1.6.1 Participle

Forms:

• Present participles – working, taking, being, having.
• Perfect participles – having worked, having taken, having been.
• Past participles – worked, taken, been.

We use present participles in continuous tenses.

	See also simple and continuous.

We use past participles in perfect tenses (see present perfect simple and past perfect simple) and in passives.

In a formal style we can use present participles, perfect participles and past participles to abbreviate sentences expressing cause, e.g.:

Since I worked at home, I didn't need a car. (Atès que treballava a casa, no necessitava cotxe.)

Working at home, I didn't need a car. (Treballant a casa, no necessitava cotxe.)

Feeling exhausted, my husband went to bed. (Com que se sentia exhaust, el meu marit se'n va anar al llit.)

Not liking the play, they left at the interval. (Com que l'obra no els agradava, se'n van anar a la mitja part.)

Having lived in Kenya, we knew how hot it could be. (Havent viscut a Kenya, sabíem com de calorós podria ser.)

Attacked from all sides, Mrs Porter resigned. (Atacada per totes bandes, la Sra. Porter es va acomiadar.)

However, it is always possible to use the full sentences, e.g.:

Since my husband felt exhausted, he went to bed. (Perquè se sentia exhaust, el meu marit se'n va anar al llit.)

As they didn't like the play, they left at the interval. (Com que l'obra no els agradava, se'n van anar a la mitja part.)

Since we had lived in Kenya, we knew how hot it could be. (Perquè havíem viscut a Kenya, sabíem com de calorós podria ser.)

Because she was attacked from all sides, Mrs Porter resigned. (Perquè era atacada per totes bandes, la Sra. Porter es va acomiadar.)

We can also use the perfect participle to express one event after another, e.g.:

Having finished our lunch, we went for a walk. (Després d'haver acabat el dinar, vam sortir a passejar.)

Again, it is possible to use the full sentence, e.g.:

When we had finished our lunch, we went for a walk. (Després d'haver acabat el dinar, vam sortir a passejar.)

We can also use present participles with on, while, before and after to make abbreviated sentences, e.g.:

On entering the room, Chris immediately recognised the visitor. (En entrar a la sala, en Chris va reconèixer immediatament el visitant.)

While working as a nurse, she met her future husband. (Mentre treballava com a infermera, va conèixer el seu futur marit.)

Before signing a contract, you should always read the small print. (Abans de firmar un contracte, sempre hauries de llegir la lletra  petita.)

After becoming the manager, he decided to buy a bigger car. (Després de ser gerent, va decidir comprar-se un cotxe més gran.)

Again, we can always express these with the longer versions, e.g.:

When he entered the room, Chris immediately recognised the visitor. (Quan va entrar a la sala, en Chris va reconèixer immediatament el visitant.)

While she was working as a nurse, she met her future husband. (Mentre treballava com a infermera, va conèixer el seu futur marit.)

Before you sign a contract, you should always read the small print. (Abans de firmar un contracte, sempre hauries de llegir la lletra  petita.)

After he became the manager, he decided to buy a bigger car. (Després de ser gerent, va decidir comprar-se un cotxe més gran.)

	See also –ing form, past participle, noun phrases, for the spelling of the regular past participles, see the table, for the spelling of the regular present participles, see the relevant table and see also reduced relative clauses.