Participial Phrases

Participial Phrases
The Basics
Participial phrases are used when one wants to express information in a more concise way.
They are not frequently used in spoken language but are often used in written English.
There are three types of participles used in order to form participial phrases:
1. the present participle (-ing form: walking, riding etc.);

2. the past participle (3rd verb form: walked, ridden etc.); and
3. the perfect participle (having + past participle: having walked, having ridden etc.).
Remember...
1. The verb in the main clause specifies the tense of the participial phrase.
2. The verb in the main clause and the participle should have the same subject.
You can use participial phrases...
1. to express actions happening simultaneously (the present participle)

2. to clarify the reason for something (present and perfect participles)
3. to substitute relative clauses (present and past participles)
4. to express an alternative passive form (past participle)
5. to express past actions happening in a sequence (perfect participle)
6. after conjunctions and prepositions (present and perfect participles)
* Note that the role of participial phrases have been divided in this way to show how the
construction can be used for multiple purposes. There is sometimes overlap.
Practice A
Rewrite the following sentence pairs as one sentence using a participial phrase.
I. Expressing actions that are happening simultaneously
1. I was waiting at the bus stop. I was studying for my exam.

→ Waiting at the bus stop, I was studying for my exam. / Waiting at the bus stop, I studied for
my exam.
2. I knew my secret was revealed. I felt humiliated.
3. I was sitting by the river. I was reconsidering my career path.
4. I realized the exam was behind me. I felt relieved.
II. Clarifying the reason for something
1. Marc was quite good at mathematics. Marc later decided to apply for a mathematics
program.
2. I expected the worst when I was called by the doctor.
3. The children were shown a gruesome film about drug addicts. The children never took
drugs.
4. I forgot my passport at home. I missed my flight.
5. I was late to work for the 10th time. Therefore, I was fired.
III. Substituting relative clauses
Notes
who (subject); whom (object)
The child whom the dog bit is eleven. (CORRECT)
The child the dog bit is eleven. (CORRECT)
● You can omit the relative pronoun (whom, that, etc.) IF it is the OBJECT of the
subordinate clause.
The child who bit the dog is eleven.
● The relative pronoun “who” is the subject of the subordinate clause. Therefore, you
CANNOT omit it without changing the meaning.
○ The child who bit the dog is eleven. (defining the child - How old is the child?)
○ The child bit the dog is eleven. (incorrect)
■ The child bit the dog. (has a different meaning - it is simply describing
an action, not defining the child - What did the child do?)
Jack sent the letter that he wrote.
Jack sent the letter he wrote. (correct because “that” = “the letter” = the object)
Participle allows you to substitute a relative pronoun that is a subject.
I saw a woman who threw a ball. → I saw a woman throwing a ball.
The person who will be elected president should be intelligent. → The person elected president
should be intelligent. (past participle often used to substitute passive voice)
1. Try putting yourself in the shoes of someone, who is experiencing such hardships.
2. A person who will be randomly selected by our judge will go home with the prize money.
3. I am a Czech citizen, who is currently living in the USA.
4. The assignment that you are doing now is worth 50% of your grade.
5. He found the mouse, which was hiding behind the fridge.
6. He found the money, which had been hidden under a floorboard.
7. We saw several old ladies who were going to the pub.
IV. Expressing an alternative passive form

1. George was sent home for the notes. George got back in an hour.
2. The church had been damaged in the fire. The church was restored 10 years later.
3. The book was written by my friend. The book won an award.
V. Expressing past actions that happened sequentially
1. I cooked dinner. Then, I called the guests into the hall.
2. I was accepted to the program. I started planning a celebration party.
3. (Bonus) I read the literature, which had been published on my topic. Then, I started
writing my paper.
VI. After conjunctions and prepositions
1. She called us in the morning. She woke us up.
2. I worked all day. I needed a nap.
3. The students studied hard. The students passed their exam.
4. The scientists retested their participants. It is often insufficient to do an experiment only

once.
Practice B
Select the correct word or phrase.
1. After seeing/seen his high school friend at the supermarket, Shawn decided to call him.
2. Seen/Having seen the cloudy sky in the morning, I knew that it was going to rain.
3. Leaving/Left with no money in an unfamiliar city, Michael started seeking help.
4. I ran for 5 miles and, doing/having done that, I stopped to have a rest.
5. Having finishing/Having finished her bachelor thesis, Naomi uploaded it to the system.
6. Five students graded/grading best for the second-semester test will not be writing the
essay on the exam.
7. Finishing/Having finished baking the cake, I felt very exhausted.
8. Succeeding/Succeed in developing his business within the first three years, Jack started
to make plans for the company’s expansion.
9. Before watched/watching this movie, I didn’t know anything about Greece.
10. I’m confident that after passing/passed this test, they will feel satisfied.
Practice C
Complete the sentences so that the meaning remains the same.
1. I suddenly realized what the answer to the final question of the quiz was as I was
walking home.
Walking…
2. I felt confused when I saw my friend being selected as my next opponent in the
tournament.
Seeing…
3. The reason why Steve doesn’t have enough spare time is that he lacks self-discipline.
Lacking…
4. Clark's family can afford to go abroad every month because their annual income is
greater than 150,000 dollars.
Having…
5. I injured my leg because I was trying to get his cat out of the tree.
Trying…
6. Chris was very upset because he came too late for the party.
Having come...
7. Trevor started freaking out when he realized he forgot his belongings in the pub.
Realizing…
8. Britney didn’t pay attention during math class, so she had to learn most of it within a
month in order to prepare for the test.
Not having…
9. I decided to go for a little walk by myself at midnight after I left the pub with my friends.
Having…
10. I saw a notification saying that there had been a huge car crash downtown as I turned on
my phone.
Turning…

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Participial Phrases

1. the present participle (-ing form: walking, riding etc.);

You can use participial phrases...

1. to express actions happening simultaneously (the present participle)

I. Expressing actions that are happening simultaneously

1. I was waiting at the bus stop. I was studying for my exam.

2. I knew my secret was revealed. I felt humiliated.

3. I was sitting by the river. I was reconsidering my career path.

4. I realized the exam was behind me. I felt relieved.

II. Clarifying the reason for something

2. I expected the worst when I was called by the doctor.

4. I forgot my passport at home. I missed my flight.

III. Substituting relative clauses

who (subject); whom (object)

The child whom the dog bit is eleven. (CORRECT)

The child the dog bit is eleven. (CORRECT)

Jack sent the letter that he wrote.

Participle allows you to substitute a relative pronoun that is a subject.

I saw a woman who threw a ball. → I saw a woman throwing a ball.

3. I am a Czech citizen, who is currently living in the USA.

5. He found the mouse, which was hiding behind the fridge.

6. He found the money, which had been hidden under a floorboard.

7. We saw several old ladies who were going to the pub.

IV. Expressing an alternative passive form

3. The book was written by my friend. The book won an award.

V. Expressing past actions that happened sequentially

1. I cooked dinner. Then, I called the guests into the hall.

2. I was accepted to the program. I started planning a celebration party.

VI. After conjunctions and prepositions

1. She called us in the morning. She woke us up.

2. I worked all day. I needed a nap.

3. The students studied hard. The students passed their exam.

4. The scientists retested their participants. It is often insufficient to do an experiment only

Select the correct word or phrase.

3. Leaving/Left with no money in an unfamiliar city, Michael started seeking help.

7. Finishing/Having finished baking the cake, I felt very exhausted.

9. Before watched/watching this movie, I didn’t know anything about Greece.

Complete the sentences so that the meaning remains the same.

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