Participle as attribute

PARTICIPLE I AS ATTRIBUTE

[Kobrina]

§ 132. This function is peculiar to non-perfect participle I in its main sense, that of a process simultaneous with the action denoted by the main verb or with the moment of speech. It corresponds to the Russian imperfective participle, usually active: leading - ведущий, asking - спрашивающий, sleeping - спящий. The passive participle I corresponds to the Russian imperfective passive participle: being asked - спрашиваемый, being translated -переводимый, being built - строящийся.

When a participial phrase is used as attribute it follows the modified noun. A participial phrase may be (a) non-detached or (b)detached:

a) We went along the street leading to the seashore.

Emma sat in the armchair facing the door.

Another factor concerns the formality of the language being taught.

b) Once a month Tommy, arriving separately, came in for a brief drink.

A detached participial phrase is set off from the modified noun by a comma (or commas) in writing and by a pause (or pauses) in speech.

Note:

1. When a single participle is used as attribute, it generally functions as a premodifier. Here we usually find only participle I active of intransitive verbs: living people, a sleeping dog.

2. When a prior action is meant no participle I can be used as attribute, only an attributive clause is used. Thus when we translate sentences with the Russian perfective participle active with the suffix –вш into English we must use an attributive clause: спросивший – who has asked, переводивший (ранее) — who has translated or who has (had) been translating, уехавший — who has gone, вернувшийся — who has (had) returned or who returned depending on situation.

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 verb) But: Я обратился к женщине, стоявшей на крыльце. - I addressed the woman standing on the porch (simultaneous actions).

PRACTICE

Exercise1. Translate the following combinations of words into English. [Klys p190 ex1]

Прыгающий мяч, плачущий ребенок, обаятельная улыбка, бегущий мальчик, скучный фильм, волнующая встреча, сме­ющиеся зрители, развивающаяся экономика, растущие связи, улыбающаяся девушка, горящий дом, убедительные слова, утомительная поездка, трогательная история, изнурительная работа, заманчивое предложение, разговаривающие дети, иг­рающие музыканты.

Exercise 2. Translate the words in brackets. [Drozdova p.337 ex.14 (I, III)]

1. We came up to the man (стоявшему на углу) and asked him the way. 2. Go to the corner and ask the man (стоя­щего там) to show you the way. 3. The man (стоящий у расписания) was our teacher last year. 4. Did you see in what direction the man (стоявший здесь) went? 5. He wants to write a book (которая бы подытожила) his impressions of the trip.

6. The people (ожидающие доктора) have been sitting here for a long time. 7. The people (ожидавшие вас) have just gone. 8. The conference (проходящая сейчас) in our city is devoted to the problems of environment protection. 9. Unable to attend the conference (проходившую тогда) at the University, we asked to inform us about its decisions. 10. They are now at a conference (которая проходит) at the University. 11. Suddenly I heard a sound of a key (поворачиваемого) in the lock. 12. (Когда их поставили в воду) the flowers opened their petals. 13. The flowers faded (так I как их долгое время держали без воды).

Exercise 3. Paraphrase the following using Participle I where it is possible.

MODEL: The man who is speaking to Mary is a well-known surgeon.

- The man speaking to Mary is a well-known surgeon.

1. He pointed at the text which was lying on the desk.

2. The lady was waiting for her sister who was arriving on the 7:30 train.

3. Peter seated himself in an armchair which faced the window.

4. The word which came from the bottom of his soul broke up the dinner.

5. The school has now moved to new premises which overlook the Thames.

6. "What a nice lunch," said Clare, who was eating the sugar at the bottom of her coffee cup.

7. The author who has written the poem is a very talented poet.

8. I received from her another letter which said that she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with me.

9. We came up to the man who was standing at the corner and asked him the way.

10. Anyone who wishes to leave early may do so.

11. The boy who's sitting in the corner is my cousin.

12. I've known the man who made a report at our meeting yesterday for a long period of time.

13. The woman who is working in the garden is my sister.

14. The man who made a report yesterday came back from the USA.

15. We went to see our friends who had just returned from a voyage.

16. The sidewalks were crowded with people who were watching the carnival.

17. He had a massive gold watch, which had belonged to his father.

18. The conferences, which are held at the University every year, are devoted to ecological problems.

19. I looked at the people who were lying on the beach.

20. The man who phoned you yesterday is waiting for you downstairs.

Exercise 4. Translate into English using Participle I attributively where possible. [Verbals p. 64 Ex. 29, Ex.30]

1. Он внимательно смотрел на мальчика, сидевшего на стуле у окна.

2. Девушка, читавшая книгу, вдруг встала и вышла из ком­наты.

3. Книги, которые лежат на столе, принадлежат моему отцу.

4. Они вышли на дорогу, которая вела в лес.

5. Машина, которая следовала за нами, была зеленого цвета.

6. Старик, работавший в саду, не сразу заметил меня.

7. Высокий мужчина, стоящий у окна, когда-то работал с моим отцом.

8. Мы присоединились к Марроу, который стоял у гостини­цы и ждал нас.

9. Каждый, кто желает научиться плавать, может приходить в бассейн по пятницам.

10. Мальчика, который разбил окно, зовут Том.

11. Туристы, посещающие наш город, как правило, живут в этой гостинице.

12. Студенты, читавшие этот текст, говорят, что он труден для перевода.

13. Они жили в доме, ранее принадлежавшем ее бабушке.

15. Он смотрел на людей, которые проходили мимо его дома.

16. Деревья, растущие перед нашим домом, посажены моим дедом.

17. Человек, принесший письмо от Артура, хотел поговорить с нами наедине.

18. Мери, переводившая статью, даже не взглянула на меня.

19. Студенты, ожидавшие вас, только что ушли.

20. Потом он посмотрел на картину, висевшую на стене, и спросил, где я ее купил.

21. Они часто думали о своих друзьях, работавших во Франции.

22. Наши друзья, работавшие во Франции, только что вернулись в Лондон.

23. Девушка, продававшая фиалки, была удивительно красива.

24. Я знаю человека, говорящего на пяти иностранных языках.

25. Наконец молодой человек, читавший журнал, взглянул на меня.

26. Маль­чик, который сидел на стуле в саду, ушел домой.

27. Таня, гладившая белье на кухне, ушла в гостиную.

28. Он увлеченно рас­сказывал о городах, в которых ему удалось побывать.

29. Жители деревни, видевшие девочку в то утро, говорили, что она была одна.

30. Джейн смотрела на увядшие розы, которые росли у стены.

PARTICIPLE II AS ATTRIBUTE

[Kobrina]

§ 146. Participle II usually functions either as premodifier when it stands alone or forms a very short participial phrase containing an adverb. The verbal character of the participle in the first case is made clear only by its lexical meaning:

First of all she went to the bombed building.

Our minds should meet in a serious, mutually needed search for common understandings.

It was a neatly written letter.

Sometimes the preposition is kept:

The room even had a faint perfume about it which gave it a lived-in air.

As a postmodifier participle II manifests its verbal character more explicitly, even when it stands alone. It may be accompanied by a preposition, by an agentive by-object, an adverb and prepositional phrases as adverbial modifiers.

Things seen are mightier than things heard.

The dictionary referred to is to be found in our library.

These are cities inhabited by their creators.

Two women dimly seen in the shadow are talking softly.

When participle П or a participial phrase is detached, its position is not fixed. It may occupy the initial position, the mid-position or the final position in the sentence. Detached attributes are separated from the noun by a comma in writing and by a pause in speech. They are confined to literary style only.

Greatly excited, the children followed her into the garden.

Johnson, left In charge of both officers, marched about for a little while.

And people hurried by, hidden under their dreadful umbrellas.