The Functions of the Participles

There are several common functions of the Participles:

1) Attribute: Participle I: I know the reporter covering the news.

Participle II: The news covered in the report deal with the

situation in the Middle East.

2) Predicative: Participle I: Your offer sounds embarrassing.

Participle II: He sounds embarrassed.

3) Complex Object:

Participle I: I heard him playing the tune.

Participle II: I heard the tune played.

4) Adverbial Modifiers of:

a) Time Participle I: (While/when)/ Asking about the accident the

girl started crying.

Participle II: When asked about the accident the girl

started crying.

b) Comparison:

Participle I: She looked as if waiting for an answer.

Participle II: He stopped as if struck by the news.

5) Parenthesis:

Participle I: Frankly speaking, I don't know the answer.

Participle II: As mentioned above, there are three main types of companies.

There are some functions of the Participles that do not coincide. Only Participle I performs the functions of:

a) Manner: She stopped looking at the ad.

b) Cause: Being ill at ease, he couldn't utter a word.

Only Participle II performs the functions of:

a) Condition: If broken, her heart wouldn't stand it.

b) Concession: Though surprised, she didn't show it.

6) Participle I and Participle II can be used in Absolute Participial Constructions where the subject of the main clause and the subject of the participle don't coincide (they are different):

They went to bed, the work left for the next morning.

The work being over, they went to bed.