THE PARTICIPLE (11)

                                  CHAPTER-25

254. Read this sentence:--
         
 >) Hearing the roar,the soldier rushed out.
*) The word hearing qualifies the Noun soldier as an
       Adjective does.
*) It is formed from the Verb hear,and governs an Object.

Therefore,the word hearing is both like  a verb and
 Adjective.Such a word is called a Participle.
       


[A Participle is so called because it is partly a Verb and  partly an Adjective.]

255. There are two kinds of Participles :--
  
        (1) The Present Participle is always Active.It denotes an incomplete action
              or state,and it always ends in  -ing.
             >) I can hear her singing a song.
             >) We met a girl carrying a basket of flowers.
             >) Do you see the boy riding on the horse?

        (2) The Past Participle denotes an action(or state) which is completed,and
              hence is no longer in progress.The Past Participle used adjectively is
              Passive if the Verb from which it comes is Transitive.It ends in
              -en,-n;  or  -ed,-d,-t.
                    
             >) Terrified they stood crowded together.
             >) We saw the trees laden with apples.
             >) Blinded by lightning,she fell senseless.
             >) Driven by fury,the lion attacked the hunter.

256. A Participle can be used in three ways :--

        (1) As an Attributive Adjective ;as,
             >) A rolling stone gathers no moss.
             >) A burnt child dreads the fire.
             >) A lost opportunity never ruturns.

        (2) Predicatively,to complete the sentence;as,
             >) The boy seems happy.
             >) He appears to be learned.
             >) We found her weeping.
             >) The boy came laughing.

        (3) Absolutely,with a Noun or Pronoun going before;as,
             >) The sun having risen,the birds began to sing.
             >) The weather being hot,I did not go out.
             >) God willing,we shall all pass.
             >) The teacher being absent,the boys made a noise.
             >) John being ill,the doctor was sent for at once.

NOTE:--The phrases it italics are called Absolute Phrases.The Noun or
              Pronoun that goes before the Participle is called the Nominative
             Absolute,because it is neither the Subject nor the Object of any
              Finite Verb,but stands alone with its Participle.

                     WRONG USE OF PARTICIPLES

257. Whenever a Participle is used,the Noun or Pronoun to which it refers
       must also be mentioned;as,
        >) Walking through the park,the sun was very hot.

    What is wrong with this sentence? The sentence as it stands means that the
    'sun' was walking through th park.In other words,there is no Noun or
    Pronoun to which the Participle walking refers.We should,therefore,rewrite
    the sentence;as,
           >) Walking through the park,I found the sun very hot.

      *) Here are more examples of the wrong use of the Present Participle:--
         
       1. Arriving late,the show had already begun.
              [Say---'Arriving late,he found that the show had already begun'.]
       2. Being a rainy day,I did not go out.
             [Say--'It being a rainy day,I did not go out'.]
       3. Walking in the garden,the clock struck ten.
             [Say--'Walking in the garden,I heard the clock strike ten.']
       4. Going round the corner , a horrible sight was seen.
             [Say--'Going round the corner,I saw a horrible sight'.]
       5. Being fine,I went out for a walk.
             [Say--'The weather being fine,I went out for a walk'.]

258.But the following construction are right  :--
       
       >) Considering all points ,he was quite right.
       >) Roughly speaking[=If one speaks roughly],there were forty persons
            present there.
       >) Assuming that she is guilty,what is the punishment?

NOTE:--The Participle is such cases is called an Impersonal Absolute.

259. It is possible to join two sentences together by making use of a Participle:--

       1. The hunter took careful aim.He shot the lion.
           Taking careful aim,the hunter shot the lion.
       2. The children saw the Headmster.They ran away.
           Seeing the Headmaster,the children ran away.
       3. The weather was very warm.I took off my coat.
           The weather being very warm,I took off my coat.
       4. The letter was written in very poor handwriting.It was difficult to read.
           The letter,being written in very poor handwriting,was difficult to read.
       5. He was encouraged by his success.He made further efforts.
           Being encouraged by his success,he made further efforts.

Exercise 77. Pick out the Participle in each of the following sentences,and say
                  whether it is a Present or a Past Participle and also how it is used:-

      1. We heard the clouds thundering.
      2. Being dissatisfied ,he resigned his job.
      3. Considering the facts,he was not treated fairly.
      4. Hearing the noise,the boy woke up.
      5. God willing,we shall have another good monsoon.
      6. Generally speaking,we get what we deserve.
      7. I can hear her singing a song.
      8. We saw an old beggar leading a donkey.
      9. I pity that old woman carrying such a heavy load on her head.
    10. The boys,playing in the park, had a merry time.
    11. The motor-car,driven recklessly by Ashok,dashed against a tree.
    12. They heard the people shouting in the streets.
    13. Waving their handkerchiefs,the spectators cheered loudly the
          winning team.
    14. Deceived by his friends,he lost all hope.
    15. Taking pity on the mouse,the magician turned it into a cat.

Exercise 78. Combine the following  pairs of sentences by making use
                    of a Participle :--

    1. It was a very hot day.I remained in my tent.
    2. I was walking in the park.I saw a cobra.
    3. A gipsy was wandering across the heath.He found a bag of gold.
    4. The soldier mounted his horse.He rode away
    5. We met a girl.She was carrying a basket of flowers.
    6. The enemy were beaten at every point.They fled from the field.
    7. The people elected him President.They gave him her full support.
    8. He was encouraged by his wife. He made further efforts.
    9. He failed in the first attempt.He made no further efforts.
   10. I once saw an acrobat.He was walking a rope.
   11. The stable door was open.The horse was stolen.
   12. He seized his stick.He went out for a walk.
   13. I walked upto the front door.I rang the bell.
   14. The policeman ran with all his speed.He was able to capture the thief.
 15. The letter was badly written.I had great difficulty in making out its contents.
   16. He was occupied with important matters.He had no time to see us.
   17. I finished my breakfast.I went out for a weak.
   18. The book is written in a simple style.It is suitable for beginners.
   19. I was in a hurry.I could not wait for him.
   20. The teacher was absent.The children made great noise