
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
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
Hello Fiona,
I think you can use either come or coming here.
If you use coming it is a present participle describing 'them', as you say. It functions in the same way as the second present participle ('asking').
If you use come then the construction is 'have somebody do something'. We can use this construction when we require or order someone to do something, but it can be also be used when we have reached a limit of what we can accept:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Umoh Margaret,
It could be either of them! Both interpretations make sense, and mean pretty much the same thing in this context.
Sorry, we don't make general corrections to user comments, but if you have a specific question, feel free to ask us :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello mehransam05,
The dictionary entry for 'pledge' shows that it is followed by an infinitive, which would suggest that B is the best option here. This sentence, however, is a bit different because the verb is 'decided to pledge' and I think A could work.
If it were me writing this, though, I would probably use a different construction (e.g. 'decided to dedicate his life to finding').
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Muhammad Erad,
Both sentences are grammatically correct.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmed Imam,
I don't think either of these are natural constructions.
We use 'in case' to introduce a problem or negative effect which we want to avoid: I took an umbrella in case it rained.
We use 'in case of' in two ways.
The first is with the same meaning as 'in case' but with a noun following it instead of a clause: I took an umbrella in case of rain.
The second is with the meaning 'if this happens then...': In case of fire, break glass.
In your examples I imagine you are trying to say that you will only go the cinema if the other person goes with you. You can use 'if' or 'unless':
I won't go the cinema unless you go with me.
I won't go to the cinema if you don't go with me.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Genaib,
Used like this, 'given' means the same thing as 'due to' or 'because of' -- that is, it expresses a reason for a situation or action.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Rafaela1,
I think they are neutral in style. They are used in informal and formal language use.
They are used in both speaking and writing, but particularly in writing. In speaking, Having said that, ... is quite commonly used, and there may be other common ones too.
I hope that helps :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Genaib,
The first word should be a past participle ('washed') instead of a present participle. Saying 'Washed at a low temperature' has a meaning similar to an 'if' condition: 'If they are washed at a low temperature'. We use a past participle to mean this, not a present participle.
Does that make sense?
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello IjajKhan,
It's a little unusual to see or hear 'after having + v3' in modern British English -- instead people tend to use 'Having spent six hours ...' -- but essentially both mean the same thing: after completing one action, another action happens or is done.
Most of the time, the second form ('after completing') is the form I'd recommend you use. This is because even a form like 'having completed' isn't used very much, at least in standard British English.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello ljajKhan,
Yes, those sentences are grammatically correct. I'm not sure if they would be the most natural choices, but that would depend on the context.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Rahmond Aung,
Not normally comes before having. Here are some examples.
People sometimes put not after having, but this is less common.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi elsa78,
It's a good question :) Past participles are used if the verb has a passive meaning, in relation to the grammatical subject. For example:
If the verb has an active meaning, present participles are used.
Does that make sense?
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Nicoletta,
Yes, attracted is an adjective here. It's connected to She finds herself earlier in the sentence. She finds herself means 'She realises that she's somewhere or doing something, without having intended to'. The structure needs a complement to complete it, to show the unintended thing, e.g.:
The third example is similar to your example, with an adjective as the complement.
Does that make sense?
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello irismatov,
I'm not sure I'd say that it's incorrect, but I'd recommend you change the sentence a little. My first recommendation would be to use a relative clause ('Water, which turns to ice at 0ºC, is the crucial for life'). Another way would be: 'Turning to ice at 0ºC, water is crucial for life'.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Ahmed Imam,
Sorry, costing isn't correct here. The structure in this sentence is a reduced relative clause, and the full version would be: The camera which/that is costing 10000 pounds is over there. But, the problem is cost is a stative verb, and stative verbs aren't normally used in the present continuous (see this page on stative verbs for more information). So, it should be:
Does that make sense?
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello BillJ,
Jonathan will get back to you regarding this in the next few days. In the meantime, I wanted to thank you for your other comments and explain why they haven't been published.
The purpose of our grammar explanations are to present the language in a way that is accessible and helpful to non-specialist learners. We're aware that there are different approaches to grammar and different views on how to describe various structures (whether or not 'reduced relative clause' is a useful term being a good example), but our pages are not a place for technical discussions of this type.
Thank you very much, though, for your contributions to the site.
Best wishes,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi BillJ,
I can see your point. Thanks for bringing it up.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
Hello KK1991,
Yes, that's fine -- well done!
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Sz.Kata,
The sentence looks fine to me apart from the comma after 'technology'. The last clause (beginning with 'which') is a defining relative clause and so should have no comma before it.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Rafaela,
I think I understand what you mean, but it sounds a little unnatural to me. I'd recommend something like 'Being someone who forgets grammar as time passes ...'
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team