Participle Clauses in English
Used in formal writing to add detail, reduce sentences or show the time of an action.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use participle clauses and practise using them.
How to use participle clauses?
There are three types of participle clauses.
Present Participle (-ing)
- Used to show simultaneous actions
- E.g. Walking home, I noticed someone in the road.
Past Participle (-ed)
- Used for reasons, passive statements or completed actions
- E.g. Shocked by the news, she fell to the floor.
Perfect Participle (having + -ed)
- Used to show an action happened before another
- E.g. Having prepared lunch, we ate it in the garden.
Negatives
- Add ‘not’ before the participle.
- E.g. Not knowing what to do, he asked for help.
Examples
Scrolling through Instagram, I saw a viral challenge.
Excited by the new filter, I created a new video.
Sitting on the sofa, she scrolled through her phone.
Practise
Fill the gaps with the correct participle clause.
Common mistakes learners make
- Using the wrong participle form
- Using the full clause instead of participle clause (reduced)
Common mistakes learners make
- Using the wrong participle form
- Using the full clause instead of participle clause (reduced)