LONGMAN ENGLISH GRAMMAR PRACTICE

1.12 The complex sentence: perfect/past participle constructions

1.12C Agreement between present participle and subject [> LEG 1 .6I]

We have to be very careful to make the participle agree with the subject of both verbs:

Turning the corner, / saw a tile fall off the roof. (= I turned ... and I saw ...)

If we say or write *Turning the corner, the tile fell off the roof*, this means 'the tile was turning

the corner and then fell off the roof. The sentence is nonsense!

Write: What's wrong with these sentences?

1 Opening the door of the refrigerator, the smell was badd

2 Changing gear, the bus had difficulty getting up the hill

3 Burning the rubbish, all my important papers were destroyed

1.12D Past participle constructions [> LEG 1.62]

Study: 1 The past participle is the third part of a verb [> 9.3A-B]:

play - played - played (regular verbs); build - built - built (irregular verbs)

2 We sometimes use the past participle instead of the passive:

Viewed from a distance, it resembled a cloud. (When it was viewed...)

Although built years ago, it was in good order. (Although it was built...)

If accepted for the job, you will be informed soon. (If you are accepted...)

3 We can omit who and which: The system used here is very successful, (which is used...)

Write: Rewrite these sentences using past participles.

1 The painting was lost for many years. It turned up at an auction.

... Ц6&М:.,. PH&. .kW.. .tâ. ,Ш<.

2 Although the meat was cooked for several hours, it was still tough.

3 If the picture is seen from this angle, it looks rather good.

4 The vegetables .which are sold in this shop are grown without chemicals.

5 When the poem is read aloud it is very effective.

1.12E Context

/В

Щт

Put in suitable words (and forms where necessary) in the spaces below.

YAH BOOH!

My cat Blossom is always getting into fights with Ginger, the tomcat next door.

(^1) y.ht*-. I see Ginger through my window, I shout and wave my arms to
frighten him away.^2 out of the window yesterday, I saw Ginger near my
front door. There^3 no one around, I pulled a hideous face, stuck out my
tongue, waved my arms over my head and started screaming, 'Yah booh! Yah
booh!'^4 the front door, I was determined to chase Ginger away.
(^5) I succeeded admirably, I terrified the postman as well!