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
I knew that I had made the right decision because I was delighted to hear the applause. Can we rewrite the sentence into 'Being delighted to hear the applause, I knew that I had made the right decision'?
Hello mousefun903,
Grammatically the sentence is fine. However, I think there is a problem with the original sentence. The speaker knows they made the right decision because they hear the applause, not because they are delighted. In other words, the cause of knowing it was the right decision is the sound of the applause, not the feeling of delight. Therefore the original sentence should sure be as follows:
That sentence could be rewritten as follows:
You could add an adjective (delightful) or another clause (which delighted me) to reference the speaker's feelings.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
In an book about English grammar I have found the following sentence:
“The fire alarm having stopped, we were able to go back into the building.”
The book itself says the participle clause has to have the same subject as the main sentence, so is this not a participle clause? Is it just grammatically wrong?
Thank you so much.
Hello davidtal94,
When no other subject is provided, the actions are performed by the same person (thing), as your book says:
However, we can add a different subject to participle clauses when there is a causal relationship between the two events. This can also be done through adding 'with':
This is most common with perfect participles (having...) but can be used with present participles too when the actions are simultaneous but still causally related. In this case 'with' is needed:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello davidtal94,
Your sentence is an example of absolute clauses, which, I have experienced, are very closely related to participle clauses and are most commonly used in very formal situations.
Shetu Yogme
Dear teacher,present participle and gerund are the same in meaning? Both are created by adding ing to the base form of the verb.
My second question is-
Participles function as an adjective but not as noun. And gerunds function as noun or they both can function as both(noun, adjective)?
Thanks.
Hello jassa,
Although both gerunds and present participles are '-ing' forms of verbs, they don't have similar meanings. I think you should compare infinitives and gerunds, because their functions are more or less the same: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/a1-a2-grammar/verbs-followed-ing-or-infinitive
Once you know the functions of gerunds, you can easily tell the difference between gerunds and present participles.
Gerunds function as nouns -- subjects as well as objects in sentences. For example:
On the other hand, present participle act as verbs in various tenses, as adjectives, or, can be used in present participle clause - as explained in this page above. For example:
Does my explanation make any sense to you, jassa?
Shetu Yogme.
Thank you dear sir.
When present participle don't function adjectively, then it functions verbally?
Thanks
Hello again jassa,
Participles have many uses in English - they are really quite flexible. You can see a full list here in the second headed 'Modern English':
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participle
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks dear teacher.