Module 9: More About Verbs - Lesson 9.5: Participles - Participle Phrases and Adverbial Uses

Lesson 9.5: Participles - Participle Phrases and Adverbial Uses

Welcome to Lesson 9.5! Building upon our understanding of participles as adjectives, we will now explore Participle Phrases and the Adverbial Uses of Participles. Participle phrases are groups of words that begin with a participle and function as adjectives or, more importantly for this lesson, as adverbs, modifying verbs, clauses, or entire sentences. We will examine how participle phrases can add rich adverbial detail, expressing time, reason, manner, circumstance, and more.

Participle Phrases - Expanding the Role of Participles:

A Participle Phrase is a phrase that begins with a participle (either present or past) and includes any modifiers or complements that complete its meaning. While participle phrases can act as adjectives (as we saw in Lesson 9.4, e.g., "The dog *barking loudly*..."), their powerful function is often adverbial, adding context and detail to the main clause of a sentence.

Adverbial Uses of Participle Phrases - Modifying Verbs and Clauses:

When participle phrases function as adverbs, they modify the main verb or the entire main clause of a sentence. They provide additional information, similar to adverb clauses, but in a more concise and often more elegant way. Common adverbial functions of participle phrases include:

Expressing Time:
Participle phrases can indicate when an action in the main clause happens, often showing actions happening at the same time or in sequence.

Examples - Participle Phrases Expressing Time:
- Walking down the street, I saw a friend. (Present participle phrase 'Walking down the street' indicates the time when 'I saw a friend' - happening simultaneously).
- Having finished my work, I went home. (Perfect participle phrase 'Having finished my work' indicates the time *before* 'I went home' - action completed before).
- Arriving late, he missed the beginning of the meeting. (Present participle phrase 'Arriving late' indicates the time causing the consequence in the main clause).
- Born in a small village, she always dreamed of living in a big city. (Past participle phrase 'Born in a small village' gives background time/circumstance).
These phrases are often interchangeable with adverb clauses of time (e.g., "When I was walking down the street, I saw a friend.").
Expressing Reason or Cause:
Participle phrases can explain *why* something happens in the main clause, indicating the reason or cause.

Examples - Participle Phrases Expressing Reason/Cause:
- Feeling tired, she went to bed early. (Present participle phrase 'Feeling tired' explains the reason *why* 'she went to bed early').
- Being unemployed, he couldn't afford a new car. (Present participle phrase 'Being unemployed' explains the reason *why* 'he couldn't afford a new car').
- Encouraged by her teacher, she decided to apply to university. (Past participle phrase 'Encouraged by her teacher' explains the cause of her decision).
- Having lost his job, he was worried about his future. (Perfect participle phrase 'Having lost his job' explains the cause of his worry).
These phrases are often interchangeable with adverb clauses of reason/cause (e.g., "Because she felt tired, she went to bed early.").
Expressing Manner:
Participle phrases can describe *how* an action in the main clause is performed, indicating the manner.

Examples - Participle Phrases Expressing Manner:
- She accepted the award, smiling broadly. (Present participle 'smiling broadly' describes *how* she accepted the award - manner).
- He sat in the chair, reading a book. (Present participle 'reading a book' describes *what he was doing while* sitting - manner of being seated).
- The children ran out of the house, shouting with joy. (Present participle 'shouting with joy' describes *how* they ran - manner).
- Dressed in a suit, he looked very professional. (Past participle 'Dressed in a suit' describes his *appearance* - manner/condition of appearance).
These phrases describe the way in which the action in the main clause is carried out.
Expressing Circumstance or Condition:
Participle phrases can provide background information, context, or conditions related to the main clause, setting the scene or providing a specific circumstance.

Examples - Participle Phrases Expressing Circumstance/Condition:
- Living in the city, she is used to noise. (Present participle 'Living in the city' sets the *circumstance* for her being used to noise).
- Considered a genius by many, he was also a humble person. (Past participle 'Considered a genius by many' provides a *circumstance* about him, contrasting with his humility).
- Having studied abroad, she has a broad perspective. (Perfect participle 'Having studied abroad' provides the *condition/background experience* that leads to her broad perspective).
- If asked politely, he might agree to help. (Past participle 'If asked politely' creates a conditional *circumstance* for his potential agreement - though this example also blends into conditional clauses).
These phrases add background context or conditions relevant to the main idea.

Forming Participle Phrases - Starting with a Participle:

Participle phrases always begin with either a present participle (verb + '-ing') or a past participle (often '-ed' or irregular form), or a perfect participle ('having + past participle'). They can then include objects, complements, and modifiers that relate to the participle.

Types of Participles at the Start of Participle Phrases:

Present Participle Phrases: Start with an '-ing' form. (e.g., Walking down the street, Feeling tired, Smiling broadly, Living in the city).
Past Participle Phrases: Start with a past participle form. (e.g., Encouraged by her teacher, Dressed in a suit, Born in a village, Considered a genius).
Perfect Participle Phrases: Start with 'having + past participle'. (e.g., Having finished my work, Having lost his job, Having studied abroad). Perfect participles emphasize that the action of the participle is completed *before* the action of the main verb.

Punctuation with Participle Phrases:

When a participle phrase comes at the beginning of a sentence, it is usually set off by a comma.

Example: Feeling tired, she went to bed early.

When a participle phrase comes at the end of a sentence, whether you use a comma depends on how closely it is linked to the main clause and whether it's essential for meaning. Often, if it adds extra, non-essential information, a comma is used. If it's very closely linked or essential, a comma might be omitted.

Example with comma (non-essential additional info): She accepted the award, smiling broadly.
Example without comma (more integrated, manner): He sat in the chair reading a book. (Comma less common here as 'reading a book' feels quite integrated with 'sat').

In general, when in doubt at the end of a sentence, using a comma before a participle phrase is often safer, especially for adverbial phrases of time, reason, or circumstance at the beginning.

Benefits of Using Participle Phrases:

Conciseness: They allow you to express adverbial information more succinctly than full adverb clauses.
Sentence Variety: They add variety to your sentence structures, making your writing more engaging.
Flow and Elegance: They can create a smoother flow in writing and often sound more sophisticated and natural in English.

Key takeaway: Participle phrases begin with present, past, or perfect participles and function adverbially, modifying verbs or clauses. They express time, reason, manner, circumstance, and more. Participle phrases add conciseness, variety, and elegance to sentences, enriching expressive capacity in English. Next, we will explore Lesson 9.6: Perfect and Passive Verbals!