16.3. Predicative

The terrorists’ car was stolen. (=It was not theirs.)

Compare: The car was stolen by the terrorists. (=the Passive form, denotes an action)

His indifference was infuriating.

16.4. Part of Compound Verbal Predicate (See 18.2.)

Presently other footsteps were heard crossing the hall below.

The jewels were believed lost.

16.5. Part of a Complex Object (See 18.1.)

Have you ever heard a nightingale singing?

I can make myself understood very well in French.

16.6. Participle I is used as a Parenthesis.

Strictly speaking, you can’t come in here unless you are a club member.

Broadly speaking, …; Considering everything,…

17. Misrelated Participles

Normally, the doer of the action expressed by a participle is the same as the subject of the sentence.

The men sat round the table playing cards. (=The men were playing cards.)

It is often considered a mistake to make sentences in which the participle has a doer different from the subject of the sentence. The following sentence, with its ‘misrelated participle’, would be considered incorrect by many people.

Looking out of the window of our hotel room, there was a wonderful range of mountains.

This could sound as if the mountains were looking out of the window.

However, sentences with ‘misrelated participles’ are quite common, particularly when the sentence opens with the introductory it or there.

Being French, it’s surprising that she is a terrible cook.

Having so little time, there was not much I could do.

‘Misrelated participles’ can be used when there is no danger of misunderstanding.

Knowing how little time was left, this new delay infuriated her.

(=She knew…, she was infuriated.)

18. Predicative Constructions with the Participle

In Modern English we find the following constructions with the Participle:

• the Objective Participial Construction;

• the Subjective Participial Construction;

• the Nominative Absolute Participial Construction;

• the Prepositional Absolute Participial Construction.

18.1. The Objective Participial Construction

This is a construction in which the participle is in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or a personal pronoun in the objective case. In the sentence, the construction is used as a Complex Object. The verbal element is Participle I Indefinite or Participle II.

The Objective Participial Construction is found:

a) after verbs of sense perception such as see, hear, watch, listen to, feel, smell, notice, observe, etc.

We heard you arguing with your brother.

We saw the lions (being) fed.

A verb of perception can also take an object +bare infinitive (the Objective-with-the Infinitive Construction). The infinitive means a complete action, the participle means action for a period of time.

I saw them cut the tree down. It didn’t take long.

I saw them cutting the tree down as I went past.

But when we talk about a short action, we can use either patterns.

Bernard watched the horse jump/jumping the fence.

b) after some verbs of mental activity, such as consider, understand, imagine.

She considers herself engaged to Edwin.

c) after some verbs of wish, such as wish, want, desire, (would) like, (would) love, (would) prefer, (would) hate. Only Participle II is used in this pattern.

Pamela wanted the carpet cleaned. (except after imagine)

In patterns b) and c) the Infinitive can also be used.

Pamela wanted the carpet to be cleaned.

Pamela wanted Jack to clean the carpet.

d) after the verbs have, get, set, keep, leave, find and catch Participle I is used to denote an action for a period of time, an action in progress.

We soon got the machine working again.

They caught a student cheating in the exam.

After get, have, make, find Participle II is also used.

The police found the body buried in the garden.

Have/get + object + Participle II means that the action is performed at the request of the subject. This pattern is used mainly to talk about professional services to a customer, “arrange for smb. to do smth.”

We had a burglar alarm fitted some time ago. (=by a security company)

Where did you get/have your hair cut? (get is more informal than have)

We can use get informally meaning ‘cause oneself to do something’ or ‘get on with the job’.

We finally got everything packed into one suitcase.

We can use the same pattern with have meaning ‘experience something, often something unpleasant’.

My sister has had some money stolen.

We had water dripping through the ceiling.

‘I won’t have…’ means ‘I won’t allow’.

I won’t have my house turned into a hotel.

I won’t have you telling me what to do.

After have, get, leave we can use an infinitive for an action as a whole.

The trainer had the players run/got the players to run round the field.

OBJECTIVE CONSTRUCTION WITH

THE INFINITIVE THE PARTICIPLE

to see + smb. do smth hear feel watch notice …	to see + smb. doing smth hear smth. done feel watch … find
to get + smb. to do smth. to make + smth./smb. do smth. have to let + smb. do smth. to cause + smb. to do smth.	to get + smth./oneself done smb./smth. doing smth. to make + oneself done. have + smb. doing smth. smth./oneself done to set + smb. doing smth.
to want + smb. to do smth. wish desire mean intend I’d like/love/hate/ prefer …	to want + smth./oneself done wish desire I’d like/love/hate/ prefer …
to think + smb. to be Adj / N know smb. to do smth. believe consider expect find imagine	to consider + oneself /smth. done understand imagine + smb. doing smth. smth./smb. done
to leave + smb. to do smth.	to leave + smb. doing smth. keep smth. /smb. done to catch + smb. doing smth.