Active Verb + Ing Having + Past Participle

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PARTICIPLES

i. There are two forms of a c t i v e participles:

Verb + ing Having + Past Participle


buying having bought

 You find yourself thinking about what you are going to have for dinner
or singing to yourself.
 Having delivered his leaflets around the class, the tutor then has to
begin dangling the carrots.
 A good number of students, having already worked a 12-hour day,
soon develop a keen resentment towards their evening class.

and three forms of p a s s i v e participles:

Past Participle Being + Past Participle Having been + Past Participle


bought being bought having been bought

 Having been given your home number by your secretary, I tried to find
a telephone box which was empty.
 Dressed in his smartest clothes, he arrived early for the interview.

ii. Participles are used to describe simultaneous or consecutive actions:

 She held his hand and led him through the crowd.►
Holding his hand, she led him through the crowd. ►
She led him through the crowd holding his hand.

 We sat on the beach watching the windsurfers falling into the water.
 Getting to the beach, we looked for an uncrowded spot.
 Having got to the beach, we found some sunbeds to lie on.
 Walking through the public gardens today, I noticed that vandals had
damaged the benches.

and to explain reason or causes

 Arriving in Naples early in the afternoon, I had time to look around the
town. (= because I arrived in Naples early in the afternoon)
 Not being an expert, I can’t teach you how to windsurf.
 Being a poor swimmer, I don’t go out beyond my depth.
 Made from the softest leather imaginable, they are as comfortable as a
pair of slippers. (= because they are made from the softest leather)

iii. Participles can also be used after these words:

after as before if on once


since when unless until upon

 After losing the match, she was heart-broken.


 All musical instruments, if played properly, hurt.
 Once opened, this product should be consumed within 24 hours.
 When using a dictionary, remember that the examples given are often
more helpful than the definitions.
 I didn’t like him on first meeting him.
 After speaking / having spoken to you, I felt much better.
 What with sleeping badly, and some very steep hills to walk over, it
was quite a relief to get to the town this afternoon. (=because I had slept
badly)

iv. Normally the subject of a participle is the same as the subject of the main
verb.

 Waiting for the bus, I saw him in his new car


(= I was waiting for the bus when I saw him in his new car)

Careless writing can produce unintentionally absurd sentences such as:

 Having a degree in education, the child was quite easy for me to tutor.
where it appears that the child is the one with the qualification!!
NOTE:
 The car having broken down, all we could do was hitch a lift to the
nearest town.

v. Reduced Relative clauses

 The man living (who lives) upstairs is very noisy.


 They haven’t identified the body found (which was found) in the
Thames.
 All those selected (= who are / have been selected) will be informed by
five o’clock on Friday.
 The man arrested (= who was arrested) last night has yet to be
charged.

vi. When we use not in a participle clause it usually comes before the
participle.
 Not wanting to carry my backpack any further, I went to the first hotel I
came across.

vii. Having +ed emphasizes that the action of the participle clause is
complete before the action of the main clause begins.
 Having climbed to the top of the hill, I could see all the way to the
Mediterranean.
 Having been woken up by a scratching sound, I found a large rat trying
to get into my backpack. (=after I had been woken up)

Practice:
 I saw her on the other side of the road and quickly tried to hide.

 She turned on her computer and started to work.

 As / Since / Because I was happy with my results, I decided to go out and

celebrate.

 He’s lived here all his life so he knows a lot about the town.

 I’d had an argument with him the night before so I didn’t want to see him.

 I often saw her at the disco. She was surrounded by her admirers.

 Her books, which are read by people all over the world, are still immensely

popular.

 If I am accepted for the job, I’ll have to start next month.

 The manuscript had been lost for many years when it suddenly turned up

again.

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