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 wywyandkk,
The verb 'facilitate' includes the idea of making it easier for something to happen, so it's a bit redundant to say 'facilitate easy access' or 'facilitates something easily'. That said, I expect you could find sentences similar to both of these in many writings, so I wouldn't say they are incorrect.
I might suggest something like 'The platform facilitates elderly users' access to service information'.
The Longman dictionary's entries are particularly useful because most of them show multiple example sentences.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
I wonder if we can even use the past participle form of verbs such as "walk", "see", "meet", etc.?
For example, let's suppose we have a sentense like this:
> He walked into the conference room and then he saw a very beatiful lady sitting near the window.
Then does the sentence bellow have the same meaning with it?
> Walked into the conference room, he saw a very beatiful lady sitting near the window.
Hi trankhanhsvn,
I can see what you mean but sorry, that sentence isn't grammatical. The past participle normally has a passive meaning, so the grammatical subject should receive or be affected by the action shown by the verb. For example, in "Filled with pride, he walked towards the stage", the meaning is similar to "He was filled with pride (by something)". But in the conference room example, it doesn't make sense to say "He was walked into the conference room".
I hope that helps to understand it.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear Teacher, I would be grateful if you could tell me if the following is correct in appraisal wrirting:
1) Having had stayed in her post for XX years, she was conversant with...
2) Having stayed in her post for XX years, she was conversant with...
Thank you!
Hello wywyandkk,
The second one is correct, but the first one is not.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi,
I'm a little confused as to which option is the correct one to use in this sentence:
They were getting tired because they ____________ in the queue for over 2 hours.
Would it be:
- were standing
- had been standing
- stood
Thank you in advance.
Hello Moonshine1,
This doesn't seem to have anything to do with Participle clauses!
In this case, 'had been standing' is the best option. It explains the situation the people were in that resulted in them getting tired.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
I have a question. Which of the two is grammatically correct?
1. I was shocked at the company imposing a weak disciplinary action.
2. I was shocked that the company imposed a weak disciplinary action.
I was wondering if the first sentence can be used as a particle construction.
Hello aroze22,
Both sentences are correct and I don't see any difference in meaning or emphasis.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi The Learn English Team,
Could you please explain the following sentences?
'I want to tell you about the opportunities that are open to you,'
'He brought about a lot of changes that were not useful.'
Can the relative pronoun and 'be' verb be omitted in both sentences? If so, it seems the first one sounds ok, but the second one's sort of weird without them.
Thanks in advance.
Judy