123 Participle + noun NOTE Try \() aVOid wming sentences like this one. (N OT Wt'tlking-ctkmg· the: strt!et;-u [tre-c:rrgine ; dced past.) ThIs 'hanging participle' mnkes it sOllnd ~s If the fire engine was walking, whIch doesn't make sense. Thf' huhject of the main clause sho uld be the people who we re walkmg. Walking along lhe stree t, we saw a. fire engine race past. Here the subject of the main clause is the same as the underslOod subject of the participle But this doe sn't always have to be so. The mam (hing is that there should be a clear connection between the twO clauses. Knowing huw little lime she had, this new delay infuriated her. (= Because she knew how little lime she hud, she was mfuriated by this new delay ) When adjusling lilt? machine, lhe eie(. 'triclly should be swllchcd of!. (= When you adjust the machine, you should switch off the electricity ) 123 Participle + noun ,. . A We can use an active or passive participle before a noun. The leam was welcomed by cheering crowds. (= crowds who were cheering) Boiling water turns to steam. (= water which is boiling) The experiment must be done under controlled conditions. (= conditions which are controlled) The terrorists used a stolen car. (= a car which hact been stolen) In these examples the participle functions rather like an adjective. Co mpare clieering crowdsl noisy crowds, boiling waleri hot water. See also Nute a. It is often neater to use a participle + noun than to lise a clause such as crowds who were cheering. But we cannot always usc a participle before a noun. For example, we can talk about a barking dog but NOT -tttt-eati1tg-tiftg. Sometimes we use a participle with a prefix. a rewritten version underfed children an overflowing drain a misspent youth an unsmiling face a disconnected teLephone TIP Use only those partkiple + noun combinations that you have already heard or seen, like cheering crowds or conrroLled conditions, There are no rules about which verbs can be used in this way and which cannot. NOTE a Some words with the form of a participle arc regarded as adwctives, c.g. 1Illereslmg, confused. :> 187 b For be + pa ssive participle expressing a state or an acti G n ~ > 87E. TI,e terrorists· car was stolen ~ il didn 't belong to them . The c.ar was stolen tU){} days before the incident. 163 Participles B There are a few past participles that we can use befor e a no un . The road is blocked by a fallen tree. . (::: a tree which has fallen) The leaders of the failed uprising attempted to flee the counlly. (::: t he uprising which had failed) Co mpar e the pa st a nd pa ssive participles. Past: The escaped prisoner was soon re ca ptur ed. (:::the prisoner w ho had esca ped ) Passi ve: The injured prisoner was treated in hospital. (::: the prisoner w ho had been injured ) C Somet imes we put an adverb before the participle. fanatically cheering crowds (::: crowds who are cheer ing fanatically) properly trained slaff (::: staff who have b ee n properly trained) We can also form a compou nd by combining another el ement with the participle. a fast-growing economy (::: an economy whi ch is growing fast - verb + adverbial) earth-moving equipment (::: eq uipment which moves earth - verb + ob ject) a nice-looking.jacket (::: a jacket which looks nice - verb + comp l eme nt ) an oil-fired central heating system (= a central heating system which is fired by oil - verb + by - agent) a newly-m .a rried couple (= a couple who have recently married - ye rb + adverbial) We do not lise l onger phrases hefore the participle. (NOT ttlfitfen-in peneiHttfies) (NOT (ft - £he-tfJ~ti . btJiees ehu. iltg amvds) Bu t we can sa y notes written in pencil. > 274 D We can add -ed to some nouns. a walled city (= a city with a wa ll ) This ha ppens mostly with co mpounds. a dark-haired mall (= a man with dark hair ) a short-sleeved shirt (= a shirt with short sleeves) 124 Verb + participle A The pattern They stood watching 1 64 We can use a participle afler go, lie, run, sit, ahd stand to refer to t wo actions happ ening al the same rime. 125 Verb + object + participle Everyone stood watching the aircraft. The girl la y trapp ed under the wreckage [vr three days. People rail screaming for help. We can put an adverbial between the verb and partici pl e. Evel}'one stood there watching the aircraJi. Karen sat at th e tabl e reading a newspaper. B Go swimming, do the washing, etc We u se go + active participle to talk about activities that we go out to do, especia ll y leisure act ivities. I'd love to go swimming . We we nt riding yesterday. Simon has gone fishing. We use do the + gerund for some types of work, especia ll y routine housewo rk . I usually do the washing at the weekend. Someone comes in lO do the cle aning for us. We can use do some . , do a bit ofta lot of . , etc for both leisure and work activities. I once did some s urfing in California. James does a lot of cooking, doesn't he? Luckily J hav en't got much ironing to do. We can also use do + gerund. T can't do sewing. I always make a mess of il . We did trampolining evelY day on holiday. NOTE a Wl1h verbs of movement we can also usc the pattern go for a swmliride, etc I'd loue 10 go for a swim. b The expression go clubbing is formed fr om the noun club. Ti , ey spend all Illeir spare lime goillg cl ubbing . - J J ~5 Verb + object + participle A The pattern I saw you doing it We ca n use an object + acti ve participle after certain verbs. J saw two men c utting down a tr ee. We heard you arguing with your brother. Can you smell something burning? We can use verbs of perceptJOn, including: feel, hear, listen to, notice, observe, see, sme ll, walch. J 65 Participles B I saw you doing it or I saw you do it? After a verb of perception there is al so a pattern with an object + infinitive without to . I saw two men c ut dOWIl a tree. We didn't notice anyone leave the building. An infinitive without to means th e c omple te action. I saw lhem cuI the tree down 11 didn 't take long. (l saw them . They cut it dovlm.) The participle means that the action goes on over a period of time. I saw th em c Ulling the (re e dow" as J wenl past. {l saw th em . They were ( utlin g it down .) When we talk abou t a short action, we can li se eit he r form. They watched 'h e horse jump lj ll"'ping the fence. We didn't notice anyone leavelleauing the building. C I saw it being done and I saw it done The patte rn s in B can be used with a participle clau se in the passive. Cnmpl elC action Active: I saw them c ut down the tree. We heard someone fire a shot. Passive: I saw the tree cut down. We heard a shoe fired. Action over a peri od J saw th em cutting dowtl the cree . We heard people firillg s hOl s. I saw the tree being cut down. We heard shots being fired o The pattern I kept you waiting 1 66 We l:an use an object + participle af ter certain verbs. The participle means action over a period of time. Tlte docIOr is very slow. He ofJen keeps his patients waili"g . They c aught a stude nt che at ing in tile exam. We soon got th e ma ch in e working again. The ve rbs we can use include: catch, jiud, get, have, keep. leave, need, sla rt . In the fo ll owing pattern have can m ea n ' cause so meon e to be doing something' . The trainer had the players runn ing ro und the field. Not ha/le can also mean 'refuse to accep t'. I won't h ave peo/lle treating this house like a hotel. (;: I won't a ll ow people to t reat thi s house like a hOl e l. ) NO TE For olh cr pallerns w uh luwe and get, e.g. He /lad til e players nm roulld tile fietd and We soo ,t gOI tile nUlchlflc to work again. > 94A. 126 Conjunct i on + partic i ple E The pattern I spent some time waiting We can use an active participle after spend, waste, or l os e and an expression of time or mone y. I've spent half an hour looking Jar that letter. The c ompany wasted millions of pounds investing in out-oJ-date technology. F The pattern You were seen doing it · We can s ometimes use the passive before an active participle. The men were seen cutti"g down a tree. A student was caugh t cheating in the exam. We c an usc some of the verbs in pattern A ( hear , observe, se e) and some of the verbs in pattern C (catch, find, k ee p, leave). G The pattern I want it done We can use an object + pa ssive participle (or passive to-infinitive) after certain verbs. Polly wanted the carpet (to be) cleaned. I'd like this map (to be) photocopied, please. We prefer the lights (to be) turned down . We c an use these verbs: (w ould) hale , (w ould ) lik e, (would) love, need, (would) pref e r, want . In informal English we can al so use an ing-form. Polly wanted the carpet cleaning. I'd like this map photocopying, please. We can also use an object + passive participle with find , gee, hav e, and lea v e. The police found a body buried in the garden. We decided to have the tree cut down . For have/get something dane, > 94B. 126 Conjunction + participle We can use an active or passive participle after some conjun ctions. You should wear gloves when usin.g an electric saw. (:::: when you use an electric saw .) Once opened, lhe conlents should be consumed within thr ee da ys. A lthough expecting the new s, J was greatly shocked by il. If not cla im ed within one month , the prize will be M,b nated to charity. The pattern is used mainly in writing and is common in instructions. We can use the se conjunctions: although, if, once, unless, Ulllil , when, whenever, while. ]6 7 Participles . ,. Conjunction + paniciplc is a similar pilu crn , to prcpo si linn + gerum!. > 11 4A Despite expecting {he news, J was Krearly s ho cked by it. I always haVl ~ a shower after working ow in the gym. 127 Participle clauses of time A We c::Jn use a clause of time wi th an ac tive participle. Mike hurt hi s hand playing voll ey b(,Il. We were rushing about serving lea to everyone. The two actions take pla ce at the same time. Sometimes the paniciple clause can come first. Coming up the steps, I (ell over . This is use d mor e in writing than in speech. It is more m ~ lItrill to sn.y 1 fell over (when J was) coming up lhe step s. B Vtle can also u sc a participle clause to !<Ilk about t\vo short, connec t ed actions which happen one after Ihe other. Taking a note from her purse , s Ite slammed il down on the CO llnt er. Opening the file. the detective lOok nut a newspaper cll ttin g. This panern is rmher literary. It is m orc n eutra l to li se and. She cook a nOIC from her purse and slarnmed it down on the l "ou,11ler. With two short actions, we mention rhe actions in the order th ey happ en. The part ic ip le lIsually comes in the first clau se, hut it can some tim es co me in the second. S he took a note from her purs e. slamming it down on the counter. C When a short action comes before another c onne ct ed one, we can use Cl perfect participle for the first il<:lion, Having sealed the e nv elope/Sealing the eJ weiopc . the lawy er locked il in the safe. But when th e first action is not short, we mOst us e lhe perf ec t. Having re ad fhe documen/. lhe fawy er locked il in the safe. Having dug a hole in the road. the men jusl drol Je away. (NO r fJigg-ing-(;t-hole-i-H the-roau, -t.ht: ml Ii jt¥.f f dffit le · aUtfty ) The clau se with the perfect paniciple can co me after the main clause. They Ie/i. the re.Hell/rrw!. having spent rw~ hour s oper lunch. D A p,lssive participle can be ~imp l e . comilluo.us or perfect. 168 The old woman walked slowl)' to lhe flfl , assi r;;ted hy the porter. I don'l want CO SUly (Jill here' be ing bitten hy ins ec ts. A hol e '''wing bee" dug , tile men just tiisuppeareti. 128 Part ici ple clauses of reason E Compare these ways of say ing that one thing happ ened after another. 1 The mall left {h e building alld (/hen ) hailed a taxi. 2 After he IWlll eft the building, the man hail ed a l ax i. 3 After leaving the buildin g, the man hail ed a laxi. 4 After having l eft the building, th e man hail ed a taxi. 5 Huving left the building, the man hailed a la :d. 6 Leavi ng the building , the man hailed a taxi . . Senrence {l} is the sim pl est way of ex pre ss ing the idea. (2l make s more explicit the order in which the two thing s h appe ned. (3) is shorter and n ea ter and a lillie formal. (4) is Jess usu al be cause ther e is no Il eed to usc both after and ha v ing to expre ss the same idea. (5) and (6) are both rather formal. (6) means that the two actions h appened dose together . 128 Participle clauses of reason A A participle clause can express r cason. Crowds were waiting at Ih e airport, hoping to see Madonna arrive. (;: becau se they hop ed/they we re hoping to see Madonna arrive.) Being rather busy , I co mpl etely forgot the lim e. (;: Because I was ra ther busy, ) Not feeling very well, Emma decid ed to lie down. Having lost my passport, I ha ue lO appl y for a fl ew one. The restaurant having closed, there was nOl v lr ere 10 e at . This type of participle clause r:an he ra ther formal. NOTE Fo r other ways of expressing reason, :> 239 . B We can use with before a participle clause wi(h a subj ec t. With the res tauraut having closed, the re was nowhere to eat. (= Because the res taurant had closed, ) With prices going up so fast , there's no poim i l1 trying co S (l.ve mon ey. I can't concentrate with you talking alltJre lim e. This pattern is neutral in style. Wilh th e restau.rant hailing closed, . is less fomlaJ than Th e res taurant ha ving closed, C A passive participle in n clause of rca so n can be simple, co nti nu ous, or perf ec t. He di ed at thirty, s tru ck down by a rare disease. In summer t he ducks ha/le it easy, always being fed by tourists. Having been renovat ed at great expense, lI,e bu ilding looks magnificent. 169 Paniciples 129 Other participle clauses A Result An active participle after the main clause ca n exprcss rcsult, whether this happcns by accident or deliberate ly . They pumped waste into the ri ve r. killing all tI fish. (= a nd killed all the fi sh .) rile film star made a dramali c entrance, attracting everyone's attelltio, (= . and attracted everyone's attcmioll.) B Conditions A part ic iple clau se can express a condition. We plan to ea t outside, weather permitting . (= if the weather permits it.) Taken daily, vitamin pills c an impro ve yo ur hea lth . (= If they are taken daily ) C With in a participle clause These examples ha ve with and a subject at the b eg inning of the clause. There were scen es of celebrat io n, with people dancing in the streets. It was a large room, with bookshelves covering most of the wa lls. A typical use of this patt ern is to add details to a description. Co mpar e th use of with to ex pr ess reas on . > 128B o Following, considering. etc There are some participle forms which function rather lik e <I preposition. Following the reception, there will be a talk by the prof essor. (= After the reception ) Considering/Given ch e awful we ath er, our Open Day was a great succes (:;:. In view of the awful weather, ) No action has been tak en regarding your comp lai nt . (= about your comp laint.) Judging by all the nois e. it must hal '" been a pr e tty good part y. (= All the noi se makes me think that ) E Idioms 170 We use a parriciple cl ause in some idiomatic phr ases which comment on statement or relate it to a previolls onc. Stri ctly speak ing, yo u can'c come in here unl ess you 're a club me mb er. Thin gs don't look good. Bue hal / ing said that , I'm still optimisitic. I'm gO irlg on a computer co ur se. - Talking a/ co mput er s, ours are all dow All being well, we sho uld get the re about six. 130 Introduction Nouns ~ 30 Introduction A This news report contains a number of nouns. lO Y RIDERS TREAT ED TO SCARE T ACT I CS Ten teenagers on a yo uth project owing stum bled from their minibus lU be confronted by the sight of a horrific car accident. Dehris from the head-on crash was strewn across the road. In jured. people, covered in blood and trapped inside the wrecked vehicles, were pleading for help fTom the polic e, fire-fighters, and ambulance crews struggling to free them. But t.he 'crash' was an elaborate stunt set up by the S outh Wales Police and YOlllh workers to give potential joyr id ers an idea of the co nsequenc es of fheir act ions. The 'c rash' was so realistic that several of che yo ung sters, aged between 14 and 17, broke down in tears. Yesterday the shock tactic was being hailed an unqualified success after several of the youngsters swore never to travel in stolen vehicles again. ( from Tile 'f'lnles) Nouns have many differenL ki n ds of meaning. There are conc r ete nouns like minibus and blood and abstract nouns like consequences and success. Nouns can also refer to events like accident and to roles like worker. A noun can also be a name li ke WaLe s. Some nouns can have a plural en di ng, e.g. youngsters, tears. :> 131 The only other ending that we put on a noun is the po ssessive form with's or s', e.g. the ambulance crew's task. > 132 NOTE We can SO metimes add -ed to a noun, e.g. a left- handed go/fell/b ."> 1 230 B A noun phrase is so metimes a noun on it s own. Debris was str ewn acro ss the road. Th e injured people were covered in blood. But mor e often a n oun comb ines with other words to form a noun phrase . an idea the road their actions several of the ynungsl. ers A noun phrase ca n be the subject, ohject, or comp l ement of a selllence, or it can c ome after a preposition. The st unt was a great success. It gave lhem an idea of the consequences of their actions. 1 71 Nou ns C These kinds ur word can l:umb i ll l! with ct HUlin (0 rorm a noun phra se. Articles: Possessive s: Demonstratives: Quantifier s: Adjec ti ves: Other nouns : n road acciden l hi s fir st reaetiull this project a lot oJ accide11ls a horrific accident a ca r accident the polic e> 150 their milli/JUs > 164 those s ho ck lac li cs > J 65 sel1eral 0/ the y oun gs ter s> 166- J 73 a clever, very e laborat e s tunt > 181 a youth project o uting > 141 1\ phrase or clause can come after the noun and modify il. Prepositional phrase: To- infin itive clause: Participle claus e: Relative claus e: Debris from th e head -on crash wa s s trewn across the road. > 143 It was a plan to shock tile teenagers. > 107 A It was a stunt set up by the police. > 274 The people who were pleading/or he lp weren't reall) injured. > 266 131 The plural of nouns A Form A countahle noun has hoth a singular and a plural form To form the plural we usua lly add -5 or -e s. Singular Plural lIU 1 road tlie roads (j minibu s (wo minibuses There are some spelling rules for the pluraJ with - sl- es. We add es after a sibilant sound , e.g. dish -+ dishes. > 276A Y c hange s to ie, e. g. baby bab ies. > 280A for the pronunciation of the sles ending, > 27 6B. But some noullS ha ve an irregular plura l, e.g. rna", melt. > 281-284 B The plural of compound nouns 172 To form the plur al of a compollnd noun or. of lWO noun s togethe r, we add -s l - e . ~ to the enu. ul l' eke nds mOlOrways fire-fighters c ar crashes shock tactics We do th e s am e with a nOlln formed from a ve rb + adverb. Ilife- ups breakdowns handouls When a prepositional phrase comes after the noun , \\le ~dd -s /- es io the fir st noun. Doctors oJ Philos ophy mothers-in -law [...]... the player fit?) :-:01"1:: For more cx mplp~ like lhose in C-E, wlwl!;! a n01.l11 phrase has a similar lTlt!anlng to clause, :> 257 il 1 35 Today's weather, an hour's journey, etc A The posses~iv e form can express lime Have we slill got yesterday's newspaper? Next mOllth '5 ligures are expecwd to show an improvement Next month's figures means 'the figures for next month', 'the ligures relating to next... plural verb, even th ough they do not end in -5 Some cattle have gOI out into the road The police aTe questioning a man These words are callIe (= cows), livestock (= farm animals), people, police and staff (= the people working in a business) NOTe For irregular noun plurals e g foot -t feet child -t children > 282- 284 1 95 The articles: alan and the 150 Introduction Look at the articles in this paragraph... singular (J person singular form UT was roody) > 6SA e II/U.S reatly) and Ihe lhird- 1 45 Singular and plural subjects It is usuall y easy to decide if a su bject is singular or plural BUl there are some problem areas, and these are dealt with in 146-149 Here are some basic points about singular and plural subjects 188 1 45 Singular and plural subjects A Two or more phrases linked by and HIke a p lu ral... rest, three lVet'}.;~ 1101/(Jay Bill SOllie people regard [Ills olS a mistake, so II is ~ rcr 10 wnte the apos~rophl" h 176 We can also ~y a [our·hour JOllmey 136 At Soph ie's to the doctor's, e tc r136 At Sophie's, to the doctor's, etc We can lise the possess ive form without a foll owing nOun when we talk about someonc 's home or about a particular kind of shop or office We're all meeting at Dave's... place to be on carnival weekend For TIlE loarJ Collins, > 1628 152 The main uses of the articles Look at how articles are used in this news report 1 -IOVEf!CltAl-"T STOWI\WI\.Y A hovercraft flying at 40 mph was 'la[led in rou.gh seas when a stowaway was discovered - on tIre outside He was $een hiding behind a liferaft to avoid paying the 5 fare from Hyde, Isle of Wigh t to Souchsea Til e captain was... items of clothing or four gnrmcnts b Coumry is countable when c Damages m the plural means 'money paid in compensa tion ' It means 'nation' , e.g all the countries o/the world He received damages of 50 0,000 fur his injunes d Land can be used as a countab le nOun meaning a country or region For the lmmigranrs, America was (J lanel of 0PlJOrtunity ThiS usc is rather literary e Work can be countable... Life j ust isn't jair, is it? at tile speed of light Noise can cause stress 140 Nouns that can be either countable or uncountable Countable Uncountable a daily paper (= a newspaper) my papers (:;;;- documents) some writing paper a property (= a building) Chess is a game, not a sport some property (:;;;- what you Dvm ) The meeting was a success a tin of beans rve been here lots of times before It was... purpose a sleeping bag washing powder b Compare these C\vo phrases Noun + noun: an 'English teacher (=somcone who teaches English) Adjective + noun: all English 'teac1ler (=a teacher who is English) 1 85 Nouns B There is a difference in meaning be(\.veen a milk boule and a bOllle of milk a milk bottle a bottle of milk A milk bottle is a bottle for putting milk in A barrie of milk is a bottle full of... h~j""int) B We normally use the possessive with people and animals my u/lcle's address the dog's bed the Atkillsons' car The of·structure is sometimes possible for relations between people the young man '5 mother/the mother of the young man When there is a long phrase or clause describing the person, we lise the of·structurc It's the house of a wealthy businessman from Saudi Arabia [ was looking after... there, the verb agrees with its complement There was a party at the office There were parties all over town NOTE In informal speech you may hear lhere's before ;) plural Tliere's some friend.~ of YO!lr5 outside 47 Nouns with a plural form A Plural noun and plural verb Some nouns arc always piUTaJ Th e goods were found to be defective (NOT Rre-gtJod wtls jctmd-ftJ-be-de/ectitJt!.) My belongings have . :> 257 1 35 Today's weather, an hour's journey, etc A The posses~iv e form can express lime. Have we slill got yesterday's newspaper? Next mOllth &apos ;5 ligures. accide11ls a horrific accident a ca r accident the polic e> 150 their milli/JUs > 164 those s ho ck lac li cs > J 65 sel1eral 0/ the y oun gs ter s> 166- J 73 a clever,. can also ~y a [our· hour JOllmey 136 At Sophie's. to the doctor's, etc r 136 At Sophie's, to the doctor's, etc We can li se the possess ive form without a fo ll ow ing