Participle clauses

Participle clauses

Do you know how to use participle clauses to say information in a more economical way? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how participle clauses are used.

Looked after carefully, these boots will last for many years.
Not wanting to hurt his feelings, I avoided the question. 
Having lived through difficult times together, they were very close friends.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

Grammar B1-B2: Participle clauses: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Participle clauses enable us to say information in a more economical way. They are formed using present participles (going, reading, seeing, walking, etc.), past participles (gone, read, seen, walked, etc.) or perfect participles (having gone, having read, having seen, having walked, etc.). 

We can use participle clauses when the participle and the verb in the main clause have the same subject. For example,

Waiting for Ellie, I made some tea. (While I was waiting for Ellie, I made some tea.)

Participle clauses do not have a specific tense. The tense is indicated by the verb in the main clause. 

Participle clauses are mainly used in written texts, particularly in a literary, academic or journalistic style. 

Present participle clauses

Here are some common ways we use present participle clauses. Note that present participles have a similar meaning to active verbs. 

  • To give the result of an action
    The bomb exploded, destroying the building.
  • To give the reason for an action
    Knowing she loved reading, Richard bought her a book.
  • To talk about an action that happened at the same time as another action
    Standing in the queue, I realised I didn't have any money.
  • To add information about the subject of the main clause
    Starting in the new year, the new policy bans cars in the city centre.

Past participle clauses

Here are some common ways that we use past participle clauses. Note that past participles normally have a passive meaning.

  • With a similar meaning to an if condition
    Used in this way, participles can make your writing more concise. (If you use participles in this way, … )
  • To give the reason for an action
    Worried by the news, she called the hospital.
  • To add information about the subject of the main clause
    Filled with pride, he walked towards the stage.

Perfect participle clauses

Perfect participle clauses show that the action they describe was finished before the action in the main clause. Perfect participles can be structured to make an active or passive meaning.

Having got dressed, he slowly went downstairs.
Having finished their training, they will be fully qualified doctors.
Having been made redundant, she started looking for a new job.

Participle clauses after conjunctions and prepositions

It is also common for participle clauses, especially with -ing, to follow conjunctions and prepositions such as before, after, instead of, on, since, when, while and in spite of.

Before cooking, you should wash your hands. 
Instead of complaining about it, they should try doing something positive.
On arriving at the hotel, he went to get changed.
While packing her things, she thought about the last two years.
In spite of having read the instructions twice, I still couldn’t understand how to use it.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2

Grammar B1-B2: Participle clauses: 2

Language level

Average: 4.2 (90 votes)

Hello again yogesh,

The sentence uses ellipsis to avoid repetition. The full sentence would be as follow:

London, like the rest of the UK, is committed to becoming net-zero carbon by 2050. That means greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would be dramatically slashed and any remaining emissions would be offset, neutralizing environmental impact and slowing climate change.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Giang Phan on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 05:04

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Hi, I come across a sentence from a book. "Underwater research used to require divers to find shipwrecks, but recently, various types of underwater vehicles were developed, some controlled from a ship on the surface, and some of them autonomous, which means they don't need to be operated by a person" Could you explain what is the type of structure used in the part " some controlled from...and some of them ...". What is the function of that part in the sentence? Thank you. Giang
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Submitted by Peter M. on Thu, 10/09/2020 - 07:42

In reply to by Giang Phan

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Hi giangphan,

The clause provides extra information about the subject ('various types of underwater vehicles'). The verb here is a past participle as the meaning is passive. Some shows that the information does not apply to all examples of these vehicles; if the clauses were headed only by the participle then it would apply to all examples.

In terms of grammar, this is an adjunct clause, which means a clause which adds extra non-essential information to the sentence.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Reemtb on Tue, 08/09/2020 - 22:25

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Hello teachers , could you help me with this question? 1-The audience are on their feet, stomping and roaring, doing the Mexican wave, demanding encore after encore. 2-Heading a national system, known simply asElSistema, the Orchestra comprises over 200 young musicians aged from 16 to 20. -) Can we make participles in two clauses and more like the two examples above? Are these two sentences correct? -) And the phrase (aged from 16 to 20) is it the reduce relative clauses with adjective ( who are aged from 16 to 20 )?

Hello Reemtb,

The sentences you ask about look grammatically correct to me, though I'd recommend using more than one participle clause (actually, participle clauses in general) sparingly in your writing for stylistic reasons.

Yes, I think you could consider that a reduced relative clause. It's a commonly used phrase to express an age range.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Suhana on Sat, 05/09/2020 - 16:14

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Hello teachers, I came across the following sentence in one of the text books. Please tell me why the present participle is used instead of past participle. Being occupied with important matters, he had no leisure to see us. Can we convert this to: Occupied with important matters, he had no leisure to see us. If both are correct, then why the present participle is preferred over the past participle.

Hello Suhana,

Both forms (being occupied and occupied) are possible here and there is no difference in meaning in this context.

Being + past participle is a continuous passive form. In some contexts it can be used to emphasise that a situation or state was temporary or in progress, like all continuous forms.

 

You can use being + adjective. For example;

Being happy with my work, she agreed to give me a raise.

Since some adjectives have the same form as past participles, there is a potential ambiguity here. Your example could be interpreted in this way if we see occupied as an adjective rather than a verb form.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Reemtb on Wed, 02/09/2020 - 20:46

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Hello, Mr. I have a question. -Used in this way, participles can make your writing more concise. The full structure of this sentence is. (If you use participles in this way, … ) My question is, why did you use it in past participle although it is active in the full structure and the subject is different in the first part of sentence from the subject in the second part of the sentence?

Hello Reemtb,

The passive turns the object into the subject of the verb:

If you use participles in this way... > the subject is 'you'

If participles are used in this way... > the subject is 'participles'

Thus, when the passive is used the subject is the same in both clauses, allowing a participle clause to be used.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team