Abbreviated adverbial clauses

Most kinds of clauses can be abbreviated by deleting the subject and the verb be after the conjunction

time While (she was) at college Delia wrote a novel

place Where (it is) necessary improvements will be made

manner He acted as if (he was) certain of success

condition If (it is) possible please let me know by this evening

concession Though (he was) exhausted he went to bed very late

Clauses of reason cannot be abbreviated in this way However, they can often be replaced by participle constructions Such constructions also have the effect of shortening clauses [> 1.58]

The complex sentence: participle constructions

1.56 Form of participles [compare > 16.41]

Present perfect past

active finding having found -

passive being found having been found found

Joining sentences with participles

Simple sentences can be combined into one sentence that contains a main clause + a participle or an infinitive construction [> 1.58,16.12.1] Participle constructions are generally more typical of formal style than of informal, though they can easily occur in both

simple sentences He walked out of the room He slammed

the door behind him compound sentence He walked out of the room and slammed

the door behind him participle construction He walked out of the room slamming

the door behind him

simple sentences You want to order a vehicle You have to

pay a deposit
complex sentence if you want to order a vehicle you have

to pay a deposit infinitive construction To order a vehicle you have to pay a

deposit participle construction When ordering a vehicle you have to

pay a deposit

The complex sentence participle constructions

Participle constructions can come before or after the main clause,

depending on the emphasis we wish to make Making sure I had the right number I phoned again Or ' phoned again making sure I had the right number

More than one participle construction is possible in a sentence After looking up their number in the phone book and making sure I had got it right I phoned again

Present participles in place of clauses

Participle constructions in place of co-ordinate clauses

The co-ordinating conjunction and must be dropped

She lay awake all night and recalled the events of the day She lay awake all night recalling the events of the day