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THE PARTICIPLE
The participle is a non-finite form of the verb which has a verbal and an adjectival or and
adverbial character.
There are two participles in English - Participle I and Participle П, traditionally called the
Present Participle and the Past Participle.
PARTICIPLE I
The Functions of Participle I in the Sentence.
It can be:
1) an attribute
The student answering the question is the best in his group.
In this function it corresponds to the Russian "действительное причастие настоящего времени".
In the function of an attribute Participle I can be in pre-position and in post-position, i.e. it can
2
a) of time Approaching home I saw him. Having finished his work he left home.
With some verbs of sense perception (to see, to hear), motion (to enter, to come, to arrive, to turn,
to leave) and some terminative verbs (to put(on), to take (off), to open, to close, to seize, to grasp)
Participle I Indefinite (not Perfect) is used even when priority is meant.
Hearing a noise in the yard, I looked out of the window.
Entering the room that evening Mary found a letter from her son.
Taking off our shoes, we tiptoed into the nursery.
The Perfect Participle of the same verbs is used when there is an interval of time between the two
actions.
Having failed twice, he didn't want to try again.
Having seen the girl long ago, I didn't recognize her.
It is also used when the first action covered a period of time.
Not having seen her for a long time I didn't recognize her.
Having been his own boss for such a long time, he found it hard to accept orders for another.
If the action expressed by Participle I Indefinite Active is simultaneous with the action expressed
by the finite verb, the conjunction when or while is often used.
While reading the text I noticed some mistakes.
Don't forget articles when speaking English.
Note: Participle I Indefinite of the verb to be is not used as an adverbial modifier of time. Clauses
of the type "Когда он был в Лондоне,..", "Когда он был ребенком,.." are translated "When in
London...", "When a child...". It means "When he was in London,..", "When he was a child.."
Note: Participle I of the verb to be {being) when used as an adverbial modifier will always be an
adverbial modifier of cause.
Being a stranger in the town, he had to ask the way - As he was a stranger in the town, ...
h) as a predicative
The story was amusing.
She remained standing.
PARTICIPLE II
Participle П has only one form and usually expresses an action already completed. Participle П
of transitive verbs, when it is not part of a perfect form, is always passive in meaning: invited,
broken, built, translated.
Participle П can be used in pre-position (without any accompanying words) and in post-
position (with one or more accompanying words).
He went toward the lighted window.
I rode about the country on a horse lent me by my friend.
Participle П of intransitive verbs which denotes passing into a new stage is always active in
meaning. Mainly Participle П of intransitive verbs has no independent function in the sentence:
come, slept, smiled; they may be used to form Perfect tenses. Only Participle П of verbs of
motion or change of state can be used independently, mostly as attributes. These are Participle П
of the verbs to arrive, to go, to rise, to fall, to fade, to wither, to vanish e.g. arrived delegations, faded
leaves, a fallen star, a retired president.
Some Participle can be used either transitively or intransitively: hidden, returned, diminished,
increased: a returned traveler, the boy hidden behind the tree, an increased population.
2) a predicative
The door is locked.
I was greatly frightened.
The door remained locked for many years.
3) an adverbial modifier
4
b) of condition
The weather being fine, we'll go for a walk.
c) of cause
The river having risen at night, the crossing was impossible.
d) of attending circumstances
She quickly went away, John silently following her.
She was smoking now, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
The Participle I of the verb " to be" may be omitted and then we have a construction without
Participle I.
The lecture (being) over, we left the hall.
Everybody (being) at home, we set down to dinner.
He sat by fire, pipe in mouth, (a pipe being in his mouth)