The sentence

The present participle in place of relative clauses
1. We can sometimes omit who or which + is/are when we use the present progressive.
Instead of: The man who is serving at the counter is very helpful.
We can say: The man serving at the counter is very helpful.
Instead of: The new law applies to vehicles which are carrying heavy loads.
We can say: The new law applies to vehicles carrying heavy loads.
2. We can sometimes use –ing in place of who or which + simple present:
Instead of: This job will suit students who want to work during the holidays.
We can say: This job will suit students wanting to work during the holidays.
L. The complex sentence: perfect/past participle constructions
‘Being’ and ‘having been’
1. We sometimes use being in place of is, are, was or were, though this is often formal:
Instead of: I was lost, so I had to ask someone the way.
We can say: Being lost, I had to ask someone the way.
2. We sometimes use having been in place of have been or had been (also formal):
Instead of: I’ve been abroad, so I missed the elections.
We can say: Having been abroad, I missed the elections.
‘It being’ and ‘there being’
1. We sometimes use it being in place of it is or it was (formal):
Instead of: It was Sunday, so it was hard to find a garage open.
We can say: It being Sunday, it was hard to find a garage open.
2. We sometimes use there being in place of there is or there was (formal)
Instead of: There was so much noise, I couldn’t hear what was going on.
We can say: There being so much noise, I couldn’t heat what was going on.
3. We can use it being and there being after without (formal):
They often dig up the roads without it being necessary. (= it isn’t necessary)
She suddenly began shouting without there being any reason. (= there was no reason)
Agreement between present participle and subject
We have to be very careful to make the participle agree with the subject of both verbs:
Turning the corner, I saw a tile fall off the roof. (= I turned … and I saw …)
If we say or write *Turning the corner, the tile fell off the roof*, this means ‘the tile was
turning the corner and then fell off the roof’. The sentence is nonsense!
Past participle constructions
1. The past participle is the third part of a verb:
play – played – played (regular verbs); build – built – built (irregular verbs)
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