Unit 10 Present and past participle clauses Meaning and Form You can use present and past participle clauses to give information about a noun or a noun phrase. Workers wishing to work longer hours (= present participle clause) can work overtime. The 35-hour week, long criticised by the conservative party, (= past participle clause) is a reality. Present participle clauses have an active meaning. Workers wishing (= who wish) to work longer hours can work overtime. The family was charged with ten offences, including (= which included) three charges of serious assault. The Lancet has published a study suggesting (= that suggests) it will become quite common … to live to see 100. Past participle clauses have a passive meaning. The 35-hour week, long criticised (= which has been criticised) by the conservative party, is a reality. A wildlife carer is sharing her bathroom with a crocodile run over (= which was run over) by a car. It will become quite common for babies born (= who were born) in 2000 to live to see 100. Note: 1 Present and past participle clauses have nothing to do with present and past time. You can use them to talk about things in the past, present or future. 2 Participle clauses can be used to describe scenes in sentences with verbs like see, hear, feel and remember and in sentences with There is / was … . She saw the crocodile lying on the road and took it home. I heard Sabrina telling Mike that she was going to leave. There’s someone waiting for you downstairs at reception. Participle clauses can be defining or non-defining. A defining participle clause goes directly after the noun phrase, without a comma. A non-defining participle clause can go: 1 directly after the noun phrase, but with commas. The 35-hour week, long criticised …, is a reality. 2 before the noun phrase if the noun phrase is the subject of the sentence. Long criticised …, the 35-hour week is a reality. Practice Complete the sentences with the present or past participle form of the verb in brackets. 1 I saw her (have) lunch with the boss. 2 Have you seen that great website (dedicate) to new business ideas? 3 It’s one of those things (use) by plumbers to join pipes. 4 I found them all (practise) basketball in the school gym. 5 All the managers (connect) with the scandal have resigned. 6 I stared at the rain (pour) down. Passives Meaning In active sentences, the subject is the ‘doer’ of the verb. In passive sentences, the ‘doer’ of the verb is not the subject. The big game hunter shot an elephant. (Active sentence) The elephant was shot by a big game hunter. (Passive sentence) We use the passive: ■■ to focus on the main topic of a text. ■■ if the doer of the verb isn’t important or is unknown My wallet was stolen last night. (I don’t know who took it.) ■■ if the doer of the verb is clear or known by the reader, or is ‘people in general’. Several soldiers were killed. (It is clear that it was in a fight.) Form be + past participle Present simple It’s made in China. Past simple It was made in China. Present perfect It’s been done really well. Modals It can /will /would be done again. Present progressive It’s being published by CPS. be going to It’s going to be printed in India. Practice 1a Complete the facts with the correct form of the verb in brackets. 1 The first McDonald’s restaurant (open) in Chicago in 1956. 2 Twenty-three Americans (eat) by alligators since 1993. 3 Hamlet (write) by Shakespeare. 4 Six hundred and three films (make) in Hollywood in 2006. 5 Les Miserables, the musical, (see) by 51 million people in 38 countries since 1980. 1b Which is your favourite fact? Do you know any more surprising facts? Write three or four sentences in groups. Then compare them together. 193 G Grammar reference and practice Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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