Explaining -ing (present) and -ed (past) participle clauses: E5-08W

 

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Advanced English grammar explanation: present and past participle clauses

Previous study required

In this file, we are going to switch our focus a little. We explained -ing participle clauses in files E3-09W and E4-07W, and now we are going to contrast them with -ed participle clauses.

WATCH OUT! To understand this file, you must not only be familiar with the level 3 and 4 exercises on –ing clauses, but you must also know the passive quite well. If you don’t, please study the relevant files before trying the work below.

 

Using an -ing clause

Look at the following sentence:

 

A. Walking into the hotel lobby, Paul waved to the princess.

 

The subject, Paul, does two things: 1) he walked into the hotel lobby; 2) he waved to the princess. In this type of sentence, where the first verb is active, we use the present participle.

In other words, in this type of sentence one subject does two actions. Contrast:

 

Paul walking into the hotel lobby, the princess greeted him warmly. x

 

We can’t do this, because Paul walked and the princess greeted, so we have to express this without a participle (-ing form), for example:

 

As Paul walked into the hotel lobby, the princess greeted him warmly.

 

First, our two clauses each begin with their own subject: Paul, the princess. Second, we have used the conjunction ‘as’ to make clear the time relation: the Princess greeted him as soon as, or at the moment that, Paul walked in.

 

Using an -ed clause

Now compare the next sentence to sentence A above:

 

B. Found on a suburban train, the briefcase contained vital government documents.

 

In this sentence, we don’t know who the subject of the first verb is. We have a piece of information about the object of the verb:

1) the briefcase was found (by somebody) on a train.

However, the briefcase is the subject of the second verb:

2) it contained documents.

We put together these two pieces of information -

 

Somebody found the briefcase.

The briefcase contained documents.  - into sentence B, as above:

 

Found on a suburban train, the briefcase contained vital government documents.

 

Where the first verb is passive, we use the past participle. But not:

Found on a suburban train, John took the briefcase to the police.

 

This would mean that John was found on the train! So we find another way to put these two items of information together:

The briefcase was found on a suburban train and (the briefcase was) taken to the police by John.

 

Two more examples:

 

1. The Browns left instructions to the child-minder.

The Browns drove off to the theatre.

Combining these, we get:

Leaving instructions to the child-minder, The Browns drove off to the theatre.

 

2. Twelve-year old Emily Brown was forced to stay at home.

She was furious.

Combining these, we get:

Forced to stay at home, twelve-year-old Emily Brown was furious. OR

Twelve-year old Emily Brown, forced to stay at home, was furious.

 

 

Summary

·         When the same subject performs two actions, we use an -ing clause for the first action.

·         When we have a subject who does one action but has another done to it / them, we use an -ed clause

[Note that if the past participle of the verb is irregular, like ‘found’, the clause will not contain an -ed word such as forced.]

The -ing clause is in fact a present participle clause, and the so-called -ed clause is a past participle clause.

 

Finally, this topic is very closely related to that of –ing and –ed adjectives:

 

He is a very bored young man.

He is a very boring young man.

 

So you may find it useful to study that file (E5-09W) before doing the exercises in P5-08W – depending on how confident, or not, you feel about these –ing and –ed clauses now.