| A |
A clause is a part of a sentence. Some clauses begin with -ing or -ed. For example:
Do you know the woman talking to Tom ?
(the woman talking to Tom)
talking to Tom : -ing clause
The boy injured in the accident was taken to hospital. (the boy injured in the accident ) injured in the accident : - ed clause
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| B |
We use -ing clauses to say what somebody (or something) is (or was) doing at a particular time:
- Do you know the woman talking to Tom? (the woman is talking to Tom)
- Police investigating the crime are looking for three men. (police are investigating the crime)
- Who were those people waiting outside? (they were waiting)
- I was woken up by a bell ringing. (a bell was ringing)
You can also use an -ing clause to say what happens all the time, not just at a particular time.
For example:
- The road connecting the two villages is very narrow. (the road connects the two villages)
- I have a large room overlooking the garden. (the room overlooks the garden)
- Can you think of the name of a flower beginning with T? (the name begins with T)
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| C |
-ed clauses have a passive meaning:
- The boy injured in the accident was taken to hospital.
(he was injured in the accident)
- George showed me some pictures painted by his father.
(they had been painted by his father)
Injured and invited are past participles. Note that many past participles are irregular and do not end in -ed (stolen/made/written etc.):
- The police never found the money stolen in the robbery.
- Most of the goods made in this factory are exported.
You can use left in this way, with the meaning 'not used, still there':
- We've eaten nearly all the chocolates. There are only a few left.
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| D |
We often use - ing and - ed clauses after there is / there was etc. :
- There were some children swimming in the river.
- Is there anybody waiting?
- There was a big red car parked outside the house.
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