I like playing chess

I saw student jumping

A rolling stone gathers no moss

Uses of the present participles

Especially in formal style the present participles are used in place of:

a) co-ordinate clauses: She lay awake all night and recalled the events of the day. She lay awake all night, recalling the events of the day.

b) adverbial clauses of time: Since I phoned you this morning, I have changed my plans. Since phoning you this morning, I have changed my plans.

c) clauses of reason: As I was anxious to please him, I bought him a nice present. Being anxious to please him, I bought him a nice present.

d) conditionals: If you are travelling north, you must change at Leeds. If travelling north, you must change at Leeds.

e) clauses of concession: While he admitted that he had received the stolen jewellery, he denied having taken part in the robbery. While admitting that he had received the stolen jewellery, he denied having taken part in the robbery.

f) relative clauses: The train which is arriving at Platform 8 is the 17.50 from Crewe. The train arriving at Platform 8 is the 17.50 from Crewe.

Functions of the present-participle clauses

The present-participle clauses function as adverbial and adjectival modifiers. Adverbial participles are easy to spot because they occupy the same positions in the sentence as do full subordinate clauses from which they are derived.

- we verify that a participle phrase is adverbial by using the tests for subordinate clauses:

1) substitution of an adverb

2) formation of a wh-question using a wh-adverb

3) rearrangement e.g. Starting the engine, Peter noticed a grinding sound.

a) Peter noticed a grinding sound then.

b) When did P. notice a grinding sound?

c) Peter, starting the engine, noticed a grinding sound.

Adjectival participles are noun modifiers. The reduced forms of relative clauses, like relative clauses, immediately follow the noun they modify e.g. The people watching the movie stamped their feet. Do you know the man driving that car?

Tests for adjectival participle clauses: e.g. The static coming from that radio is annoying. 1) can be restated as a relative clause: The static that is coming from that radio is annoying. 2) modify a noun that precedes it: The static coming from that radio is annoying.

Present participles and adjectives

Some present participles occur as noun modifiers so often that they have become adjectives. This is especially true of participles that express actions capable of existing in varying degrees. e.g. The man is very boring. = boring has become an adjective, it fits the frame sentence and can be compared (more boring).

Uses of the perfect participles:

• the perfect participles can be used in place of 3 tenses: the present perfect, past perfect and the simple past. The action described by the perfect participle construction has always taken place before the action described in the main clause. E.g.

We have invited him here to speak, so we’ d better go to his lecture.

Having invited him here to speak, we’d better go ….

I have been made redundant, so I am going abroad

Having been made redundant, I am going abroad.

He has/ had been ill for a very long time, so he needs/needed more time to recover before he can/could go back to work.

Having been ill for a very long time, he needs/needed more time to recover before he can/could go back to work.

oin the sentences using either a non-perfect Participle I (knowing), a perfect Participle I Active/Passive (having known / having been known), or Participle II (known)

Uses of the past participle constructions:

- these constructions are used in place of:

a) the passive: When it was viewed from a distance, the island looked like a cloud. When viewed from a distance, the island looked like a cloud.

b) adverbial clauses: Although it was built before the war, the engine is still in perfect order. Although built before the war, the engine is still in perfect order.

c) conditionals: If you are accepted for this post, you will be informed by May 1^st. If accepted for this post, you will be informed….

d) relative clauses: The system which is used in this school is very successful. The system used in this school is very successful.

Past participles and adjectives

Many past participles were used as noun modifiers for so long that they have become adjectives. e.g. Disturbed by rumours, the committee decided to investigate the mail order company. The word ‘disturbed’ has become an adjective, it can be qualified and compared (very disturbed, more disturbed).

Avoiding ambiguity with present and past participles

- the participle must relate to the subject of both verbs: Reading my newspaper, I heard the doorbell ring. = I was reading and I heard the doorbell.

* Reading my newspaper, the doorbell rang. (suggests that the doorbell is the subject and it was reading the newspaper, ‘reading’ is an unrelated participle)

* Seated in the presidential car, the crowd waved to the President. Seated in the presidential car, the President waved to the crowd.

*Standing in the middle of the crowd, the sense of frustration and anger could be plainly felt.

Standing in the middle of the crowd, I could plainly feel the sense of frustration and anger.

Gerunds

Gerunds are like nouns used after determiners a, the, this, a lot, possessives and adjectives. e.g. He made a new recording. The recording was made live. I enjoy a little light reading when I go away on holiday. I did some shopping. I appreciate your helping me. Your quick thinking saved us all.

Gerunds function (like nouns/noun phrases) as:

- subjects: His immediately demanding your payment showed his inexperience.

- objects: Mary’s grandmother enjoys riding a ten-speed bicycle.

- complements: Mary’s hobby was saving ordinary coins in a tin can.

- objects of prepositions: John can afford college by regularly working two jobs.

Gerunds have some characteristics of a verb:

- can be followed by an adverb: Walking quickly is difficult.

- can take an object: Washing the car seems to be your main hobby.

- have a perfect and passive form: I am sorry for having wasted your time. I can’t forgive myself for having been taken by surprise.

Tests for identifying gerunds: She hates waiting around for a repairman to show up. 1) substitution by ‘something’ or ‘it/that’ for the gerund: She hates something. 2) wh-question using ‘what’: What does she hate?

Gerunds and nouns

Gerunds can appear in the noun slots of sentences, but since they are not prototypical nouns they can’t take inflections E.g.: Eating too many green apples made her sick. * Eatings too many…

After functioning as nouns for a long time some gerunds have become true nouns. e.g. The congressional meetings lasted several hours.

Compare:

They enjoy meeting each other for lunch every Saturday. = gerund

We held the meeting last week. = a true noun, has a determiner, plural form, modification by an adjective