C1 notes
Participle clauses
https://englishelxna2.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/participle-clauses/
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/participle-clauses-exercise-1.html
In English, participle clauses are mainly used in writing in order to put a lot of information into one sentence.
There are three kinds of participles in English: present participle, past participle and perfect participle.
The Present Participle is the ing-form. You surely know this form:
- from progressive / continuous tenses – I am speaking.
- as an adjective form – The film is interesting.
- as a gerund – He is afraid of flying.
Furthermore, the present participle can be used to shorten or combine active clauses that have the same subject, e.g. She left the house and whistled. – She left the house whistling. Now, try to shorten these sentences.
The Past Participle is the participle that you find in the third column of lists with irregular verbs. You surely know this form:
- from perfect tenses – I have spoken.
- from passive voice – The letter was written.
- as an adjective form – I was bored to death.
The past participle can also be used to shorten or combine passive clauses that have the same subject, e.g. The boy was given an apple. He stopped crying. – Given an apple, the boy stopped crying. Now, try to shorten these sentences.
The Perfect Participle can be used to shorten or combine clauses that have the same subject if …
- … one action (the one where the perfect participle is used) is completed before the next action starts, e.g. She bought a bike and cycled home. – Having bought a bike, she cycled home.
- … one action has been going on for a period of time when another action starts, e.g. He had been living there for such a long time that he didn’t want to move to another town. – Having lived there for such a long time, he didn’t want to move to another town.
The perfect participle can be used for active and passive voice.
- active voice: having + past participle (Having cooked, he set the table.)
- passive voice: having been + past participle (Having been cooked, the food looked delicious.)
Now, try to use the perfect participle in these sentences.
So, in summary, in English, participle clauses are mainly used in writing in order to put a lot of information into one sentence.
When shortening or combining clauses with a participle construction, keep the following rules in mind:
- Both clauses – 99% of the times – have the same subject.
- The less important part becomes the participle clause. Important information should always be in the main clause.
- Make sure, you use the correct participle form (see above).
- The conjunctions as, because, since and relative pronouns who, which are left out.
- The conjunctions before, when are used in the participle clause.
- The conjunctions after, while can be used or left out.
It’s very important to remember that participle clause and main clause should have the same subject. Otherwise the sentences might sound rather strange.
Example: I was driving on the motorway, when the baby started to cry. → WRONG: Driving on the motorway, the baby started to cry*.
Finally, here you go some more exercises with answers:
– Combine Sentences using Participle Constructions
– Combine Sentences using Participle Constructions
– Combine Sentences using Participle Constructions (with Conjunctions)
– Replace Relative Clauses by Participle Constructions
Inversions
We’ve already seen inversions in English, especially when making questions and with short comments such as so do I / neither do I. But we also use them for these main purposes:
- To emphasize what we’re saying or writing: Nowhere did I find such a thing
- For using a very formal style, especially for writing: Towards the enemy went the soldiers
- For dramatic/aesthetic purposes: In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
The most common inversions are these:
- After starting a sentence with negative adverbs or negative adverbial phrase:
- Never had I been so embarrassed in my life (emphatic) but I’d never been so embarrassed (neutral)
- No sooner had she finished cooking than the first guest rang the bell (notice that sooner is a comparative form so we use than)
- Not only does she paint well but she also sings beautifully
- To replace “IF” conditionals: “SHOULD” for the 1st conditional, “WERE” for the 2nd conditional and “HAD” for the 3rd one:
- Should he be more polite, he’ll be invited to the party
- Were Trump to be re-elected, we’d get shocked (notice the use of infinitive)
- Had I known you were going to be so upset, I would have said nothing
- After adverbial expressions of place, especially after HERE and THERE:
- Here comes the bus!
- In front of the altar was the groom, waiting for the bride
- After SO + adjective … + THAT … like in this sentence:
- So lovely was the afternoon that they went for a walk (very formal)
If you want a summary of this grammar point you can use these videos or links that may help you with inversions:
- BBC English Masterclass: focused on grammar issues
- Inversions in ordinary spoken English: watch this video
- Inversions in conditional sentences: go to this link or this simpler one with an exercise
Once you’ve seen the grammar point, let’s practise with some exercises:
INVERSIONS AFTER NEGATIVE EXPRESSIONS
- I have never seen a beauty so fair.
Never…
- In the history of Hollywood there has never been a picture written by a coloured person. Never in the history of Hollywood …
- In our long history, we were never exposed to greater perils of invasion and destruction. Never…
- We have never received such a welcome.
Never…
- We have never experienced such a willingness to set oneself free and enjoy.
Never …
- I don’t want to meet ever again anyone who’s trekked through the Andes on their own. Never again …
- We haven’t encountered such beautiful women anywhere on Earth.
Nowhere on Earth …
- It isn’t specified anywhere that I can’t outsource that to an Indian.
Nowhere …
- We haven’t witnessed such widespread racial turbulence since the assassination of Martin Luther King in the late 1960s.
Not since the assassination of Martin Luther King in the late 1960s …
- We are not only proceeding down the wrong path, but Nixon’s leading the parade. Not only…
- It wasn’t only that it did not leave her; she also had to come back.
Not only …
- It is not only the former Republican president George W. Bush that has offered his congratulations to Joe Biden, but also the First Lady Melania is urging her husband to concede defeat.
Not only …
- We get the whole picture only by doing that.
Only by doing that…
- I could star alongside Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone only in the land of film.
Only in the land of film
- [I thought I’d made too much, but] I realise now that I’d made exactly the right amount for our current purposes.
Only now …
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- A family member of a very sick patient may be admitted only in exceptional circumstances. Only in exceptional circumstances …
- They realised later that they were as different as night and day.
Only later …
- Two presidential candidates have rarely been so politically distanced in US history, seeking to become the leader of a disunited country, polarised even further by this pandemic.
Rarely …
- You seldom see couples so in love as Mary and John.
Seldom …
- You didn’t see Trish at any point later that night.
At no point …
- She didn’t speak ill of her ex-husband at any time.
At no time …
- Our disinfectant products should not be administered into the human body under any circumstances. Under no circumstances …
- You will not give her that engagement ring under any circumstance.
Under no circumstance …
- Luke doesn’t know that the Empire has begun construction on a new spaceship. Little…
- I didn’t know (I had no idea/ I could not imagine) that the shy boy I met that day would turn out to be my lifelong partner.
Little …
- As soon as someone in the Royal Family dies their secretaries start wondering how arrangements were done in previous occasions.
No sooner …
- As soon as Mary sat down to dinner John proposed to her.
No sooner …
- As soon as the lockdown began reporters ran outdoors to see what a world where you weren’t allowed outdoors was like.
No sooner …
- Joe Biden had barely sat behind his desk at the Oval Office than a pile of folders was put on his desk. Barely/ No sooner …
Anwers
- I have never seen a beauty so fair.
Never have I seen a beauty so fair.
- In the history of Hollywood there has never been a picture written by a coloured.
Never in the history of Hollywood has there been a picture written by a coloured. - In our long history, we were never exposed to greater perils of invasion and destruction. Never in our long history were we exposed to greater perils of invasion and destruction.
- We have never received such a welcome.
Never have we received such a welcome.
- We have never experienced such a willingness to set oneself free and enjoy.
Never have we experienced such a willingness to set oneself free and enjoy.
- I don’t want to meet ever again anyone who’s trekked through the Andes on their own. Never again do I want to meet anyone who’s trekked through the Andes on their own.
- We haven’t encountered such beautiful women anywhere on Earth.
Nowhere on earth have we encountered such beautiful women.
- It isn’t specified anywhere that I can’t outsource that to an Indian.
Nowhere is it specified that I can’t outsource that to an Indian.
- We haven’t witnessed such widespread racial turbulence since the assassination of Martin Luther King in the late 1960s.
Not since the assassination of Martin Luther King in the late 1960s have we witnessed such widespread racial turbulence.
- We are not only proceeding down the wrong path, but Nixon’s leading the parade. Not only are we proceeding down the wrong path, but Nixon’s leading the parade.
- It wasn’t only that it did not leave her; she also had to come back.
Not only did it not leave her but she also had to come back.
- It is not only the former Republican president George W. Bush that has offered his congratulations to Joe Biden, but also the First Lady Melania is urging her husband to concede defeat.
Not only has George W. Bush offered his congratulations to Joe Biden, but also the First
Lady Melania is urging her husband to concede defeat.
- We get the whole picture only by doing that.
Only by doing that do we get the whole picture.
- I could star alongside Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone only in the land of film.
Only in the land of film could I star alongside Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone.
- [I thought I’d made too much, but] I realise now that I’d made exactly the right amount for our current purposes.
Only now do I realise that I’d made exactly the right amount for our current purposes.
- A family member of a very sick patient may be admitted only in exceptional circumstances.
Only in exceptional circumstances may a family member of a very sick patient be admitted - They realised later that they were as different as night and day.
Only later did they realise that they were as different as night and day.
- Two presidential candidates have rarely been so politically distanced in US history, seeking to become the leader of a disunited country, polarised even further by this pandemic.
Rarely have two presidential candidates been so politically distanced in US history, seeking to become the leader of a disunited country, polarised even further by this pandemic.
- You seldom see couples so in love as Mary and John.
Seldom do you see couples so in love as Mary and John.
- You didn’t see Trish at any point later that night.
At no point did you see Trish later that night.
- She didn’t speak ill of her ex-husband at any time.
At no time did she speak ill of her ex-husband.
- Our disinfectant products should not be administered into the human body under any circumstances.
Under no circumstances should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body. - You will not give her that engagement ring under any circumstance.
Under no circumstance will you give her that engagement ring.
- Luke doesn’t know that the Empire has begun construction on a new spaceship.
Little does Luke know that the Empire has begun construction on a new spaceship. - I didn’t know (I had no idea/ I could not imagine) that the shy boy I met that day would turn out to be my lifelong partner.
Little did I know that the shy boy I met that day would turn out to be my lifelong partner.
- As soon as someone in the Royal Family dies their secretaries start wondering how arrangements were done in previous occasions.
No sooner does someone in the Royal Family dies than their secretaries start wondering how arrangements were done in previous occasions.
- As soon as Mary sat down to dinner John proposed to her.
No sooner had Mary sat down to dinner than John proposed to her.
- As soon as the lockdown began reporters ran outdoors to see what a world where you weren’t allowed outdoors was like.
No sooner had the lockdown begun than reporters ran outdoors to see what a world where you weren’t allowed outdoors was like.
- Joe Biden had barely sat behind his desk at the Oval Office than a pile of folders was put on his desk.
Barely had Joe Biden sat behind his desk at the Oval Office than a pile of folders was put on his desk.
Cleft sentences
Cleft sentences (What.. is/was..)
“What I found unconvincing was the relationship between the two protagonists ”What…. is/was….. Emphasise a noun
*The thing that is emphasised comes after IS/WAS
-What struck me the most was… -What I found rather gripping was… -What has taken me aback the most was… -What made me get hooked on it was…
Cleft sentences ( It is/was + when/while/not until…. that..)
“It’s only when the film ends that you realise who the true hero is” (Emphasise a time)
*The thing that is emphasised comes after IS/WAS
Cleft sentences (It is/was + because…. that..)
“It’s because he’s handsome that the film was such a success” (Emphasise a reason)
*The thing that is emphasised comes after IS/WAS
Cleft sentences (It is/was …. who..)
“It’s the lead actress who really stole the show!” (Emphasise a person)
*The thing that is emphasised comes after IS/WAS