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
Hi LearnEnglish team, I have a question:
The police accused him of ________ fire to the building but he denied ________ in the area on the night of the fire.
(A) setting / being
(B) setting / having been
(C) set / be
(D) having set / having been
What is the difference between "being" and "having been". Thanks for helping me! Have a good day <3
Hello himakochan,
'being' is time-'neutral' here, in other words, it can refer to any time period. 'having been' would suggests that the action occurred just before another action or that they are somehow connected.
In this case, since the phrase 'on the night of the fire' already clearly indicates the time and so 'being' is the correct choice. 'having been' is unnatural with such a specific time adverbial already describing the situation.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hi team! Can I use both " Having found" and " After having found" for this sentence: ... a hotel, we went to the beach.
Thanks for your help ❤️
Hi himakochan,
Yes! That's right.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello support
Is the the sentence below correct? And is it a participle?
when I thought about translating, I didn't know you should pay attention to texts being old or new.
Hi Amir__760__,
Yes, it is correct!
"Translating" is actually a gerund here (not a participle). It functions as a noun.
"Being" is a participle. It functions as an adjective, describing "texts".
If I may suggest, I might use the wording "... pay attention to whether texts are old or new" or "... pay attention to the age of the texts".
Thanks for your question. I hope that helps!
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hi there,
Could you please tell me which of the two sentences is correct:
1. Closing all the windows and doors carefully, my mother went to bed.
2. Having closed all the windows and doors carefully, my mother went to bed.
Thanks so much.
Hello TracyHoang,
Sentence 2 is better. A perfect participle clause is often used in formal situations to speak about actions performed before the action in the main clause; the actions of closing the windows and doors in sentence 2 is a reasonable thing to do before going to bed.
It's possible to use a present participle clause (as in 1) to show an action happening at about the same time as the action in the main clause, but in this case it seems a little odd. I'm not sure I'd say it's wrong, though -- just awkward.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hi
I hope you are doing well.
Are these two following sentences wrong? I have a grammar book in which it is written they are wrong. And I don't know why!
Driving to work, he had breakfast.
Having walked along the street, I saw my old friend
Hi Amir_760_,
The first example (Driving to work...) means that he had breakfast while he was driving the car, which is unlikely. However, the sentence is not necessarily wrong. He could have had a sandwich in the car, for example. Assuming he had breakfast at home before he got in the car then we would probably say 'Having had breakfast, he drove to work'.
The second example (Having walked...) suggests that the actions were sequential (first the person walked along the street and then after walking - when the walking was finished - the person saw their old friend. It also suggests that the act of walking was key to seeing the friend, which is a little odd. I think the answer the book is looking for is probably 'Walking along the street, I saw my old friend', which would mean that the person saw their old friend while walking along the street.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team