Spotlight - 10.2019

(coco) #1

THE GRAMMAR PAGE


Using present


participles


(verb + “-ing”)


ADRIAN DOFF presents and explains this key
point of grammar with notes on a short dialogue.

MEDIUM PLUS

Explanations



  1. Participles can be used to describe people or things (= the
    people who live across the road).

  2. Here, the participle is used to give a reason (= because we
    knew that...).

  3. As in (1), the participle here describes something (= the
    note that invited the neighbours).

  4. Participles can also be used to talk about events that
    happen at the same time (= they stood around, and they
    chatted and drank wine).

  5. Here, the participle is used in a time phrase with after
    (= after they had stayed...).

  6. Participles are often used after there is / are and there was /
    were to describe a scene (= people were dancing).


Dialogue
Meg gave a party at the weekend. She’s telling her friend
John about it.

John: How was the party?
Meg: Oh, good fun — apart from the people living^1
across the road.
John: Why, what happened?
Meg: Well, knowing^2 that we’d probably make a lot of
noise, we sent a note to all the neighbours, invit-
ing^3 them to come to the party for a drink.
John: Good idea.
Meg: The people from across the road came over at
about nine o’clock, and they stood around, chat-
ting^4 and drinking^4 wine. Then, after staying^5 for
about an hour, they left. The party went on until
quite late. It wasn’t very noisy, but there were
people dancing^6 , and some people were sitting
outside chatting^7.
John: Sounds quite normal.
Meg: Yes, exactly. But around midnight, the police
arrived. They said the people from across the road
had complained about the noise.
John: What? Having come^8 to your party and drunk^8
your wine, they then complained to the police?
Meg: Yes. Not very friendly, was it?

Exercise

Add a participle from the list to each sentence (A–F) in
the correct place.

having | knowing | leaving | rising | saying | watching

A. I could see smoke from the building.

B. She listened in silence without a word.

C. Bought tickets in advance, we didn’t need to queue.

D. Not where he lives, I can’t just go and visit him.

E. He was sitting on the sofa, a film.

F. Before, I kissed her goodbye.

Answers

A.
I could see smok

e rising
from the building.
B.
She lis

tened in
silence without saying

a word.

C.
Ha

ving

bought

tickets in advance, we didn’t need to queue.
D.
Not

knowing
where he lives, I can’t just go and visit him.
E.
He w

as sitting
on the sofa, watching

a film.

F.^

Before

leaving

,

I kissed her goodbye.

Remember!
The present participle (verb + “-ing”) is often used:
...to describe people or things:
⋅ Who’s that man sitting in the corner?
...to describe a scene, after there is / are or there was / were:
⋅ There are lots of people sitting by the river.
...after the verbs see and hear:
⋅ I could hear dogs barking in the distance.
...to talk about two actions happening at the same time:
⋅ I was sitting in the garden, reading a book.
...to describe the reason for an action:
⋅ Knowing I’d be late, I decided to take a taxi.
...in time expressions, following after, before, when and while:
⋅ Before crossing the road, you should look both ways.

Beyond the basics
To talk about an action that happened earlier, you can use the
perfect participle (“having” + past participle):
⋅ Having finished my homework, I went out.
⋅ Having studied physics at university, I knew that what he
was saying was wrong.

50 Spotlight 10/2019 THE GRAMMAR PAGE



  1. As in (4), this participle describes events that happen at the
    same time (= they were sitting and chatting).

  2. Here, the participle describes actions that had taken place
    earlier (= before the neighbours complained, they had come
    to the party and drunk wine). This is formed with “having”

    • past participle.



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