OXFORD LEARNER''''S GRAMMAR 5 doc

123 Participle + noun

NOTE

Try \() aVOid wming sente nces like this one.

(NOT Wt'tlking-ctkmg· the: strt!et;-u [tre-c:rrgine ; dced past.)

ThIs 'hanging participle' mnkes it sOllnd ~s If the fire engine was walking, wh Ich doesn 't

make sense. Thf' huhject of the main clause should be the people who were walkmg.

Walking along lhe street, we saw a. fire engine race past.

Here the subject of the main clause is the same as the underslOod subject of the participle

But this doesn't always have to be so. The mam (hing is that there should be a clear

connection between the twO clauses.

Knowing huw little lime she had, this new delay infuriated her.

(= Because she knew how little lime she hud, she was mfuriated by this new delay )

When adjusling lilt? machine, lhe eie(.'triclly should be swllchcd of!.

(= When you adjust the machine, you should switch off the electricity )

123 Participle + noun

,.

. A We can use an active or passive participle before a noun.

The leam was welcomed by cheering crowds.

(= crowds who were cheering)

Boiling water turns to steam.

(= water which is boiling)

The experiment must be done under controlled conditions.

(= conditions which are controlled)

The terrorists used a stolen car.

(= a car which hact been stolen)

In these examples the participle functions rather like an adjective. Compare

clieering crowdsl noisy crowds, boiling waleri hot water. See also Nute a.

It is often neater to use a participle + noun than to lise a clause such as

crowds who were cheering. But we cannot always usc a participle before a

noun. For example, we can talk about a barking dog but NOT -tttt-eati1tg-tiftg.

Sometimes we use a participle with a prefix.

a rewritten version underfed children an overflowing drain

a misspent youth an unsmiling face a disconnected teLephone

TIP

Use only those partkiple + noun combinations that you have already

heard or seen, like cheering crowds or conrroLled conditions, There are no

rules about which verbs can be used in this way and which cannot.

NOTE

a Some words with the form of a participle a rc regarded as adwctives, c.g. 1Illereslmg,

confused. :> 187

b For be + passive participle expressing a state or an acti ~ > 87E.

TI,e terrorists· car was stolen ~ il didn 't belong to them.

The c.ar was stolen tU){} days before the incident.

163

Participles

B There are a few past participles that we can use before a noun .

The road is blocked by a fallen tree. .

(::: a tree which has fallen)

The leaders of the failed uprising attempted to flee the counlly.

(::: the uprising which had failed )

Compare the past and passive participles.

Past: The escaped prisoner was soon recaptured.

(:::the prisoner who had escaped)

Passive: The injured prisoner was treated in hospital.

(::: the prisoner who h ad been injured)

C Sometimes we put an adverb before the participle.

fanatically cheering crowds (::: crowds who are cheering fanatically)

properly trained slaff (::: staff who have been properly tra ined)

We can also form a compou nd by combining another element with the

participle.

a fast-growing economy

(::: an economy which is growing fast - verb + adverbial)

earth-moving equipment

(::: equipment which moves earth - verb + object)

a nice-looking.jacket

(::: a jacket which looks nice - ve rb + complement)

an oil-fired central heating system

(= a central heating system which is fired by oil - verb + by-agent)

a newly-m.arried couple

(= a couple who have recently married - yerb + adverbial)

We do not lise longer phrases hefore the participle.

(NOT ttlfitfen-in--peneiHttfies)

(NOT (ft £he-tfJ~ti. btJiees ehu. iltg amvds)

But we can say notes written in pencil. > 274

D We can add -ed to some nouns.

a walled city (= a city with a wall)

This happens mostly with compounds.

a dark-haired mall (= a man with dark hair)

a short-sleeved shirt (= a shirt with short sleeves)

124 Verb + participle

A The pattern They stood watching

164

We can use a participle afler go, lie, run, sit, ahd stand to refer to two actions

happening al the same rime.

125 Verb + object + participle

Everyone stood watching the aircraft.

The girl lay trapped under the wreckage [vr three days.

People rail screaming for help.

We can put an adverbial between the ve rb and partici ple.

Evel}'one stood there watching the aircraJi.

Karen sat at the table reading a newspaper.

B Go swimming, do the washing, etc

We use go + active participle to talk about activi ties that we go out to do,

especially leisure activities.

I'd love to go swimming.

We went riding yesterday.

Simon has gone fishing.

We use do the + gerund for some types of work, especially routine housework.

I usually do the washing at the weekend.

Someone comes in lO do the cleaning for us.

We can use do some . .. , do a bit ofta lot of . .. , etc for both leisure and work

activities.

I once did some surfing in California.

James does a lot of cooking, doesn't he?

Luckily J haven't got much ironing to do.

We can also use do + gerund.

T can't do sewing. I always make a mess of il.

We did trampolining evelY day on holiday.

NOTE

a Wl1h verbs of movement we can also usc the pattern go for a swmliride, etc

I'd loue 10 go for a swim.

b The expression go clubbing is formed from the noun club.

Ti,ey spend all Illeir spare lime goillg clubbing .

....... -

~5 Verb + object + participle

A The pattern I saw you doing it

We can use an object + active participle after certain verbs.

J saw two men cutting down a tree.

We heard you arguing with your brother.

Can you smell something burning?

We can use verbs of perceptJOn, including: feel, hear, listen to, notice, observe,

see, smell, walch.

J 65

Participles

B I saw you doing it or I saw you do it?

After a verb of perception there is also a pattern with an object + infinitive

without to.

I saw two men cut dOWIl a tree.

We didn 't notice anyone leave the building.

An infinitive without to mea ns the complete action .

I saw lhem cuI the tree down 11 didn't take long.

(l saw them. They cut it dovlm.)

The participle means that the action goes on over a period of time.

I saw them cUlling the (ree dow" as J wenl past.

{l saw them. They we re ( utling it down.)

When we talk about a short action, we can lise either form.

They watched 'he horse jumpljll"'ping the fence.

We didn 't notice anyone leavelleauing the building.

C I saw it being done and I saw it done

The patterns in B can be used with a participle clause in the passive.

Cnmp lelC action

Active: I saw them cut down the tree.

We heard someone fire a shot.

Passive: I saw the tree cut down.

We heard a shoe fired.

Action over a period

J saw them cutting dowtl the cree.

We heard people firillg shOls.

I saw the tree being cut down.

We heard shots being fired

o The pattern I kept you waiting

166

We l:an use an object + participle after certain verbs. The participle means

action over a period of time.

Tlte docIOr is very slow. He ofJen keeps his patients waili"g.

They caught a student cheating in tile exam.

We soon got the machine working again.

The ve rbs we can use include: ca tch, jiud, get, have, keep. leave, need, slart.

In the following pattern have can mean 'cause someone to be doing

something' .

The trainer had the players running round the field.

Not ha/le can also mean 'refuse to accept'.

I won't have peo/lle treating this house like a hotel.

(;: I won't allow people to treat this house like a hOle l.)

NOTE

For olhcr pallerns wuh luwe and get, e.g. He /lad tile players nm roulld tile fietd and We soo,t

gOI tile nUlchlflc to work again. > 94A.