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The subjective participial construction

The Subjective Participial Construction consists of two parts: nominal + verbal:

He was seen leaving the house.

The house was found ruined.

The verbal part of the construction (a participle) is in the relation of secondary predication to the nominal part (a noun in the common case or a personal pronoun in the nominative case).

The Subjective Participial Construction performs the syntactical function of the complex subject. It is mostly used in the literary style or formal speech.

Subjective Participial Construction

with the present participle

is used:

Subjective Participial Construction

with the past participle is used:

a)with the verbs of sense perception and mental ability

in the passive form

The men were seen cutting down a tree.

John and Suzy were heard quarrelling.

The boy was caught teasing the cat.

Jane was found crying in the corner.

From time to time their voices could be heard uplifted in clamorous argument.

The picture is considered stolen.

b)with some causative verbs :

I was kept waiting an hour or so.

Exercise 37. Rewrite the sentences using the subjective participial construction with the present participle:

1.He was climbing to the top of the hill. We saw it. 2.The man posted a letter. We saw it. 3.They were rehearsing. We heard it. 4.Tom and Susan were quarrelling. Everybody heard it. 5.The woman was repairing her car. We saw it. 6.The policeman left the building. We saw it.

Exercise 38. Complete the sentences using the subjective participial construction with the present participle:

1.The children were heard …2.The doctor was seen …3.Dad was heard … 4.Lisa was found … 5.The singer was heard …

Absolute constructions Nominative Absolute Participial Construction

The nominative absolute participial construction consists of two elements, nominal and verbal. The nominal element is a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the nominative case and the verbal element is a participle. The elements of the construction are joined by the predicative relationship, with the noun/pronoun acting like a subject of the participle. The subject of the sentence which includes such construction does not coincide with the nominal element of the construction.

The construction is rather independent from the main part of the sentence and is separated from it by a comma.

Our teacher having fallen ill, we had no English classes.

All forms of the participle are used in this construction.

The nominative absolute participial construction is very literary. It is normally not used in spoken English.

In a sentence, the nominative absolute participial construction functions as an adverbial modifier:

1)of attendant circumstances or manner:

He ran into the room, his eyes shining. (He ran into the room, his eyes were shining.)

He left the room, his farewell unanswered.

John resumed the conversation, his good humour quite restored.

He sat on the sofa, his legs crossed.

Davidson walked, his head bent, across the floor of my office.

We spent the summer in their cottage, they occupying the front room.

2)of reason:

The day being fine, we decided to go swimming. (We decided to go swimming because the day was fine.)

The lights having gone out, we couldn’t see a thing.

The restaurant having closed, there was nowhere to eat.

My attention distracted by the guest, I didn’t hear her last words.

3)of condition:

All being well, we should be home about six. (If all is well, we should be home about six.)

We plan to eat outside, weather permitting.

The work begun, would you be able to carry it though?

4)of time:

A hole having been dug, the men just disappeared. (When the hole had been dug, the men just disappeared.)

Her luggage registered, she went to the platform.

Dinner served, Mary rang the bell.

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between different types of the adverbial modifier because different adverbial meanings can overlap:

Ice having thus been broken, the two former rivals grew still more affectionate. (As/after ice had been broken, the two former rivals grew still more affectionate.) (reason + time)

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