Exercises

Ex.1. DEFINE the functions of the participles. TRANSLATE the sentences into Russian.

1. The actress starring in the film is very young. 2. The grass crackled softly and the weeds shook a little and Mark was next to him again, panting and sweating and, oddly, smiling to himself. 3. She spent all spare time training for the contest. 4. We tried all the methods recommended. 5. They looked at her in surprise as though not believing her story. 6. He never spoke unless spoken to. 7. Entering the room, the detective found it empty. 8. A burnt child dreads the fire. 9. Being a foreigner, she found it difficult to understand English spoken outside the classroom. 10. The first performance of this symphony was rather disappointing. 11. His autographed sketch of the painting now hangs on my office wall. 12. We’re now at an altitude of three thousand metres, coming up over the west coast of Africa. 13. You could have passed me by unnoticed. 14. In the center of the room, fixed to an upright easel, stood the full-length portrait of a young man of extraordinary personal beauty. 15. He entered, puzzled but interested. 16. The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses. 17. She never gets confused over her dates, and I always do. 18. The painter has been busy mixing his colours and getting his brushes ready.

Ex.2. STATE the form and function of Participle I, EXPLAIN its time relation to the action of the predicate.

1. She left for the hospital at six in the morning returning only late at night from the busy operation day. 2. The running man was only yards from the edge. 3. Knowing that they were taking him to the Hospital, Matt had tried to stop those towering, uniformed men; but they had been gentle and superior and firm, and an eight-year-old boy had not slowed them down at all. 4. I had no trouble picking him out of the crowd: a guy over eight feet tall, with thinning blond hair and a cordial smile, and a flowering ash tree on the chest of his T-shirt. 5. “He is not a gentleman, mother and I hate the way he talks to me,” said the girl rising to her feet, and going over to the window. 6. These interstellar robots could travel between stars at speeds approaching that of light. 7. Carol, having read this book, you’ll understand why your visit, coming when it did, emphasized what I believe about the mysterious meaning in all our lives. 8. Having finished her sandwich she licked her fingers. 9. The paramedic put aside the needle, having used it, and grabbed the paddles of a defibrillator. 10. Having completed her English lesson, Maria Elena Gonzalez went home with a plastic shopping bag full of precisely damaged clothes and a smaller, paper bag containing cherry muffins for her two girls. 11. Erickson was the newest graduate student on the site, having joined the project just a few months before. 12. Having never been there before, I admired the sights of the Roman palace. 13. Dorian Gray leaped to his feet, with flushed cheeks and burning eyes. 14. Judging from their appearances, most of these houses cannot be at all expensive. So they sat for five or six hours, sometimes silent, sometimes bickering, sometimes exchanging listless greetings with the passing couples.

Ex.3. PARAPHRASE the sentences:

a) by using a clause in place of a participial phrase where possible:

1. Opposite was the duchess – a lady much liked by everyone who knew her. 2. Are you in favour of women taking part in politics, Mr. Kettle? 3. The three nurses appeared frozen as if witnessing a horrible event. 4. The sailor made an imperfect gesture toward the balcony – but immediately, as if alarmed by some advancing step, vanished into the forest. 5. They paused as if taken aback, and before they recovered, we had time to fire. 6. He was not a popular man, being somewhat cold and forbidding in his manners. 7. He hesitated, realizing that most of his men were gone, and he had been their commander and responsible for their lives. 8. Having finished her sandwich she licked her fingers. 9. “Don’t you like the picture?” cried Hallward at last, stung a little by Dorian’s silence, not understanding what it meant. 10. My face felt raw, every limb ached as if broken. 11. Easily seen from a distance, the castle represented a magnificent view. 12. Three days later, I descended from the train at Styles St. Mary, an absurd little station, perched up in the midst of green fields. 13. Coming home I found the letter he mentioned, obviously not delayed by the local post. 14. He never displayed his extraordinary muscular force unless asked to do so by friends.

b) by using Participle I or Participle II in place of the underlined clause or phrase where possible:

1. a) After he had given all the explanations of the incident, he thought they would leave him in peace. b) When he had been given all instructions, he felt he would be able to manage the work himself.

2. a) The man who has brought this letter has already gone. b) The man who was sent for came with a set of door keys.

3. a) As they had arrived a little earlier, they were now in no hurry to enter the building. b) As soon as they arrived they phoned my office.

4. a) Where are the documents that came in for registration a week ago? b) Where are documents that are being prepared for dispatch?

5. a) After they had waited long enough, they were finally allowed to go in. b) While we waited for the interview we watched a number of people walking in and out of the director’s office.

6. a) What is the name of the man who was talking with you when I came up? b) What is the name of the ship that was destroyed by the rocket?

7. a) The people who were waiting near the entrance door were getting more and more impatient. b) The story that was published in the magazine set me thinking.

8. a) The story that received the first prize soon became a best seller. b) The painter who is awarded the exhibition diploma graduated from Arts School.

9. a) What did you do with that big inheritance after you received it? b) What happened to the building that used to stand here?

10. a) I asked the clerk who was passing by where I could find the director. b) In the bureau I asked for the agent who was named in the brochure.

11. a) After he was given all the necessary instructions, the pilot started ‘blind’ landing. b) When the instructions were given to Paul, he listened very carefully.

12. a) They began work in the afternoon and finished it only late into the night. b) When she entered, she surveyed the room and the people in it.

Ex.4. JOIN the sentences, using participles as adverbial modifiers. FOLLOW the rule: keep the main idea in the finite-verb clause, and express the less important idea by a participial phrase.

Models:

1. She stood by the window. She heard an unfamiliar voice. à Standing by the window she heard an unfamiliar voice.

2. They broke the vase in a mock fight. They began quarrelling about who was to blame.à Having broken the vase, they began quarrelling about who was to blame.

3. He felt completely broken. He went to bed at once.à Feeling completely broken, he went to bed at once.

1. He realized that he had been left alone. He began to look for the papers. 2. We didn’t want to see the movie another time. We had seen it before. 3. He got out of the car. He helped his wife out. 4. I entered the room. I was struck at what I saw there. 5. “We’ve been to the gallery. We’d like to have lunch somewhere now”. 6. The lady kindly offered to tell us the way to the hotel. She thought we were lost. 7. The mansion was constructed with great skill and care. The family has used it for centuries. 8. She asked me for help. She realized that she couldn’t move the table herself. 9. The police decided to terminate the search. They considered it hopeless to continue until the fog cleared. 10. I knew the garden needed weeding. I didn’t like to sit down. 11. The letter was written in pencil. It was hard to read. 12. I have explained to you everything. I want to tell you how sorry I am. 13. He heard the footsteps downstairs. He went to open the front door. 14. You have settled this problem. But you will find something else to worry. 15. She quieted the baby. She went on to cook dinner. 16. Tony lost the feel of his job. When a higher position became vacant, he was not promoted. 17. The manuscript was written two hundred years ago. Nevertheless, it was not very difficult to understand. 18. He was mad when he knew his car was damaged. He had had it serviced only a week before. 19. That night we stayed at home. We were watching TV and playing scrabble. 20. I was away on the day of the big fire. Therefore, I could not have helped with the rescue of animals.

Ex.5. TRANSLATE into Russian paying attention to the use of participles as parenthesis.

1. Allowing for every possible delay, I think I shall be with you, at the latest, on the first of November. 2. “I didn’t know of your existence. Excuse me for saying anything so rude; but, honestly speaking, I did not”. 3. The proprietor knew all his waiters like the fingers on his hand; there were only fifteen of them all told. 4. The eggs, allowing for all mishaps, will produce two hundred and fifty chickens. 5. From sunrise till dark, excepting when she was getting a meal ready, or was out purchasing provisions, the old woman sat by the window. 6. When the mixture was complete there was scarcely a handful, all told. 7. Putting it mildly, she behaved insincere. 8. The whole party was assembled, excepting Frank Churchill, who was expected every moment from Richmond. 9. Everybody, it appears, the present company excepted, has plotted against Mrs. Snagsby. 10. At that time Germany had no musician, excepting Sebastian Bach. 11. Allowing for inevitable delays, a professional spy, with all his wits about him, will be here certainly not later than the day after tomorrow – possibly earlier. 12. Excepting yourself and your brother, I do not know his equal for temper. 13. But very broadly speaking it may still be said that women stand for the dignity of love and men for the dignity of comradeship.

Ex.6. TRANSLATE the sentences using participles (where possible) in the following functions: