Questions tagged [participles]
A participle is a form of a verb that is used in a sentence to modify a noun, noun phrase, verb or verb phrase, and thus plays a role similar to that of an adjective or adverb.
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Why can we use present participles but not past participles in some reduced relative clauses?
Who’s the girl dancing over there? = Who's the girl (who is) dancing over there?
BUT this sentence is not possible:
Who's the girl danced with my husband? = Who's the girl (who) danced with my husband?...
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Participial phrase with a subject unomitted [duplicate]
I wonder this sentence is both grammatically and idiomatically correct.
"That movie having a pretty big budget, filmmakers did not need to have one in order to succeed."
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Is it grammatical to use a participle phrase with a different subject from the preceding clause? [duplicate]
As I understand it, the standard use of a participle phrase is something like,
The man walked into the room smoking a cigarette.
In this case, the subject for the participle phrase smoking a ...
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adjective vs adverb for a gerund
This sentence occurs in Wikipedia:
The method of voting can range from formal submission of written votes, through show of hands, voice voting or audience response systems, to informal noting which ...
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Why is a plural noun followed by present participle incorrect? [duplicate]
Discussing what they do to earn extra cash, a friend told me: "I get paid for dogs walking." I think they should use the singular, "I get paid for dog walking". My friend replied,...
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Struggling with participle phrases - adjectival vs adverbial
I'm struggling to identify when a participle phrase is adjectival vs. adverbial.
For example: Turning into the parking lot, the girl could see that lines were already forming.
^ "Turning into the ...
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Passive or Adjective 'respected' [closed]
Is the following sentence passive or is 'respected' used an adjective?:
He is respected.
And how would one know the difference?
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Is "remained considered guilty" grammatical?
I'm currently reading Huddleston and Pullum (2002). In section 1.3 (p. 79), they note that the following sentence is ungrammatical:
(1) The boss seemed considered guilty of bias.
I agree that this is ...
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Is 'Coming' used as participle preposition?
"Coming less than a year after the ignominious US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Moscow's absorption of Ukraine would have further undermined the credibility of US as a global power. "
This is ...
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Participle clause containing a subject [duplicate]
I am confused as to whether it is correct to use a participle clause as a nonessential element in a sentence like with a participle phrase.
For example, I know that the following sentence is correct:
...
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Word order of participial and nonparticipial adjectives
I am interested in whether there is any correlation between the word order of NP modifiers and their morphology, which could be purely adjectival or participial. First off, nonparticipial adjectives ...
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“The buildings are owned by him.” Is this a verbal stative passive or an adjectival passive?
In terms of what I’ve seen: “Adjectival passives always have stative interpretations, whereas verbal passives can either have a dynamic or a stative interpretation.”
So…. If I have a sentence, such as:...
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How clearly separate "could be **ed", "has been **ed" and "will be **ed" in the "participle + noun" combinations?
Well, I have the programming examples only, but I suppose it could be reused on the common English.
AFAIK "Imported namespace" could mean:
Namespace which has been imported
Namespace which ...
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How can I best describe the content of the object complement in the sentences below? [duplicate]
I came here after reading that perception verbs should be followed by either a base infinitive or a present participle as in the following examples:
I saw the car crash into the barrier.
I saw the ...
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Past participle form of the verbs "walk", "meet", "sit", etc
From the explanation about participle phrases from this British Council's page, it lists some past participles such as gone, read, seen, walked, etc..
Having said that, I tried to construct sentences ...
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Passive participial clauses
Ive found the following example:
I heard my name being shouted.
In this case, they use an passive participle.
But if you want to connect two sentences, you do the following:
The house was built ...
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Is there such a thing as a participle phrase?
Look at the girl dancing on the stage.
Look at the dancing girl.
They are a happily married couple.
The Japanese are now a meat-eating people.
I understand that "dancing on the stage" in ...
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Ground or grounded - and why? [closed]
In the sentence,
This particular discipline was ground by the strict protocols of its predecessors.
Why is it ground and not grounded? To me it feels like I should use the infinitive 'ground' as a ...
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Being interested/Interested in nitroglycerine, over the years, Alfred himself performed…?
Sample test:
_________ (interest) in nitroglycerine, over the years, Alfred himself performed so many experiments to make sure it could be put into practical use in construction work.
The given answer ...
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Participle or Gerund? [duplicate]
Is “ferrying” in the following passage a gerund or a present participle?
In March 2016, Zipline, a U.S. startup partnered with the Rwandan government to launch the world’s first commercial drone ...
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Using participle constructions instead of subordinate clauses
I'm studying to become a teacher. Yesterday, my students took a test. The first task was to rewrite the given sentences using a participle construction.
Right now, I'm struggling with one sentence ...
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Perfect Continuous Passive Participle Clause?
Having been being lost in the woods for hours, he was finally found by emergency services.
Does this mean:
After he had been being lost in the woods for hours, he was finally found by emergency ...
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Awkward mission statement with "being" used possibly incorrectly in a participle clause [closed]
I am a native English speaker but have lived abroad for many years now. I hear various proficiencies in English every day and therefore, some common mistakes that wouldn't sound natural/correct back ...
user435677
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What Do We Call: Having Been + Present Participle?
I am inquiring in terms of classic prescriptive grammar. As a preface, please consider the following usage of the perfect participle.
I, [having played] well, am proud of my game.
The participial ...
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participle clauses/absolute phrases
Being tired, I got some rest at home.
Tired, I got some rest at home.
Rich, he wasn't happy.
Why are the sentences above correct, but these aren't?
Sick, he couldn't attend the meeting.
Old, he ...
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Rules to follow to choose when to use the present participle and when to use the past participle [closed]
Mark, dressed in black, walked across the room.
Mark, dressing in black, walked across the room.
I think both sentences are correct but what's the difference in meaning between both of them?
Also, is ...
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Bare infinitive or present participle? [closed]
Which of the following two sentences is correct? The one that uses the bare infinitive 'hear', or the one that uses the present participle 'hearing'?
He heard him snore last night.
Or
He heard him ...
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Do you need a context to fully understand what a participle clause means? [duplicate]
Having finished the work, he went home.
As you can see, there is no context available in that sentence. So, the above sentence could mean:
Because he had finished the work, he went home. Or,
After ...
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"As pets being welcome, she stayed at the hotel with her dog." [closed]
I know that the the following two sentences are validly structured.
Pets being welcome, she stayed at the hotel with her dog.
and
As pets were welcome, she stayed at the hotel with her dog.
The ...
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What case of 'I' should be used in a Participle Clause? [duplicate]
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
I being not at home, my friend left a message.
Me being not at home, my friend left a message.
My being not at home, my friend left a ...
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Participle phrases and Inversion
In enwiki.org, this example is provided for showing inversion after a Participle phrases:
Lurking in the corner stood a chicken with an ax, ready to take on the
farmer in a fight to the death.
In ...
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Participial phrase separating main verbs
Let's say you have the following sentence:
I stood there and wondered what to do next.
Now, let's say you insert a participial phrase after "there."
I stood there looking at her and wondered ...
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Can the present participle be used as adverbials of purpose?
Usually, infinitives with 'to' are used to indicate adverbials of purpose.
e.g.
I go downstairs to collect my parcel.
In order to keep warm, my dog curls up on the rug beside my bed every evening.
...
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"___ was a song sung by […]" or "___ was a song sang by […]"? [closed]
I'm aware that sung is the past participle of sing, while sang is the past tense form, but I'm still unsure on whether or not one would use the past tense or past participle verb in this sentence:
&...
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Does the (etymological) definition of 'participle' include 'noun'?
BACKGROUND
The definition of 'participle' is something along the line of:
a word having the characteristics of both verb and adjective
(M-W Dictionary)
the form of a verb that usually ends in "...
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Is the following a gerund or participle in this sentence?
I'm not feeling myself today.
In the sentence above, is 'feeling' a gerund or participle? (I understand that the main verb is 'am', from which I can then ascertain that it is at least one of these ...
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How do I analyze this sentence from John Dyson's "Don't Look Down"?
John Dyson's DON'T LOOK DOWN has a sentence that reads:
The cable heaping on the roof, even a vibration from the men inside, could nudge the 2.4-ton cage into free fall.
The cable heaping on the ...
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Is it correct to say, "The specimen was observed using a microscope."
In scientific journals, we often find passive sentences like "The specimen was observed using a microscope" and "The specimen was observed by using a microscope." Are they correct?
...
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Why is it a "vexed question", rather than a "vexing question"?
If I understand it correctly, a "vexed question" is bothering, annoying, and frustrating us; not being bothered, annoyed, and frustrated by us. As such, I'd expect the active (present, -ing) ...
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Being + P.P construct as progressive form of -ed participle or passive form
Regarding Being + P.P construct:
In The Grammar Book it is described as Progressive:
but the same construct in Cambridge Grammar of English is described as Passive:
Which one is correct?
user147384
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Is participle clause commonly used in spoken English?
I have never heard a native speaker use sentence with participle clause such as ‘Thinking about her past, she cried bitterly.’; ‘Bitten by a snake, she died.’ in their day-to-day conversation although ...
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Form of Participle Clause Subject: 'his' being or 'him' being
I have come across the following sentence (a bit modified) in a news article:
"The opposition leader's bid for power failed to gain traction, and his claim to the presidency is rooted in his ...
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Is the gerund and (present) participle form always the same (spelling)? [duplicate]
Are the participle and gerund form of a verb always technically the same and in all tenses (in the sense of spelling) or do deviations exist?
Reason is because I'm building a database and need to know ...
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Setting Off Participles With Commas
I'm stuck on whether it's good style to use a comma to set off a participle by itself from the rest of the main clause:
e.g. Alice walked out of the burning school(,) crying, and joined the crowd of ...
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" I found her tiring and depressing " is this sentence correct? [closed]
I found this sentence in my exam, I would like to know that my answer is correct or not.
Actually I should answer " tired and depressed "
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Is the use of the participle correct here?
Do participle phrases and clauses refer to particular instances only or can they also refer to long-term habits?
Studying the topic, he understood the concept well.
Here the sentence refers to a ...
user403195
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To Feel One’s Heart Fill/Filled With?
“Stephen felt his heart filled by Fleming’s words and did not answer.”
I read this sentence, from Portrait of the Artist, and wondered if the use of the past participle filled was an abbreviation or ...
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A Specific Case of Infinitive as Adjective
To see him, you would have supposed he had been doing this for years.
Having first thought that to see him was an adverb, I then noticed it wasn’t exactly doing the work of an adverb and might just as ...
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Grammar: Participle clause after preposition [duplicate]
I have been studying the book named Grammar and Vocabulary for Advanced by Martin Hewings and Simon Haines. There is a exercise sentence like this "With the wind reaching hurricane force, ships ...
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Introductory, Independent clauses and participles
For many people in the US, undergoing a medical procedure can be a stressful, confusing, and sometimes overwhelming ordeal.
I understand that For...US, is the introductory phrase and needs the comma. ...
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