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 Martian2022,
'Thereby' means 'in this way' and it has several effects on the sentence. First, it emphasises that the improvement described is the consequence of the action in the main clause. The participle could (obviously depending on the context) have other meanings, as the information on this page shows. Second, in terms of style 'thereby' adds formality to the sentence.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Perfect participle means- having + v3
My question is:
Can 'been and had' be used as V3 after having?
Please share 2 examples
Hi Prakash,
Yes, they can. I see you posted a question earlier - the examples you gave are examples of what you are asking about so I'll repost them here.
Using perfect participle structures with "be" and "had" is considered perfectly appropriate and correct. However, they are possibly more commonly used in writing than in speaking. As the page above says: "Participle clauses are mainly used in written texts, particularly in a literary, academic or journalistic style." This is true of participle clauses in general, not just those with "be" and "have".
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Jonathan, Thank you for your guidance.
Hello, Instructors!
I am a bit confused with the meaning of the following sentence:
With technology permeating every facet of businesses today, issues of security cannot be ignored by any organization.
Here, how does the prepositional phrase "with technology permeating every facet of businesses today" add meaning to the main clause "Issues of security cannot be ignored by any organization"? Does it indicate any causal association with the main clause? If possible, could you please rewrite the sentence with the intended meaning?
Thank you so much for your time!
Hello Meherun,
Although it is headed by a preposition, the part of the sentence you highlight is actually a clause as it contains a non-finite verb (the participle 'permeating'). The semantic relationship of the two clauses is causal: the reason issues of security cannot be ignored is that technology permeates every facet...
'With' in the introductory clause here has a similar meaning to 'Given (that)...' or 'Since...', though these would require finite verbs (Given that/Since technology permeates...).
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you so much for your clarification. However, what is the meaning of "with Europe having as much as 9.8% of degradation due to deforestation" in the sentence below? Is there any causal association between the participle clause and the main clause?
These causes affected different regions differently in the 1990s, with Europe having as much as 9.8% of degradation due to deforestation, while the impact of this on Oceania and North America was minimal, with only 1.7% and 0.2% of land affected respectively.
Thanks for your time!
Hello Meherun,
In this example the relationship is not causal. Here, 'with' introduces an example of the different effects mentioned at the beginning of the sentence.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi support team,
Could you please clarify the meaning of the sentence below?
The Babylonians began to measure time, introducing calendars to coordinate communal activities.
What meaning does the participle clause "introducing calendars to coordinate communal activities'' carry in the above sentence?
If I did not use the participle clause, would I rewrite the sentence this way?
The Babylonians began to measure time, and they introduced calendars to coordinate communal activities.
Using the participle clause, could I modify the main clause "The Babylonians began to measure time"? If yes, then how could we modify the main clause?
Thank you in advance for your clarifications on the above sentence.
All the best,
Hi Martian2022,
This participle clause adds more detailed information about the main clause. "Introducing calendars to coordinate communal activities" is the specific way in which they did the measuring of time. I think this rewrite is closest to that meaning: The Babylonians began to measure time by introducing calendars to coordinate communal activities.
Your rewritten sentence with "and" is quite similar, but the word "and" has several different meanings and does not always show that one clause adds more detail about the other. For example, "and" can link two actions together in sequence, i.e. action 1 and then action 2, which does not seem to be the intended meaning here. Using "and" may therefore make the meaning slightly less clear.
You could also write the sentence like this: The Babylonians, introducing calendars to coordinate communal activities, began to measure time.
I hope that helps!
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team