone wanting more potatoes, just shout.

4

We haven't used up all the the potatoes, have we?

5

All those selected for a second interview, please follow me.

6

Since moving to the country, we feel much healthier.

7

Did you hear someone shouting just then.

8

He walked into the café, wearing a red carnation and holding newspaper.

9

I found an old lottery ticket while tidying up the house.

10 Aren't you tired after your, long walk?
11 Tired out after his long walk, he went straight to bed.
12 He could feel something crawling up his leg.
a.
b.

c.
d.
e.

As adjectives
In verb tense forms
After certain prepositions and conjunctions
After verbs of the senses
In reduced relative clauses (try adding who or which and perhaps changing the verb
form)
f. In an adverbial participle cause

Introduction 2 - Try to match the participles you underlined with their uses. Enter the
function letters (a-f) in the boxes. Don't worry if you have problems with these at
this stage. All should come clear later.

A closer look 1 – participles
Types of participle


Together with infinitives, participles are sometimes called non-finite verb forms. As well as present and
past participles there are some compound forms:

perfect - Having arrived early, we got the best seats.

continuous - Being employed in the textile industry, he knew all about materials.

perfect passive - Having been selected for the team, he was now a local hero.

Present participle or gerund?

Not all -ing forms are participles. When they act like a noun they are gerunds. Gerunds can function as
the:

subject - Smoking (cigarettes) is bad for you.

object - I like reading (crime novels).

complement - My favourite form of exercise is cycling (in the forests).
Note that the gerund, though acting as a noun, is still a verb form and can take its own object and
adverbial phrase.

Exercise 0a - Decide whether these -ing forms are participles or gerunds
participle gerun
d
1. Finishing his coffee he stood up.
2. Drinking too much coffee can be bad for you.
3. I really like drinking coffee after a meal.
4. Having finished his meal he made himself a coffee.
5. I try to buy coffee carrying the 'Fair Trade' label.
6. One thing I find therapeutic is grinding coffee by hand.

Participles as adjectives

Before a noun Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain (song - The Cascades)
Try sleeping with a broken heart (song - Alicia Keys)

After a linking verb The children are feeling very excited about their visit to the circus.
English grammar can be very confusing sometimes.
In particular, -ing and -ed participles can sometimes be confusing when used as adjectives. Look at these
lines from the song 'Being Boring' by Pet Shop Boys


I would never find myself feeling bored

'Cause we were never being boring

We had too much time to find for ourselves
The past participles bored, interested, excited etc. are used to say what someone feels.
The present participles boring, interesting, exciting etc. are used to describe the people or things that
cause the feelings.


Ex 0b - Fill the gaps using the adjectives in the box.
interested · surprising · bored · boring · surprised · interesting · frustrating · fascinated
· tired · tiring · frustrated · fascinating

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

It's

how hot it can get here in Summer.

I was really

to hear the news. It was so unexpected.

I'm so

. Let's go out and do something.

Trying to contact a help desk is so

when they just put you on hold.

The kitten was totally

when it saw itself in the mirror.

These physical exercises can be very
That film was so
Are you

.

. It was like watching paint dry.
in natural history?

I find kittens totally
I get really

. I could watch them playing for hours.
when I can't solve a problem.

Do you find natural history
He was so

?
he could hardly keep his eyes open.

A closer look 2 - participle clauses
1. Participle clauses are often used after certain conjunctions and prepositions. See
note at the end.
Ex 1a - Fill the gaps using the words in the box.
While · When · After · By · On · Since

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

eating our picnic, we walked along the river bank.
hearing the signal, we knew it was time to leave.
leaving university, he has had several jobs.
eaten for the first time, fresh coriander can taste a bit soapy.
turning this handle, you can start the machine working.
walking through the forest I saw some deer

Participle clauses can also be used after some other conjunctions and prepositions

Ex 1b - Fill the gaps using the participles in the box.
being · doing · stirring · cooking · browned
entertaining · using · cooked · overheating

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Whenever

I like to serve onion bhaji, an Indian side dish.

As well as

very easy to make, these are delicious.

And in spite of
Before
beaten eggs.

a bit of oil, they are quite light.
any thing else, chop the onions into rings and add them to some

Add the flour, ground coriander and cumin seeds,

well to combine.

Gently heat some oil in a deep-sided frying pan without
Instead of

them in a frying pan, you could use a wok.

Fry the onion bhaji mixture until lightly
further 30 seconds.
Once

the oil.

, then turn them over and fry for a

, remove the bhaji and drain on kitchen paper.

2 Participle clauses can also be used as object complements:
a) after verbs of perception: see, hear, feel etc.
The pattern is verb of perception + object + participle clause

I saw him running away

I noticed a man acting suspiciously

Ex 2a - Fill the gaps using the participles in the box.
ringing · setting · taking · trying

building · coming · falling · driving

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

On the beach I could see a small boy

sand castles.

Listen! Can you hear the bells
She noticed a man

from the village church.
the doors of all the cars parked in the street.

In the evening we watched the sun slowly
He could smell woodsmoke

behind the hills.
from the little cottage.

She felt a small hand

hold of hers.

Just listen to the rain

outside. It's bucketing down.

Will you look at that idiot

on the wrong side of the road.

b) after the verbs find, get, have, make, catch
The pattern is the same: verb + object + participle clause


Ex 2b - Fill the gaps using a participle form of the verbs in the box.
understand · wander · walk · work

1.
2.
3.
4.

I found him

aimlessly along the canal.

He managed to get the radio

again.

We'll soon have you up and

She can make herself

again.
pretty well in French.

2. Reduced relative clauses
Look at these reduced relative clauses using participles
1. Who is that man waving at us?
2. All the workers made redundant last month have now been found new jobs.
3. The money being collected will go to help a new orphanage

Ex 3a - Now make full relative clauses using who or which and the verb be
1.
2.
3.

Who is that man
All the workers
The money

waving at us?
made redundant last month ...
being collected will go ...

Rules for making reduced relative clauses
1. We can only make reduced relative clauses when the relative pronoun is the
subject of the relative clause.
2. The present participle can replace various active tenses, not only present
continuous


The train which is now arriving at Platform 3 is the 4.20 to Paddington.
The train now arriving at Platform 3 is the 4.20 to Paddington

Anyone who wants a ticket for the Final see me.
Anyone wanting a ticket for the Final see me.



People who arrived late were not allowed in until the interval.
People arriving late were not allowed in until the interval.

3. Single completed actions
When we talk about a single completed action in a defining relative clause, we cannot use an active
participle:

The boy who fell off his bicycle broke his leg.
The boy falling off his bicycle broke his leg.


4. When the event or action in the defining relative clause comes before that in the
main clause.
In this case we can't use a reduced relative clause:

Trees which fell (falling) in the storm have been removed.
unless it is the cause of the event or action in the main clause:

Trees falling in the storm have resulted in several accidents.

5. -ing form + prepositional phrase
We can omit the present participle when it is followed by a prepositional phrase:


The people who were sitting at the back couldn't hear.

The people sitting at the back couldn't hear.

The people at the back couldn't hear.

Note Remember that when the relative pronoun is the object of a defining relative
clause, we can omit (leave out) who, which or that




The children (who) I taught all became geniuses.
This is the hotel (which) I was telling you about.
They're going to have to sell the house (that) they bought only a year ago.

Exercise 3b - Where possible replace the underlined relative clauses with their
shortest possible forms. Enter them into the boxes, as in the example.





Use a reduced relative clause where possible
If you can omit the participle altogether, do so. (1 question)
If you can't use a reduced relative clause but can omit the relative pronoun, do so.
If you can do none of these, enter the original clause (1 question).

0.
1.

The people who are crossing the street are trying to get a better view.
crossing the street
The woman who is talking to your mother is my aunt.

2.

The man who is standing by the window is my uncle.

3.

All those who do not need to buy tickets please go straight in.

4.

The first vineyard which I ever saw was in Germany.

5.

Wikipedia, which was launched in 2001, is one of the great internet successes.

6.

Animals which share the savannah include wildebeest, zebras, gazelles and buffalo.

7.

All the candidates who were selected were given a second interview.

8.

All those who passed the test were given a second interview.

9.

The abbreviation LOL, which stands for Laughing Out Loud, is now in the OED.

10. The bouquet was made from flowers which were grown locally.
11. This the man who I was talking to you about.
12. The man who won yesterday's lottery lives next door.

There is / there are
The expressions there are and there is are often followed by a participle clause, acting rather like a
reduced relative.

There is a man (who is) washing his car.

There are some ducks (which are) swimming on the pond.

There is a hammock (which is) stretched between two trees.
We especially use this pattern when we are describing a scene.

Ex 3c Édouard Manet - Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe
Image from Wikipedia

Make present and past participles from the verbs in the box and type them into the
appropriate gaps. (Mouse over the ones in blue for a definition)
suggest · fill · scatter · have · moor

bathe · look · sit · wear


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

There are three people

on the grass.

In the background there's a woman
And there is also a boat

in a river.
by the river.

In the main group there are two men
And there's a woman not

a conversation.
any clothes

at the artist.

There are some clothes, presumably hers,

about on the ground.

In the foreground there are various things

they have had a picnic.

For example there is a basket half

with fruit.

4. Adverbial participle clauses
Exercise 4a - Click on all the words that make up the adverbial participle clauses to
underline them, as in the example. Check and then do Exercise 4b below.
0
1

Finishing his fruit juice, he reached for the cornflakes.
Used sparingly, this product could last you a year.

2

Having finished our homework, we went to the pub.

3

He went to work today not wearing a tie.

4

Having spent all their money on a new car, they couldn’t afford a holiday.

5

Turning off the lights, he locked up the office.

6
7

Not understanding the language, I tried to make myself understood using sig
ns and gestures.
He left the house a bit later than usual, just missing his train.

8

Served with Holandaise sauce, poached eggs are delicious.

9

I lay on the beach reading a book and watching the clouds go by

1 She wrote a brilliant essay, winning the school writing trophy.
0
1 I turned to the Sudoko page, having already completed the crossword.
1
1 Closing her book with a sigh, she got up to make herself a cup of coffee.
2
a) Consecutive - one action immediately follows another
b) It is important that one action happened before another

c) Cause - because of (since, as) participle clause > x
d) Condition - the idea of if /when + participle clause, then > x
e) Simultaneous - two actions happen at the same time
f)
Result - participle clause is a result of x

Exercise 4b - Now match the adverbial participle clauses you underlined in Exercise
4a with their six main functions a-f
Notes for adverbial participle clauses

We can use a participle clause instead of a full adverbial clause when the idea condition, cause
etc. is so strong that a conjunction (if, because etc) is unnecessary.

This use is often seen as rather formal.



The subject of the participle clause and main clause are usually the same (but seedangling
participles below).

The participle clause having done something sometimes suggests that it was important that
something was finished first, but it can also sometimes suggest cause.

We can use -ing clauses with verbs like be, have, wish, know . In these cases the participle
clause usually expresses cause or reason.
o
Being from Normandy, she must know how to cook crèpes (pancakes).
o
Having an expensive car, my insurance is very high.
o

Not wishing to offend her, I told her it was a lovely dress.
o
I wasn't at all surprised at what he did knowing him as I do.

Exercise 4c - Replace these clauses suggesting a condition with adverbial participle
clauses as in the example.
0. If you add it to pasta sauce , it makes the sauce very creamy.
Added to pasta sauce
1. When it is stored in a cool place the jam will keep for several months.
2. When you do it every day this exercise will help strengthen your leg muscles.
3. If you apply it to the face and arms the cream will protect them from insect bites.
4. If they are planted in early spring these vegetables can be harvested in the summer.
5. When you mix it with butter and water the flour forms a dough.
6. If you recharge them every day, the batteries should last a few years.

Exercise 4d - Match the beginnings and endings of these adverbial participle clauses
suggesting a time connection.
1. Switching off the alarm clock
2. He was sitting in his favourite chair
3. Adding the water
4. Having finished his book
5. Looking over her shoulder
6. He was looking out of the window
7. Seeing her across the road
8. The child laughed happily
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

f)
g)
h)

he looked around for something else to read.
clapping her hands with joy.
she saw someone was following her.
she started to stir the mixture.
totally engrossed in his crossword.
he jumped out of bed.
dreamily smoking a pipe and contemplating the scene.
he waved frantically.


Exercise 4e - Rewrite these sentences with adverbial participle clauses suggesting
cause and result. Start with the word(s) given in brackets, as in the example.
Tip - The easiest way is to copy and paste the sentences into the boxes then edit them. But be careful
not to include any extra spaces.

0. Because he was exhausted he went straight to bed.(Being ...)
Being exhausted he went straight to bed
1. She had given it to him as a present, so she was furious when he sold it. (Having ...)
2. I tripped up on the pavement and hurt my knee. (I tripped ...)
3. As we haven't much money, we are staying at home this year. (Not ...)
4. Because prices are so high, demand has fallen considerably. (Prices)
5. The rain fell all night and left the roads covered with water. (The rain fell ...)
6. As the doctor hasn't seen the test results yet, he can't make a diagnosis. (Not ...)

Dangling participles
I was going to say something here about dangling modifiers. These happen when the subject of the two

clauses is different. Sometimes the meaning is quite clear, sometimes it is a bit ambiguous, sometimes it
can have comic effects.

Crossing the road without looking, a red car knocked him down.

Woken up by all the noise, the room seemed very dark.

Running around and jumping with joy, he took his dog to the park.
But if I don't stop now the chances are this post will never get finished, so danglers will just have to wait.
And in any case, they deserve a post to themselves. Well, together with misplaced modifiers, perhaps.

Is it a gerund, or is it a participle? -ing forms after prepositions
Note - -ing forms after prepositions, "can often be considered as either participles or gerunds - the
dividing line is not clear" (Shaw - Practical English Usage). For anyone interested I've added my
interpretation of why.
Let's take the sentence:
After eating our picnic we walked along the river bank.
One way of looking at is to say that eating our picnic is a gerund phrase, the object of the
prepositionafter. (We could equally as well have used a noun - After our picnic, we ...)
But this gerund phrase is part of a longer prepositional phrase:
After eating our picnic
Prepositional phrases can act as adjectives or adverbs, and this one is acting as an adverb, modifying the
verb walked. When did we walk? After eating our picnic. And with this adverbial function, the
prepositional phrase, although containing a gerund, is acting more like a participle clause.
But the waters get even murkier. Look at this sentence:
After we had eaten our breakfast, we walked along the river bank.
The word after is now a conjunction, followed by a clause with subject, verb etc. And we can change this
adverbial clause into a participle clause:
After eating our picnic we walked along the river bank.
Oops! We're back where we started. Hence the grey area. Most TEFL books will just treat these

sentences as participle clauses, and have done with it, but you will occasionally see them referred to as
gerund phrases.

Sources


This lesson is largely based on:

Practical English Usage - Michael Swan (Oxford)

Advanced Grammar in Use - Martin Hewings (Cambridge)
Although of course any errors will be mine.