Participle clauses
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 jassa,
In traditional grammar, the gerund is an -ing form which functions as a noun, meaning it can be the subject or the object in a sentence. Participles are forms of the verb with many uses but most often they function as adjectives.
In modern grammar we tend to simply use the term -ing form and describe its uses without giving separate names to each. In other words we say that the -ing form can be used as a noun or as an adjective - one form with two uses rather than two distinct forms with different names.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello LearnEnglish Team,
I want to highlight the following sentence from a news article from BBC News:
Here we can see a participle clause after the preposition "with". What does this sentence mean with the participle clause included. There could be many examples of participle clause following "with". I wanted to know how and when to use present participle clause after "with". If you cold just explain please?
Hello ShetuYogme,
We use this kind of clause to introduce supporting information or examples to back up the point made in the main clause. It's also possible to use 'having introduced' if you want to emphasise that the action was in the past rather than still being current.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter,
I think this kind of clause is different from present participle clauses. In a present participle cluase, the subject is the same as that in the main cluses. Examples from this page:
On the other hand, in the following sentence, we have two subjects in both the clauses:
The subject in the main clause is 'Republicans', while that in the clause beginning with 'with' is 'members of the House'.
I have following sentence:
Shetu Yogme
Hello,
A user has a similar question regarding the clauses beginning with 'with'. He has got satisfactory answers from the LearnEnglish Team. Here is the link:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/comment/191190#comment-191190
Shetu Yogme
Hello again Shetu Yogme,
Yes, that was my response.
With + ing can be used with a different subject, or with the same subject:
The meaning this expresses is as I explained above.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter,
Thank you very much for your response.
Shetu Yogme
Hello!
I believe there is a mistake on identifying the participle clause as a whole but also the use of the present participle is wrong in the sentence you provide. The sentence reads as follows:
Republicans have previously tried to get English designated as the US’s official language, with members of the House introducing legislation that failed in 2021.
I ONLY identity this part: “(…) with members of the House introducing legislation that failed in 2021.” as the participle clause. My explanation is a bit nuanced but it was only this way that I could make sense of it…
First, I believe that instead of using the present participle: “introducing”, a perfect participle: “having introduced” should be used. From what I can analyze, the construction of the clause aims for an emphasis on the legislation rather than the House, so the subject or the “doer” of the clause is not that relevant; therefore, the use of a passive form is suggested (as explained by this lesson, the perfect participle can be used to make an active or passive voice). Secondly, why not use a past participle clause if passive will be used? Because in order to maintain the use of with we must use a perfect participle clause, and because it is our aim not to change much of the original text. Finally, it is more economical and is of higher proficiency (just like the purpose of using participle clauses) than to write: Republicans have previously tried to get English designated as the US’s official language, the members of the House introduced a legislation but the legislation failed in 2021.
So, to conclude the sentence would end up like this:
Republicans have previously tried to get English designated as the US’s official language, with members of the House having introduced a legislation that failed in 2021.
What are your thoughts? And in any case you still find this clause not a form of participle, what form should you propose? Moreover, do remember that natives commit mistakes, so even a respected journal or journalist might not be grammatically coherent, also, we do not really know whether the text was revised and approved by a grammar specialist.
Best of regards, Nyree.
Hello Nyree,
Strictly, the participle clause begin with the participle (introducing) which modifies the noun phrase preceding it. However, the user was interested in the use of the construction 'with + noun + participle' so that was the focus of the answer.
The use of a present participle is fine here. As I said in my initial answer, a perfect participle can be used instead, but it is not necessary. A past participle could also be used here: ...with legislation introduced (by them/by Republicans) in... This would have a passive meaning, as you say, and is an option. A perfect form is also possible: ...with legislation having been introduced (by...) in...
As you can see, there are many options; the choice is up to the author and depends on the emphasis they wish to place.
Note also that 'legislation' is uncountable, so there is no indefinite article before it.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello dear teacher🙋🏽♂️
Participles are verbs?