-ED CLAUSES & -ING CLAUSES

-ED CLAUSES & -ING CLAUSES
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 ?
[-ing clause]


- The boy injured in the accident was
to hospital. [-ed clause]


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.)
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.
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.
PRACTICE
I. Make one sentence from two. Complete the sentences with an -ing clause.
1. A bell was ringing. I was woken up by it.
- I was woken up by a bell ringing
2. A man was sitting next to me on the plane. I didn`t talk much to him.
I didn`t talk much to the.............................
3. A taxi was taking us to the airport. It broke down.
The...............................................broke down.
4. There`s a path at the end of this street. The path leads to the river.
At the end of the street there`s a .................................................
5. A factory has just opened in the town. lt employs 500 people.
A........................................................has just opened in the town.
6. The company sent me a brochure. lt contained the information I needed.
The company sent me...................................................................
II. Make one sentence from two, beginning as shown. Each time make an -ed
clause.
1. A boy was injured in the accident. He was taken to hospital.
The boy injured in the accident was taken to hospital.
2. A gate was damaged in the storm. lt has now been repaired.
The gate.......................................... has now been repaired.
3. A number of suggestions were made at the meeting. Most of them were not very
practical.
Most of the.................................................were not very practical.
4. Some paintings were stolen from the museum. They haven`t been found yet.
The ...............................................................haven`t been found yet.
III. Complete the sentences using the following verbs in the correct form:
blow - call - invite - live - offer - read - ring - sit - study - work
1. I was woken up by a bell ringing.
2. Some of the people invited to the party can`t come.
3. Life must be very unpleasant for people.......near busy airports.
4. A few days after the interview, I received an email.......me the job.
5. Somebody........ jack phoned while you were out.
6. There was a tree.........down in the storm last night.
7. The waiting room was empty except for a young man.......by the window.......a
magazine.
8. Ian has a brother..........in a bank in London and a sister.........economics at university.
IV. Use the words in brackets to make sentences using There is / There was, etc.
1. That house is empty. (nobody / live / in it) .......................
2. The