Έχω παρακάτω δύο κείμενα για τις επιρρηματικές προτάσεις της αγγλικής με μετοχές (ενεργητικές και παθητικές). Το πρώτο κομμάτι είναι από το γνωστό Practical English Usage του Michael Swan (3η έκδοση, 2005) και το δεύτερο από αυτή την εκπαιδευτική σελίδα του BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv305.shtml
Η ερώτησή μου (καθώς τώρα ίσα ίσα προλαβαίνω να κάνω ερωτήσεις και όχι να δώσω απαντήσεις…): Ποια προβλήματα αντιμετωπίζετε στη μετάφραση αυτών των επιρρηματικών προτάσεων και ποιες λύσεις δίνετε; TIA.
3 adverbial clauses: Putting down my paper, I ...
Participle clauses can also be used in similar ways to full adverbial clauses, expressing condition, reason, time relations, result etc. (This can only happen, of course, when the idea of condition, reason etc is so clear that no conjunction is needed to signal it.) Adverbial participle clauses are usually rather formal.
Used economically, one tin will last for six weeks. (= If it is used ... )
Having failed my medical exams, I took up teaching. (= As I had failed ... )
Putting down my newspaper, I walked over to the window. (= After I had put down my newspaper, ... )
It rained for two weeks on end, completely ruining our holiday. (= ... so that it completely ruined our holiday.)
Note that -ing clauses can be made with verbs like be, have, wish and know, which are not normally used in progressive tenses. In these cases, the participle clause usually expresses reason or cause.
Being unable to help in any other way, I gave her some money.
Not wishing to continue my studies, I decided to become a dress designer.
Knowing her pretty well, I realised something was wrong.
4 subjects; misrelated participles
Normally the subject of an adverbial participle clause is the same as the subject of the main clause in a sentence.
My wife had a talk with Sally, explaining the problem. (My wife is the subject of explaining.)
It is often considered incorrect to make sentences with ‘misrelated participles’, where an adverb clause has a different subject from the main clause.
Looking out of the window of our hotel room, there was a wonderful range of mountains. (This could sound as if the mountains were looking out of the window.)
However, sentences like these are common and often seem quite natural, particularly when the main clause has preparatory it or there as a subject.
Being French, it’s surprising that she’s such a terrible cook.
Having so little time, there was not much that I could do.
‘Misrelated participles’ are normal in some fixed expressions referring to the speaker’s attitude. Examples:
Generally speaking, men can run faster than women.
Broadly speaking, dogs are more faithful than cats.
Judging from his expression, he’s in a bad mood.
Considering everything, it wasn’t a bad holiday.
Supposing there was a war, what would you do?
Taking everything into consideration, they ought to get another chance.
5 participle clauses with their own subjects
A participle clause can have its own subject. This happens most often in a rather formal style.
Nobody having any more to say, the meeting was closed.
All the money having been spent, we started looking for work.
A little girl walked past, her doll dragging behind her on the pavement.
Hands held high, the dancers circle to the right.
The subject is often introduced by with when the clause expresses accompanying circumstances.
A car roared past with smoke pouring from the exhaust.
With Peter working in Birmingham, and Lucy travelling most of the week, the house seems pretty empty.
6 participle clauses after conjunctions and prepositions
-ing clauses can be used after many conjunctions and prepositions. They are common with after, before, since, when, while, on, without, instead of, in spite of and as. Note that -ing forms after prepositions can often be considered as either participles or gerunds - the dividing line is not clear.
After talking to you I always feel better.
After having annoyed everybody he went home.
Depress clutch before changing gear.
She’s been quite different since coming back from America.
When telephoning from abroad, dial 1865, not 01865.
On being introduced, British people often shake hands.
They left without saying goodbye.
She struck me as being a very nervy kind of person.
Clauses with past participles are possible (mostly in a formal style) after if, when, while, once and until.
If asked to look after luggage for someone else, inform police at once.
When opened, keep in refrigerator.
Once deprived of oxygen, the brain dies.
Leave in oven until cooked to a light brown colour.
Participle clauses
Ramesh Chandra Sharma from India writes:
What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences:
Seeing an accident ahead, I stopped my car.
Having seen an accident ahead, I stopped my car.
Roger Woodham replies:
There is not very much difference in meaning between these two pairs of sentences. Sometimes we can use an -ing or past participle clause with similar meanings, as here, although use of the past participle form emphasises that the first action has been completed before the second action begins. Thus, we could paraphrase these two sentences as follows:
Having seen an accident ahead, I stopped my car. I noticed that there had been an accident ahead and stopped my car.
Seeing an accident ahead, I stopped my car. When I saw the accident ahead, I stopped my car.
In general, we tend not to use participle clauses so much in speech. They are too formal. In speech we would probably say:
I saw an accident ahead, so I stopped my car.
However, in written English participial clauses can be very useful. As you can see from the examples above, when the subject in the participle clause is the same as the participle in the main clause, they enable us to say the same thing, but with fewer words.
participial clauses = adverbial clauses
Participial clauses often express condition, reason, cause, result or time in a similar way to full adverbial clauses, only more economically. Compare the following:
Used sparingly, this face cream should last you until Christmas. If you use it sparingly, this face cream should last you until Christmas.
Having taken the wrong train, I found myself in Bath, not Bristol. Because I had taken the wrong train, I found myself in Bath, not Bristol.
Passing the theatre on my right, I walked up the steps and could see all the lights on the Thames ahead of me. After I had passed the theatre on my right, I walked up the steps and could see all the lights on the Thames ahead of me.
Note from the above examples that the -ing form participle is used to talk about past, as well as present events, e.g.:
Talking to you I always feel that my problems will be solved.
By talking to you, I always feel that my problems will be solved.
participle clauses following conjunctions and prepositions
Participle clauses, with -ing particularly, can be used after various conjunctions and prepositions, such as: when, while, before, after, on, without, instead of. Note the following examples:
Remember to take all your belongings with you when leaving the train.
I sprained my ankle while playing tennis.
Before entering the mosque you must take off your shoes.
After taking everything into consideration, we decided to sell the house.
After having driven 300 miles across country, I arrived to find the house had been sold.
On hearing that my sister was planning to marry him, I decided to leave the flat to her.
Without wanting to seem rude, I must tell you that you are ungrateful.
Instead of listening to my advice, she walked out without saying goodbye.
Note from the above examples that the participle clause normally, but not invariably, comes in front of the main clause.
negative participle clauses
Negative participle clauses are also possible, in which case not normally comes before the -ing form or past participle:
Not having had a shower for two days, I was desperate to get to the bathroom.
Whilst not wishing to appear impolite, I must ask you to leave so that I can make a private telephone call.
having been + past participle
Note that this passive structure can also be used in participle clauses as an alternative to a since-clause:
Having been invited to the party by Prince William himself, we could hardly refuse to go. ( = Since we had been invited…)
Having been deprived of food for over twenty days, the castaway was fed intravenously at first.
Having been unemployed for over two years, I found it difficult to get work.
Η ερώτησή μου (καθώς τώρα ίσα ίσα προλαβαίνω να κάνω ερωτήσεις και όχι να δώσω απαντήσεις…): Ποια προβλήματα αντιμετωπίζετε στη μετάφραση αυτών των επιρρηματικών προτάσεων και ποιες λύσεις δίνετε; TIA.
3 adverbial clauses: Putting down my paper, I ...
Participle clauses can also be used in similar ways to full adverbial clauses, expressing condition, reason, time relations, result etc. (This can only happen, of course, when the idea of condition, reason etc is so clear that no conjunction is needed to signal it.) Adverbial participle clauses are usually rather formal.
Used economically, one tin will last for six weeks. (= If it is used ... )
Having failed my medical exams, I took up teaching. (= As I had failed ... )
Putting down my newspaper, I walked over to the window. (= After I had put down my newspaper, ... )
It rained for two weeks on end, completely ruining our holiday. (= ... so that it completely ruined our holiday.)
Note that -ing clauses can be made with verbs like be, have, wish and know, which are not normally used in progressive tenses. In these cases, the participle clause usually expresses reason or cause.
Being unable to help in any other way, I gave her some money.
Not wishing to continue my studies, I decided to become a dress designer.
Knowing her pretty well, I realised something was wrong.
4 subjects; misrelated participles
Normally the subject of an adverbial participle clause is the same as the subject of the main clause in a sentence.
My wife had a talk with Sally, explaining the problem. (My wife is the subject of explaining.)
It is often considered incorrect to make sentences with ‘misrelated participles’, where an adverb clause has a different subject from the main clause.
Looking out of the window of our hotel room, there was a wonderful range of mountains. (This could sound as if the mountains were looking out of the window.)
However, sentences like these are common and often seem quite natural, particularly when the main clause has preparatory it or there as a subject.
Being French, it’s surprising that she’s such a terrible cook.
Having so little time, there was not much that I could do.
‘Misrelated participles’ are normal in some fixed expressions referring to the speaker’s attitude. Examples:
Generally speaking, men can run faster than women.
Broadly speaking, dogs are more faithful than cats.
Judging from his expression, he’s in a bad mood.
Considering everything, it wasn’t a bad holiday.
Supposing there was a war, what would you do?
Taking everything into consideration, they ought to get another chance.
5 participle clauses with their own subjects
A participle clause can have its own subject. This happens most often in a rather formal style.
Nobody having any more to say, the meeting was closed.
All the money having been spent, we started looking for work.
A little girl walked past, her doll dragging behind her on the pavement.
Hands held high, the dancers circle to the right.
The subject is often introduced by with when the clause expresses accompanying circumstances.
A car roared past with smoke pouring from the exhaust.
With Peter working in Birmingham, and Lucy travelling most of the week, the house seems pretty empty.
6 participle clauses after conjunctions and prepositions
-ing clauses can be used after many conjunctions and prepositions. They are common with after, before, since, when, while, on, without, instead of, in spite of and as. Note that -ing forms after prepositions can often be considered as either participles or gerunds - the dividing line is not clear.
After talking to you I always feel better.
After having annoyed everybody he went home.
Depress clutch before changing gear.
She’s been quite different since coming back from America.
When telephoning from abroad, dial 1865, not 01865.
On being introduced, British people often shake hands.
They left without saying goodbye.
She struck me as being a very nervy kind of person.
Clauses with past participles are possible (mostly in a formal style) after if, when, while, once and until.
If asked to look after luggage for someone else, inform police at once.
When opened, keep in refrigerator.
Once deprived of oxygen, the brain dies.
Leave in oven until cooked to a light brown colour.
Participle clauses
Ramesh Chandra Sharma from India writes:
What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences:
Seeing an accident ahead, I stopped my car.
Having seen an accident ahead, I stopped my car.
Roger Woodham replies:
There is not very much difference in meaning between these two pairs of sentences. Sometimes we can use an -ing or past participle clause with similar meanings, as here, although use of the past participle form emphasises that the first action has been completed before the second action begins. Thus, we could paraphrase these two sentences as follows:
Having seen an accident ahead, I stopped my car. I noticed that there had been an accident ahead and stopped my car.
Seeing an accident ahead, I stopped my car. When I saw the accident ahead, I stopped my car.
In general, we tend not to use participle clauses so much in speech. They are too formal. In speech we would probably say:
I saw an accident ahead, so I stopped my car.
However, in written English participial clauses can be very useful. As you can see from the examples above, when the subject in the participle clause is the same as the participle in the main clause, they enable us to say the same thing, but with fewer words.
participial clauses = adverbial clauses
Participial clauses often express condition, reason, cause, result or time in a similar way to full adverbial clauses, only more economically. Compare the following:
Used sparingly, this face cream should last you until Christmas. If you use it sparingly, this face cream should last you until Christmas.
Having taken the wrong train, I found myself in Bath, not Bristol. Because I had taken the wrong train, I found myself in Bath, not Bristol.
Passing the theatre on my right, I walked up the steps and could see all the lights on the Thames ahead of me. After I had passed the theatre on my right, I walked up the steps and could see all the lights on the Thames ahead of me.
Note from the above examples that the -ing form participle is used to talk about past, as well as present events, e.g.:
Talking to you I always feel that my problems will be solved.
By talking to you, I always feel that my problems will be solved.
participle clauses following conjunctions and prepositions
Participle clauses, with -ing particularly, can be used after various conjunctions and prepositions, such as: when, while, before, after, on, without, instead of. Note the following examples:
Remember to take all your belongings with you when leaving the train.
I sprained my ankle while playing tennis.
Before entering the mosque you must take off your shoes.
After taking everything into consideration, we decided to sell the house.
After having driven 300 miles across country, I arrived to find the house had been sold.
On hearing that my sister was planning to marry him, I decided to leave the flat to her.
Without wanting to seem rude, I must tell you that you are ungrateful.
Instead of listening to my advice, she walked out without saying goodbye.
Note from the above examples that the participle clause normally, but not invariably, comes in front of the main clause.
negative participle clauses
Negative participle clauses are also possible, in which case not normally comes before the -ing form or past participle:
Not having had a shower for two days, I was desperate to get to the bathroom.
Whilst not wishing to appear impolite, I must ask you to leave so that I can make a private telephone call.
having been + past participle
Note that this passive structure can also be used in participle clauses as an alternative to a since-clause:
Having been invited to the party by Prince William himself, we could hardly refuse to go. ( = Since we had been invited…)
Having been deprived of food for over twenty days, the castaway was fed intravenously at first.
Having been unemployed for over two years, I found it difficult to get work.
