Hi
Sometimes it’s a bit difficult to me to distinguish (in English) ‘normal’ Participle-clauses-with-own-subject
from cases of ‘Walking down the street, his hat blew off.’ 
Could you validate the next two sentences:
[i]The weather being fine, they went for a walk.
The sun having risen, he continued his way.[/i]
?
Are they OK?
PS
Additional question:
it is possible to use the Subjunctive form in the first sentence: ‘The weather be fine…’
and what could be the second part in this case?
Hi Tamara,
Your two sentences don’t work I’m afraid:
[i]The weather being fine, they went for a walk.
The sun having risen, he continued his way. [/i]
In both sentences you have two participle constructions hanging in the air without a subject to hang on to. The only two subjects ‘they’ and ‘he’ that are available don’t fit.
You would have to say:
As the weather was fine, they …
After the sun had risen, he …
On the other point you could say:
If the weather were fine, we could (would be able to) go for a walk.
Should the weather be fine, we could (would be able to) go for a walk.
A
Hi Alan,
Thanks a lot, indeed!
…It’s not my sentences.
Both are taken from a ‘dictionary’… They are given as two examples of the Participle clause and put me in great doubts, whether I know at all what the case is about.
Your corrections sound to me absolutely fine.
P.S. Pamela, could you give me a favour and check up both sentences in your home version of ABBYY Lingvo?
Participle clause article, the 3b subsection. In the very end of the article.
Hi Tamara,
Just seen my typo - it should read ‘hanging’ in the air.
A
Hello!
Could you help me with my dilemma?
I have a question regarding Participle clauses, too.
Which of the two negative forms is correct:
Being not hungry, she refused his invitation to have dinner in the restaurant.
OR
Not being hungry, she refused his invitation to have dinner in the restaurant.
Where should we put NOT?! Is it fixed rule, or it can vary depending on the individual usage - depending on verb used, passive or active voice, adjective etc.?
Thank you!
Snezana
Hi,
Yes you’re right - it does depend on the sentence and how it is used. Basically you want to keep the negative ‘not’ as close to the word it qualifies, preferably before it. That is why it is better to write: Not being hungry’ ‘Be’ and ‘hungry’ are interdependent and cannot really be separated in your sentence.
A
Yes, Tamara, I found these examples
But
The sun having risen, they continued their way
Hi Alan
I am a bit confused. Please, enlighten me on some aspects of this phenomenon
I think Tamara’s examples are grammatically correct.
It’s the Nominative Absolute Participial Construction that performs the function of an adverbial modifier
Additional examples.
Ex. The lamp having been lit, Mrs Macallan produced her son’s letter
Ex. The work having been done, they went home.
(Two independent participial constructions (containing their own subjects) used in the function of an adverbial modifier of time)
Correct me if I’m mistaken.
Thanks in advance!
Yes, they’re all right but they are self contained and passive.
A
Thanks, Alan!
What if I put ‘with’ at the start? Do they make sense now?
[b]1- With the weather being fine, they went for a walk.
2- With the sun having risen, he continued his way.[/b]
Tom
:roll: :?: :roll:
Tom
The Nominative Absolute Participial Construction
Looking her best, she managed to attract his attention.
Treated well, the patient started to recover.
Having lost his trust in people, the old man built a house far in the forest.
The rain having stopped, we got out of our tents = After the rain had stopped, we got out of our tents.
The job done, we got the money for it. = The job was done and we got the money for it.
It being too late, we left the party. = As it was too late, we left the party.
Based on professor Michael Swan’s book - Practical English Usage
The person writing reports is my colleague.
The above sentence may be interpreted, according to the context, as equivalent to one of the more explicit versions in the following.
The person who will write reports is my colleague.
The person who will be writing reports is my colleague.
The person who writes reports is my colleague.
The person who is writing reports is my colleague.
The person who wrote reports is my colleague.
The person who was writing reports is my colleague.
Hope it helps
I have a question. In the following sentence, how is the word “baseball” functioning?
Playing baseball on the team was Greg’s favorite pass time.
I realize that “playing” is a gerund and is functioning as the subject. I also recognize 'pass time" or “time” as the predicate nominative. But “baseball” has me stumped. I’m sure I’ll kick myself once it is explained to me.
Thanks,
Tamar