The Objective Participial Construction

It is the construction in which the participle is in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the objective case; e.g. I saw him working in the library.

The participle working is in predicate relation to the pronoun him, which denotes the doer of the action expressed by the participle. In the Objective Participial Construction Participle I Indefinite active or Participle II is used. In the sentence this construction has the function of a complex object.

The Objective Participial Construction may be found:

1. after the verbs denoting sense perception, such as to see, to hear, to feel, to find, etc.

e.g. I found my friends waiting for me.

We heard him coming home.

I saw the car starting.

I watched my mother cooking dinner.

We felt the weather changing, wind getting stronger.

I heard my name called.

2. after some verbs of mental activity, such as to consider, to understand, etc.

e.g. I consider myself engaged to Peter.

We consider the problem solved.

3. after the verbs denoting wish, such as to want, to wish, to desire, etc.

e.g. He wanted his article typed.

I want it done tomorrow.

In this case only Participle II is used.

4. after the verbs to have and to get (only Participle II is used).

e.g. He had several books brought.

My sister had her coat altered.

You can get your clothes made in Europe.

I want to have my hair cut.

The Subjective Participial Construction

It is a construction in which the participle (mostly Participle I) is in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the nominative case, which is the subject of the sentence; e.g. They were heard talking together. The peculiarity of this construction is that it does not serve as one part of the sentence: one of its component parts has the function of the subject, the other forms part of a compound verbal predicate. This construction is chiefly used after verb of sense perception.

Smb smth	is was will be can be	seen heard found left kept	doing smth
smth	is was will be can be	found left considered believed seen	done
Smb smth	is was will be can be may be	considered called elected chosen named made	clever a beauty over

E.g. The girls were heard playing in the garden.

The father and the son were seen cycling.

She was seen crossing the street.

She was kept waiting for a long time.

The boat was considered lost.

The lesson can be considered over.

She may be made your boss.

The Nominative Absolute Participial Construction

It is a construction in which the participle stands in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the nominative case; the noun or a pronoun is not the subject of the sentence; e.g. The door and the window of the vacant room being open, we looked in.

In this construction Participle I (in all its forms) or Participle II is used. It is used in the function of an adverbial modifier; e.g. His duty completed, he had three months’ leave.

This construction may be introduced by the preposition with and it then called the Prepositional Absolute Participial Construction; e.g. We went for a walk, with the rain having stopped.

Smb smth		doing smth being done having done smth having been done done		smb did smth
Smb does smth	(with)		smb smth		doing smth being done adjective noun adverb prepositional phrase

E.g. The letter written, he went out to post it.

The lesson over, he went home.

She looked even prettier, with most of the make up gone from her young face.

We were waiting for him, with the bags in our hands.