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II. Write a conversation between a boss and a worker using gerunds and infinitives. The boss is praising the worker as the latter has been doing the job efficiently and has contributed to the prosperity of the company.

Act out your dialogue in front of the class.

Ex.57. Translate into English.

1. Дежурный даже не упомянул о двух моих опозданиях на прошлой неделе. 2. Эта дама всегда возмущается, когда ей приходится ждать. 3. Должно быть, мы рискуем попасться. 4. Ты можешь представить его президентом? 5. Служащий признался в краже денег. 6. Я хочу, чтобы ты перекусил и отдохнул. 7. Кажется, я обещал взять вас в свою команду. 8. Дети не могли не рассмеяться при виде клоуна. 9. Мне не понравилось, что он навязался к нам в компанию. 10. Что мы можем сделать, чтобы помешать нашей дочери посещать эти мероприятия? 11. Нам нравилось, что отец является центром внимания. 12. Я в шоке! Я представляла твоего мужа намного моложе! 13. Мы ожидаем провести там два месяца

(anticipate).

Participle I

Participle I possesses verbal and some adjectival and adverbial features and is formed by adding the suffix –ing to the stem of the verb. Morphologically the verbal character of Participle I is manifested in the categories of voice and perfect and syntactically in its combinability (it may combine with a noun/pronoun as object; with an adverb or a prepositional phrase as an adverbial modifier; with a noun/adjective as a predicative).

Participle I is used as a pure verb form in the formation of the continuous aspect forms.

The adjectival and adverbial features of Participle I are manifested in its syntactic functions as attribute and adverbial modifier (see Syntactic functions of Participle I below).

The grammatical categories of Participle I

Look at the woman counting the money; Having picked up some Italian words, she could give directions to strangers; Being illustrated with attractive photos, the article caught my eye; Having been sent to the wrong address, the letter didn’t reach him.

The perfect form of Participle I invariably expresses priority, whereas nonperfect Participle I varies in its meaning according to the context, expressing

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either a prior or a simultaneous or even a posterior action, immediately following the first action: Lizzy left the room, banging the door shut. Non-perfect Participle I passive may denote process: Have you heard anything of the conference being held at the University? (The phrase the conference held at the University is ambiguous, because it might be understood as the conference that has been held or was held or is being held).

Syntactic functions of Participle I

Participle I as attribute:

1.a single participle used as attribute generally functions as a premodifier (Participle I active of intransitive verbs): Don’t tease the barking dog!

2.a participle phrase used as attribute follows the modified noun. It may be non-detached or detached: We went along the street leading to the shore; Once a month Tommy, arriving separately, came in for a brief drink.

NB: When a prior action is meant no Participle I can be used as attribute, only an attributive clause is used: The diplomat addressed the students who had filled the lecture hall (Дипломат выступил перед студентами, собравшимися в зале). Compare: Женщина, стоявшая на крыльце, вошла в дом → The woman who had been standing on the porch went into the house

(the action expressed by the participle is prior to that of the finite form);

Я обратился к женщине, стоявшей на крыльце → I addressed the woman standing on the porch (simultaneous actions);

Participle I as adverbial modifier of several types:

He contracted malaria while travelling in Africa; Being left alone, Demy and I kept silence for some time (of time); He’s very conceited, you know, having parades and things all the time; Not being an expert, I can’t advise you on the course of action to take (of reason); Deb was silent, fidgeting with the spoon in her saucer (of attendant circumstances: denotes a parallel action or event);

Florence rushed downstairs gasping for breath (of manner: characterizes the action of the finite form); He kept shaking his head as if saying, “Don’t trust her” (of comparison); Although admitting his inefficiency, he still refuses to cooperate with us (of concession); Helen ought to be there and her absence might be resented, but being there she wouldn’t know what to say(of condition).

In some cases, however, the functional meaning is not so obvious. For example, there may be a combination of causal and temporal meaning as in:

Seeing the prosecutor, she stopped (she stopped because she saw the prosecutor or when she saw him).

NB: Participle I of the verb to be is not used as adverbial modifier of time. Thus the sentence Будучи в Петербурге, я посетил несколько раз Эрмитаж should be translated While in Petersburg (or: While I was in Petersburg) I visited the Hermitage several times.

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Participle I as part of the compound verbal predicate:

Participle I non-perfect of verbs expressing motion (run, dance, pour, race, rush) combined with a verb to come in the past tense forms is a special type of a compound verbal predicate. In some cases the verbs to come the lexical meaning of which is greatly weakened serves to give perfective meaning to the action denoted by the participle: As I walked through the gate, the dog came racing towards me (подбежала ко мне).

Participle I as predicative:

! Although keeping the form of the participle, it is treated as an adjective. The participle in this position gives the qualitative characterization to the person or thing used: His behavior is annoying; The cartoon we saw yesterday was really amusing!

The most common participles used as adjectives or predicatives

Participle I as parenthesis: Strictly speaking, these actions are illegal;

Allowing for our financial status, we can’t hire more staff.

Ex.58. Open the brackets using the correct perfect form of Participle I.

1. He found himself in debt, (invest) in a badly run railroad. 2. (hunt) close to extinction, the rhino is once again common in this area. 3. (complete) all our preparations we hired a taxi and hurried off. 4. By this time (get used) to the atmosphere of the big city, he no longer felt a stranger. 5. (see) so little of the country, I am afraid I cannot answer all your questions. 6. Never (experience) such difficulties before she was at a loss. 7. (arrive) two days before the conference he had a lot of time to explore the surroundings. 8. She left (tell) us all she had found out. 9. (make) redundant, he’s going to move to Brazil. 10. The snake, (bump) about in the hot sun all afternoon, was not in the best of tempers. 11. (buy) a pair of gloves we moved to the shoe department. 12. I felt refreshed (sleep) for eight hours. 13. … three times seriously (wound), he was no longer fit for active service. 14. A person (bring) good news is always welcome.

Ex.59. I. Match the sentence halves and join them using a participle, e.g. doing or having done. Identify the function of the participle phrase.

Model: Not wanting to be late, Vicky ran to the bus stop.

Ex.60. Complete the sentences with the appropriate participle form of one of these verbs.

1.… the wrong bus, Tony found himself in an unfamiliar town.

2.… tree, Lee was able to see a way out of the forest.

3.… as a clerk, painter and bus driver, Neil decided to go back to university.

4.… all morning working in the garden, Betty took a short lunch break.

5.… early for his appointment, Ron spent some time looking at the magazines.

6.… not to go out tonight, I made an excuse.

7.… five hours to the meeting, Don learnt that it had been postponed.

8.… over his shoulder, he could see the dog chasing him.

9.… on a serious face, she began to tell the story.

Ex.61. Paraphrase the following sentences using Participle I where it is possible. Define the syntactic function of participles.

Model: The prisoners who are being released are all women. → The prisoners being released are all women.

1. As I haven’t seen all the evidence, I am reluctant to make a judgement. 2. I pulled off the sheets which covered the furniture. 3. The boy who met with an

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accident has been discharged from hospital. 4. As she turned over in bed, Helen groaned, “I’ll get up in an hour or so.” 5. The policeman fired and wounded one of the robbers. 6. He stood at the counter and hesitated, he did not know what to choose. 7. The massive gold watch, which had belonged to his father, still lay on the table. 8. The conference, which is being held at the University, is devoted to ecological problems. 9. I couldn't ring them up as I hadn’t found their telephone number. 10. We went to see our friends who had just returned from a voyage. 11. He had acquired the money through hard work, so he was reluctant to give it away. 12. Marie left work early because she didn’t feel too well. 13. Indira’s mother died in a car-crash and left her an orphan at the age of nine. 14. The man who made a report yesterday came back from Austria. 15. Unable to attend the conference that took place a month ago, we asked for the typewritten reports. 16. Denis was shocked as he had never heard his friend speak that way about a woman before. 17. After we had got to the beach, we found a parasol to sit under. 18. He locked and bolted the door carefully and went down to the cellar. 19. As the residents were warned well in advance, they had enough time to get ready for the storm. 20. I tore my sweaty clothes off and jumped into the shower. 21. Sugary food can stick to your teeth and cause decay. 22. The old woman’s blunt questions embarrassed him and made him momentarily tongue-tied. 23. The glass roof collapsed onto the crowd and caused horrific injuries. 24. As we were very tired, we refused to get on with the discussion. 25. When he crossed the bridge, he saw a small village which was situated at the foot of a hill.

Ex.62. Paraphrase the sentences using, where possible, participle phrases preceded by conjunctions. Translate the sentences into Russian.

NB: While is used to emphasize that the action in the main clause is simultaneous with the action in the adverbial clause.

When is often used to talk about recurrent actions.

Model: Always exercise caution when you are handling radioactive substances. → Always exercise caution when handling radioactive substances.

1. When you use a spell-check program, you can still make spelling mistakes. 2. When he was returning from an expedition to a French fort, George Washington fell off his raft and nearly drowned. 3. When I was driving home I got caught in the rush hour traffic. 4. Jack accidentally shot himself while he was playing with the gun. 5. We take strict precautions when we treat AIDS patients even though the risk of infection is very low. 6. She stood in front of the mirror as if she were speaking to herself. 7. When he was a student he used to study at the library revising for his exams. 8. She kept smiling and saying nice things as if she were trying to make me forget what had happened. 9. When you use a dictionary, you need to be able to understand the symbols and abbreviations it contains. 10. When she was travelling in Africa, she kept a diary that was to provide valuable material for her first novel. 11. We need to know the language

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of comparison and contrast when we study tables and other statistical information. 12. When I make a complaint, I prefer to be friendly and polite, instead of being aggressive and rude. 13. When David was in Hungary, he called on his ex-wife. 14. Two youths were killed when they were running to help people injured in the bomb blast. 15. Although I fully understand your problem, I can’t allow you to break the rules.

Ex.63. Rewrite the sentences about a detective using Participle I. Think of an ending to this story.

Mitchell picked up the phone and dialled a number. He let it ring for five long minutes and then slowly replaced the receiver. He took a gun out of the drawer and put it in his briefcase. He left the office and then had to wait a while for the lift. He reached the ground floor and hurried outside to a taxi.

Begin: Picking up the phone, Mitchell dialled a number.

Ex.64. Translate into English using Participle I.

1. Женщина, вошедшая в контору, подошла к окошку и попросила дежурного позвать инспектора. 2. Подписав контракт, вы не можете оставить работу без предварительного уведомления. 3. Обернувшись, девушка увидела мужчину подозрительного вида. 4. Увидев, что шеф чем-то раздосадован, Джеймс решил не задавать ненужных вопросов. 5. Джек упал с лестницы и сломал два ребра. 6. Майкл шёл по коридору, насвистывая мелодию из популярного кинофильма. 7. Потеряв надежду получить повышение, он решил поискать другую работу. 8. Услышав знакомый голос, Бетси почувствовала себя увереннее. 9. Она стояла на остановке и дрожала от холода. 10. Так как на управляющего произвела впечатление работоспособность Стива, он увеличил ему зарплату. 11. Картина, висевшая у него дома, сейчас находится в картинной галерее. 12. Проработав режиссёром-постановщиком 25 лет, он считал, что всё понимает в своём деле. 13. Не имея большого опыта работы, Саманта не могла рассчитывать на то, что ей предложат должность исполнительного директора. 14. Рабочие, строящие дом, часто вынуждены приостанавливать работу из-за отсутствия стройматериалов. 15. Взяв ребёнка за руку, девушка поспешила к выходу. 16. Пища, содержащая много соли, вредна для здоровья. 17. Мы долго сидели на террасе, разговаривая о нашей поездке на юг. 18. Учитывая то, что он болен, ты мог бы представлять его интересы в суде. 19. Откровенно говоря, ваши высокие налоги отпугивают инвесторов.

Predicative constructions with Participle I The Objective Participial Construction

This construction consists of a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the objective case and Participle I forming a syntactical complex – Complex

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Object. The objective participial construction is used with verbs of sense perception (see, hear, feel, watch, notice, find, catch, smell, discover, etc.), with various verbs of causative meaning (have, get, keep, leave, set, start) and occasionally with verbs expressing wish (want, like):

We overheard them talking about the closure of the factory; Can you start that engine going?

NB!

Participle I as part of Complex Subject

In this construction Participle I follows verbs of sense perception and also some causative verbs, such as keep, leave, catch in the passive voice:

Linda was heard telling her son off; I was left standing on the stage.

The Nominative Absolute Participial Construction

Sometimes the participle (in any of its forms) has a subject of its own expressed by a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the nominative case: The rain having ruined my hat, I had to buy a new one. Although this construction is formally independent of the sentence it is logically connected with it, serving as an adverbial modifier to the predicate: She sat looking out, the feeble sun shining full upon her (adverbial modifier of attendant circumstances); Weather permitting, we’ll take a boat trip (adverbial modifier of condition); This being settled, they shook hands and left (adverbial modifier of time).

Sentences with a nominative absolute participial construction are translated by complex sentences with the corresponding subordinate clauses:

The professor being ill, the lecture was cancelled → Поскольку профессор был болен, лекцию отменили.

NB! There are nominative absolute constructions without participles: Dinner over, they withdrew to the study.

Prepositional Absolute Participial Construction

It is introduced by the preposition with and is not necessarily set off by a comma: The officer sat with his long fine hands lying on the table perfectly still; The guy crawled into the hut with his knees bleeding.

Note the ways of translating this construction into Russian: With more and more people losing their jobs, the situation in the labour market is becoming

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extremely tense → Так как (поскольку) количество людей, потерявших работу, растёт, ситуация на рынке труда становится чрезвычайно напряжённой; Just now, with the harvest coming on, everything looks its richest → Теперь, когда приближается время жатвы, всё вокруг так красиво; The total value of Japan’s export increased considerably, with foodstuffs occupying an important place in the exports of the country → Общая стоимость экспорта Японии значительно увеличилась, причём (при этом) существенную часть экспорта страны составляли продовольственные товары.

Participle I versus Gerund

The difference between the two lies in their non-verbal characteristics, that is in their syntactic functions and non-verbal combinability. Unlike gerund, Participle I cannot be used as subject or object and is never preceded by a preposition. When used as an adverbial modifier, the gerund is more varied in its application then the participle because it is used with different prepositions. The participle and the gerund are interchangeable when used as adverbials of time characterizing the verb through simultaneous or prior events: Discussing the plan/

In discussing the plan we heard a lot of helpful suggestions; After discussing the program/ Having discussedthe programwe started carrying it out.

The difference between the two is most evident in their function of a predicative and an adjective:

1.Participle I denotes an action that the person or thing performs or experiences: the falling snow, a smiling girl, a burning house, whereas the gerund reveals the meaning of the modified noun; it suggests the destination of the object or a person’s occupation: a sleeping bag, a walking stick, a writing career, etc.;

2.As predicative Participle I gives qualitative characteristics to the subject, thus tending towards an adjective: The sound of the thunder was deafening; the gerund does not qualify the subject, it rather identifies the subject by revealing its meaning: Her favourite pastime is embroidering fabulous personages.

Note that there are cases, especially among predicative constructions, where the – ing form may be treated either as a participle or a gerund, the difference between them being neutralized: The host didn’t like me leaving so early.

Ex.65. Paraphrase the sentences using find, catch, leave; have difficulty, have a hard time, spend/ waste time, energy, money.

Model: Most of his life he tried to look mature, capable and responsible. → He spent most of his life trying to look mature, capable and responsible.

When Jill came into the room her son was setting fire to the curtains. → Jill caught her son setting fire to the curtains.

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1. It was very hard to transform waste land into farms and parks. 2. When he went out she was screaming hysterically. 3. I managed to clear the blocked sink but it was difficult. 4. A lot of water is wasted if you wash vegetables under running water in the sink. 5. Larry looked grave and distressed when I saw him. 6. She eventually learnt to live without electricity and hot water, but she had a hard time. 7. When she came in, her husband was kissing their young tenant. 8. When Tom left she was sitting on the riverbank. 9. You’ll be in a lot of trouble if a policeman stops you and finds out that you have no driving license. 10. It was difficult for me to persuade him to let me pay my share of the expenses. 11. The government succeeded in putting down the uprising. It took them three weeks.

Ex.66. Complete the sentences with participial constructions (use one of the two verbs given in brackets in the correct form).

Model: a) She … coming into class late. b) I … her carrying a big suede bag. (recall/ notice)→ She was noticed coming into class late. b) I noticed her carrying a big suede bag.

1. a) I … them taking apples from my garden. b) They … stealing apples from the farmer’s fields. (catch/ not mind) 2. a) As he fell into the pool, he … himself shouting for help. b) Jones … shouting at Mr. Balham before the robbery. (imagine/ hear) 3. a) I … waiting for at least an hour. b) I … getting caught in the rain without an umbrella. (dislike/ keep) 4. a) We … the bills waiting for us when we got home. b) They … entering the building with knives. (find/ dread) 5. a) We …the birthday presents that Uncle Joseph sent. b) The children … playing football in the park this morning. (see/ like) 6. a) He … the engine running. b) She … standing on the stage. (start/ leave).

Ex.67. Identify the Nominative Absolute Participial Constructions. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. That being the case, the cabinet decided to resign. 2. The business of the meeting being finished, the secretary put away her papers. 3. The criminal being found, the search came to an end. 4. When the child heard the shots, he pressed against the wall, his whole body trembling with fear. 5. The tour having been postponed, we stayed at home. 6. Weather permitting, we’ll spend the whole weekend in the open air. 7. Charles stopped and stared at great piles of chocolate, his mouth watering like mad. 8. With her eyes sparkling brightly, Kate sat quietly studying the illustration on her drawing board. 9. With his voice breaking and his hands shaking, Maxim tried hard to defend himself.

Ex.68. a) Complete the sentences with the Nominative Absolute Participial Constructions. Add the necessary elements.

1. Jennifer hurried away (heels/ crunch) in the snow. 2. Margo stood listlessly (head/ drop upon) her breast. 3. Pale, with his teeth clenched and (heart/ beat

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fast), Chris looked at the jailer. 4. Mr. Stanford was standing silent (a bitter smile/ curl) his lips. 5. He carefully spread the paper on the desk, (Linda/ thoughtfully watch). 6. (That/ understand) the conference was declared over. 7. We hurried back to the university campus (it/ be) then about ten minutes to ten. 8. (All things/ discuss), there was nothing to be done now.

b) Paraphrase the sentences using the Nominative Absolute Participial Constructions.

1. If mother permits us, we’ll take a two days’ trip to Disneyland. 2. As the weather remained perfect, we had a barbecue almost every day. 3. As the rules were very strict, the doorkeeper forbade me to enter. 4. The crew set off; the rain was still coming down heavily. 5. As our efforts to start the car had failed, we spent the night in a nearby village. 6. Anna and I walked very slowly, admiring the moonlight. Mr. Toots followed us with enormous packets in his hands. 7. The matter was too complicated to solve at once, so I decided to think it over.

Ex. Make up sentences or situations using the following phrases as Nominative Absolute Constructions.

The head teacher being away; their bodies swaying in time to the song; the concert having been cancelled; its headlights glaring in the dark; its sources being inexhaustible; the matter being urgent; the circumstances being favourable; her hair streaming in the wind; the manager having been dismissed.

Ex.69. Define: Participle I or Gerund?

1. Without drying her eyes Amanda was crying days and nights. 2. Being in a hurry, she came running downstairs, grabbed a sandwich and raced away. 3. These panels need washing. 4. It is not worthwhile your going there today. 5. Doctors recommend eating foods containing proteins. 6. Where is my sleeping bag? 7. The story is amusing. 8. We found him dying. 9. What’s the use of raising the cry of discrimination? 10. Don’t come up to the sleeping dog! 11. Her daughter’s greatest passion is shopping.

Ex.70. Consider which form is more likely and why. Comment on the meaning of the following sentences.

a.Did you hear their baby cry/ crying most of the night?

b.I spotted the child lift/ lifting something from the floor and asked him to show it to me.

c.Through the bedroom window, I could watch my sister play/ playing in the sand-box.

d.I felt the snake bite/ biting me and saw it slither off into the bushes.

e.I noticed her quickly slip/ slipping the necklace inside her coat and leave the shop.

f.I heard someone call/ calling my name, so I went outside to see who was there.