C1 Advanced Adverbs, participle clauses and ellipsis
Present participle clauses
Lesson goal. After this lesson you can reduce reason and time clauses to V-ing participle clauses, and avoid dangling participles.
When to use it
- Writing concisely without repeating because, while, as: Feeling tired, she went to bed.
- Linking simultaneous actions: Walking home, I met Nam.
- Very common in academic and literary writing.
Form
| Full clause | Participle clause |
|---|---|
| Because she felt tired, | Feeling tired, |
| While I was walking home, | Walking home, |
| When she opened the letter, | Opening the letter, |
| As he didn't know what to say, | Not knowing what to say, |
Step by step
- Check: do both clauses share the same subject? If not, you cannot reduce.
- Delete the conjunction (because, while, as, when) and the subject of the subordinate clause.
- Change the verb to V-ing.
- For the negative, put Not in front: Not knowing…
The dangling participle
| Sentence | Who does it? | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Walking home, I met Nam. | I — matches the main clause | Correct |
| Walking home, the rain started. | the rain — makes no sense | Sai |
| Being expensive, I didn't buy it. | I — but a person isn't expensive | Sai |
| Being expensive, the coat stayed in the shop. | the coat — makes sense | Correct |
Examples
Feeling tired, she went to bed early.
Walking home, I met an old friend.
Opening the letter, she found a photograph.
Not knowing what to say, he remained silent.
Hearing the news, everyone cheered.
Wanting to improve his English, he moved to London.
Common mistakes
Walking home, the rain started. → While I was walking home, the rain started.
The rain was not walking home. A participle clause always takes the subject of the main clause — this is a dangling participle.
Being very expensive, I didn't buy the coat. → As the coat was very expensive, I didn't buy it.
This says I was expensive. The subjects must match.
Don't knowing the answer, she stayed silent. → Not knowing the answer, she stayed silent.
The negative is Not + V-ing, never don't.
Memory tip
After writing, read the participle clause and ask aloud: “Who is doing this?” The answer must be the subject right after the comma. If not, it is wrong.
Summary
- V-ing + …, + main clause replaces because, while, as, when.
- Both clauses must share the same subject.
- Negative: Not + V-ing.
Practise this lesson
Do exercises with an explanation for every question, take mini tests and track your progress on GrammUp.