Themostcommonlyusedparticipleformsandthetimestheyindicateareshownin
thefollowingchart.
- Youcanforma participialphrasebyreducinganadjectiveclause.
Theaudience,whichwaslisteningintentlytothemusic,failedtonotice
thefire.
talked
thewoundedsoldier
theboredaudience
havingtalked
talking
Havingfinished.
Afterfinishing.
ParticipialPhrases
Sincearriving ...
TimeClauses
Aftertheyhadfinished
Since!arrived
IIA nonrestrictivepaIiicipialphrasemayalsomodifyanentiresentence,in
whichcaseit comesattheendofthesentenceandis setoffbya comma.
Thebuildingcollapsed,killingthreefirefighters.
- Participialphrasesmayalsobereducedfromtimeandreasonadverbclauses.
IIParticipialphrasesreducedfromtimeclausesmayoccupyvarious
positionsina sentence,andthetimesubordinatorsaresometimesdeleted
andsometimesretained.
Theaudience,listeningintentlytothemusic,failedtonoticethefire.
- Anonrestrictiveparticipialphrasemayprecedeorfollowthenoun
it modifiesandis setoffbycommas.
Theaudience,listeningintentlytothemusic,failedtonoticethefire.
listeningintentlytothemusic,theaudiencefailedtonoticethefire.
IIArestrictiveparticipialphrasemustfollowthenounit modifiesandisnot
setoffbycommas.
Theaudiencefailedtonoticethefirestartingtosmolderlintheback
oftheauditorium.
General:notimeindicated
Perfect:timebeforethatofthemainverb
'smolder:bumwithoutflame
ParticipleForms
Theaudiencewasboredbythespeaker
Someparticiplesarefrompassivevoiceverbs:
Thesoldierwaswounded.
262 PartUl ISentenceStructure