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103
Participle I passive in this function usually denotes priority.
He enquired hurriedly whether Mrs. Forsyte was at home and being informed that she was not, heaved a
sigh of relief.
Being left alone, Paulina and I kept silence for some time.
Perfect participle I as adverbial modifier of time, always denotes a prior action.
They wrote because they had to, and having written, thought only of what they were going to write next.
2) Participle I as adverbial modifier of reason can be expressed by all the four forms. The most frequently
used non-perfect participles I are those of verbs denoting mental perception and emotions, for example,
knowing, realizing, remembering, expecting, hoping, fearing; also the participles being and having.
Hoping to catch the train, we took a taxi.
She knew that we were guilty. And knowing it, the child in her was outraged.
Being there, I could see all.
He’s very conceited, you know, having parades and things all the time.
Having decided on this course of action some time ago, I was unable to stay at home.
Another characteristic feature of participles functioning as adverbials of reason consists in their
combinability with negation (no matter what it is expressed by).
I turned back, not knowing where to go.
Even then he hadn’t been able to watch her, not having eyes in the back of his head.
3) The adverbial modifier of attendant circumstances is one of the most characteristic of participle I - it is
considered to be the main grammatical meaning of non-perfect participle I. In this case participle I denotes
some action or event parallel to the action or state denoted by the finite verb.
Deb was silent, fidgeting with the spoon in her saucer.
I laughed, and still laughing turned away eastward.
4) Participle I as an adverbial modifier of manner is akin to an adverbial modifier of attendant
circumstances. The difference consists in the fact that an adverbial modifier of manner characterizes the action
of the finite verb, whereas that of attendant circumstances denotes a parallel action or event.
He came in carrying a big parcel.
5) Occasionally participle I occurs as an adverbial modifier of comparison, concession or condition.
As an adverbial of comparison the participle is always preceded by the conjunction as if, as though:
As if obeying him, I turned and stared into his face.
When participle I is used as an adverbial modifier of concession the conjunction is not obligatory and then
the idea of concession may be understood from the context. However the conjunction though will make the
semantic relationship clearer.
Somebody was waiting: a man who, though moving irregularly, was making quite a speed in my direction.
In the same way participle I as an adverbial modifier of condition is recognized by its syntactical
surroundings. It is either the subjunctive mood or the future tense form which allows a participial phrase to
function as an adverbial modifier of condition:
She ought to be there and her absence might be resented, but being there she wouldn’t know what to say (,