Page 110 - IELTS Preparation Grammar and Vocab

15 Participle, to-infinitive and reduced clauses

Grammar

En Participle clauses: general

SIAM: POINT,
Walking into each village, I was met by a pack of unfriendly dogs.
Found mainly in the south of the country, scorpions in Italy can gale a nasty bite but are rarely dangerous.
Having spent a couple of hours exploring Amalfi, I'm now ready for an excellent Italian dinner
Participle clauses are more common in writing, and are often used to express ideas in an economical way.
A participle usually refers to the subject of the main clause
Snarling aggressively, the dogs were pretty terrifying at first. (= the dogs were snarling and the dogs were
pretty terrifying)
We avoid using a participle clause when the subjects are different: Snarling aggressively, I kept away from
the dogs. In this example, the writer is trying to say that the dogs were snarling and he kept away from them.
However, it sounds as if he was snarling! The more accurate alternative is: The dogs were snarling aggressively, so
I kept away from them.
In formal English, a participle clause can sometimes have its own subject, which is often a pronoun or a noun
phrase including a pronoun:
Scorpions in North Africa, some measuring up to 20 centimetres, can kill adults. (Scorpions in North Africa =
subject of the main clause some = subject of the participle)
When we use not in a participle dause it usually comes before the participle
Not wanting to carry my backpack any further, I went to the first hotel! came across.

EU Present participle (-Mg) clauses
We can use a present participle clause to talk about something that takes place at the same time as, or just
before, an action in the main clause
Opening up my sleeping bag I discovered a scorpion.
A present participle clause can be used to give background information:
Living mainly in warm climates, scorpions have existed for over 400 million years.
and after quoted speech, to say what someone was doing while they were talking
'Wait for me here,' said Frank, running out of the house.
Present participle dauses can also be used to talk about a reason or result:
Arriving in Amalfi early in the afternoon,! had time to look around the town. (= because I arrived in Amalfi early
in the afternoon)

Past participle (-ed) clauses
We can use a past participle clause to talk about reasons and conditions:
Made from the softest leather imaginable, they are as comfortable as a pair of slippers. (reason = because they are
made from the softest leather imaginable)
Sold in Britain, the boots would have cost a lot more. (condition = if they were sold in Britain)
Past participles combine with forms of be and have to create passives and perfect forms:
Having fallen over a number of times,! was feeling thoroughly miserable. (= I was feeling thoroughly miserable
because I had fallen over a number of times)

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