Intermediate 📐 Grammar · #131 of 305

Participle Clauses (Basic)

Shorten clauses with -ing or -ed.

Examples

  • Walking home, I met Tom.

Key rules

  • Present participle for active, same time: Walking home, I met him
  • Past participle for passive: Built in 1900, the house is old
  • Having + participle for earlier action
  • The subject must match the main clause

Common mistakes

  • Walk down the street, a car hit me → Walking down the street, I was hit by a car
  • Finishing the work, the boss left (wrong subject) → Having finished the work, I left
💡 Tip: Check that both actions have the same subject.
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← Participle AdjectivesPrepositions after Adjectives →

Related Intermediate topics

See all Intermediate grammar lessons →

Present Perfect Continuous

have been + -ing stresses duration up to now.

Past Perfect

had + past participle for an earlier past action.

Past Perfect Continuous

had been + -ing for duration before a past moment.

Future Continuous

will be + -ing for actions in progress at a future time.

Future Perfect

will have + past participle for completion before a future time.

Future Perfect Continuous

will have been + -ing for duration up to a future point.