Participle Clauses

A participle clause joins two ideas without a conjunction and a subject: Walking home, I saw an accident. It's common in writing and makes a text more concise. The participle clause shares the subject of the main clause.

• -ing: same time or reason

  active meaning.

  Walking along the beach, we found a wallet. (= while we were walking)

  Feeling tired after the long trip, she went straight to bed. (= because she felt tired)

• Having + past participle: one action before the other

  Having finished the report, he went home.

  Having lived in Spain, she speaks good Spanish.

• Past participle: passive meaning

  the subject receives the action. Use having been + past participle when that passive action happened first.

  Built in 1890, the bridge is still in use. (= The bridge was built in 1890.)

  Having been warned about the storm, we stayed at home. (= We had been warned, so we stayed at home.)

• Negative

  not goes before the participle.

  Not knowing what to do, I called my sister.

• After a conjunction

  after, before, while, when, since + -ing.

  After leaving school, she traveled for a year.

  While cooking, he listens to podcasts.

• Same subject

  the person or thing doing the participle must be the subject of the main clause. If not, the clause dangles.

  Arriving at the hotel, we found that our room wasn't ready.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Arriving at the hotel, our room wasn't ready.→✓ Arriving at the hotel, we found that our room wasn't ready.The room didn't arrive: the main clause needs the same subject (we).
• ✗ Finished the exam, she left the room.→✓ Having finished the exam, she left the room.Active meaning, one action before the other: having + past participle.
• ✗ Written in a hurry, I made a lot of mistakes in the email.→✓ Written in a hurry, the email had a lot of mistakes.Written describes the email, so the email must be the subject.