Participle clauses

What Are Participle Clauses?

Participle clauses are subordinate clauses that begin with a participle.

These clauses do not have a specific tense and are therefore categorized as 'non-finite' clauses.

we use participle clauses 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.)

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 Ing

Present

active

▪ To give the result of an action

The bomb exploded, destroying the building.

most adults tend to change and adjust their lifestyle according to their

experiences and desires after leaving school, forgetting most, if not all, of what they have

been taught.

Nevertheless, most apartments have few or no south-facing windows, resulting in less light penetrating

they would definitely reduce children’s physical activity, leading them to gain extra weight.

there has been a serious decline in most people’s levels of physical activity, leading them to burn fewer calories and

gain weight.

▪ To give the reason for an action

Knowing she loved reading, Richard bought her a book.

 it is difficult to assess anything other than a worker’s output, making any other form of appraisal less effective.

▪ 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

Opening next week, the restaurant will employ 10 people.

Starting in the new year, the new policy bans cars in the city centre.

it has recently enjoyed more popularity with many ordinary people, trying to fill in the gaps in their family trees

Past participle clauses Ed

passive

With a similar meaning to an if condition

Looked after carefully, it would stay alive.

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.

Devastated by the news, she called the hospital.

To add information about the subject of the main clause

Embarrassed by the gift, jane didn’t know what to say.

Filled with jealousy, she broke off their engagement.

Perfect Participle Clauses

Clauses are used to indicate an action that was completed before the action in the main clause. Perfect

participles can be used to form either active or passive sentences.

Having washed his car, Mark went out to drive.

Having finished their homework, they walked downstairs to go to the restaurant.

Having been made with chocolate, the cake made me sick.

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.

Having been welcomed by the teacher, the student sat down

Standing near the window, Mary could see the whole village.

Standing near the window, the entire village was in the view.

What Are Participle Clauses?

Participle clauses are subordinate clauses that begin with a participle. These clauses do not have a specific tense and are therefore categorized as 'non-finite' clauses. In this lesson, we are going to learn more about them.

Participle Clauses: Types

In English, there are three different types of participle clauses:

Present Participles

Past Participles

Perfect Participles

In this lesson, we will discuss present participle and past participle clauses.

Present Participle Clauses

Present participle clauses are used in different contexts:

When two actions take place at the same time:

Talking to me, mom signaled dad to open the door. 

 As you can see, here two actions are taking place at the same time and we use a 'present participle clause' for one of them.

Looking straight in his eyes, I kept quiet. 

When something is the reason for something else:

Being aware that she is alone, she decided to keep her distance from others. 

Knowing that they are not coming back, the poor boy killed himself. 

When one thing is the result of another:

People are flooding the streets, complaining about everything. 

The water came up, drowning the whole village. 

When we want to give more information on a subject:

Being tired and all, Jessie started the car. 

Past Participle Clauses

Past participle clauses are used in the following contexts:

When we want to give a reason for something:

Stuck in this mad house, no wonder why Rick's gone insane. 

Shocked by the incident, Sheila couldn't speak. 

When we want to show a conditional situation:

Taken care of, these flowers will last an eternity. 

Treated badly, Hannah will ignore you like you never existed. 

When we want to give further information on the topic:

Scared to death, the cat could not move. 

Hurt by her partner's words, Elio simply sat on the floor and stared at me. 

When we want to shorten a passive clause:

Morty, filled with sheer excitement, talked to the professor. 

Mom, being lost in her thought, didn't make any sound. 

Participle Clauses: Negation

To negate a participle clause, we can simply add 'not' before it. Look at the following examples for more clarification:

Not taking care of her won't show your power. 

Not startled by anything, Anna simply stared at me blankly. 

Participle Clauses: Functions

Participle clauses can serve several grammatical functions in a sentence. Look at the list below:

Noun

Adjective

Adverb

Now, let us see some examples:

Talking to the old man, Maria suddenly fainted. 

 As an adverb

Eating cakes everyday is not something a doctor would recommend anyone. 

 As a noun

My sister, startled by what had just happened, screamed loudly. 

 As an adjective