KPDS İNGİLİZCE DERS - 14

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KPDS İNGİLİZCE DERS 14: GERUNDS

I. FORM AND USE

• The gerund has exactly the same form as the present participle: running, speaking, working etc.

• It can be used in the following ways:

(a) as subject of a sentence: Dancing bored him.

(b) as complement of a verb: Her hobby is painting.

(d) after certain verbs

(e) in noun compounds: a diving board (a board for diving off). The gerund here carries the main stress.

II. THE GERUND AS SUBJECT

• Either infinitive or gerund can be the subject of a sentence when an action is being considered in a general sense. We can say:

It is easier to read French than to speak it. or Reading French is easier than speaking it.

• The gerund, like the infinitive, can be the subject of a clause placed after believe, consider, discover, expect, find, think, wonder etc. After find we can omit that and the verb be, i.e. we can say:

He found that parking was difficult. or He found parking difficult.

• But it is safer not to omit be after the other verbs. Note the possible difference between gerund and infinitive here: He found parking difficult would mean that he usually/always found it difficult. He found it difficult to park could refer to one particular occasion. It could also mean that he always found it difficult, but it is more usual to express this idea by a gerund.

• The gerund is used in short prohibitions: No smoking. No waiting. No fishing.

• But these cannot be followed by an object, so prohibitions involving an object are usually expressed by an imperative: Do not touch these wires. Do not feed the lions.

• Gerunds are used in the saying: Seeing is believing.

III. GERUNDS AFTER PREPOSITIONS

A When a verb is placed immediately after a preposition the gerund form must be used:

What can you do besides typing? I have no objection to hearing your story again.
Touch your toes without bending your knees! He is good at diving.
She is fond of climbing. I’m not keen on gambling.
I’m too afraid of losing. He was fined for being drunk in charge of a car.
I’m against saying anything/I’m for saying nothing. I’m tired of arguing.
I’m fed up waiting. (colloquial) This is a tool for opening tins.
Do you feel like going out? After swimming I felt cold.
She disapproves of jogging. What about leaving it here and collecting it later?
He is thinking of emigrating. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.
They escaped by sliding down a rope. We had difficulty in finding a parking place.
You should be ashamed of yourself for behaving so badly.
In spite of starting late he arrived in time. Aren’t you interested in making money?
There’s no point in waiting.

В A number of verb + preposition/adverb combinations (’phrasal verbs’) take the gerund. The most common of these are be for/against, care for, give up, keep on, leave off, look forward to, put off, see about, take to.

I don’t care for standing in queues. Eventually the dogs left off barking.
I am looking forward to meeting her.
He put off making a decision till he had more information.
He took to ringing us up in the middle of the night.

IV. THE WORD TO

• This word often causes confusion as it can be either (A) a part of an infinitive, or (B) a preposition.

A to placed after the auxiliary verbs be, have, ought, used and after going (in expressions such as ‘ the be going to form’) is part of the infinitive of the following verb and is only added to remind students that the preceding verb takes the full infinitive, i.e. the infinitive with to. to is often placed after hate, hope, intend, would like/love, mean, plan, try, want and some others to avoid repetition of an infinitive already mentioned: Did you buy cheese? ~ No, I meant to (buy some) but the shop was shut.

В Otherwise to placed after a verb will probably be a preposition and will be followed by noun/pronoun or gerund. Note these expressions: look forward to, take to, be accustomed to, be used to:

I am looking forward to my holidays/to next weekend/to it.
I am looking forward to seeing you.
I am used to heat/hard work/bad food/noise/dust.
I am used to standing in queues/to it.

• Be careful not to confuse I used to/he used to etc., which expresses a past habit or routine (They used to burn coal; now they burn fuel oil only), with I am used to/he is used to etc., which means ‘I am/he is accustomed to/familiar with’:

I am used to the cold. (It doesn’t worry me.) He is used to working at night. (He doesn’t mind it.)

• A good way of finding out whether a to is a preposition or a part of an infinitive is to see if it is possible to put a noun/pronoun after it. For example a noun/pronoun could be placed after I am accustomed to: I am accustomed to it/the dark.

• This to, therefore, is a preposition, and verbs used after to must be gerunds.

V. VERBS FOLLOWED BY THE GERUND

A The most important of these are:

admit* keep ( = continue)
anticipate * Loathe
appreciate mean* (= involve)
avoid mind ( = object)
consider* Miss
defer Pardon
delay Postpone
deny* Practice
detest Prevent
dislike propose* (= suggest)
dread recollect*
enjoy Remember* (= recollect)
escape Resent
excuse Resist
fancy* (= imagine) Risk
finish save (sb the trouble of)
forgive stop ( = cease)
imagine * suggest*
involve understand*
*See B.

• The gerund is also used after the expressions can’t stand (= endure), can’t help (= prevent/avoid), it’s no use/good and after the adjective worth.

B Other constructions with the above verbs

• Starred verbs can also take that-clauses.

• mean/propose (= intend) take the infinitive.

• dread + infinitive is used in ‘dread to think’: I dread to think what this will cost.

С Examples of verb + gerund sentences:

He admitted taking the money. Avoid over-eating.
Would you consider selling the property?
He detests writing letters.
She dreads getting old. Do you enjoy teaching?
He narrowly escaped being run over.
Fancy meeting you!
Putting in a new window will involve cutting away part of the roof.
He kept complaining. He didn’t want to risk getting wet.
If we buy plenty of food now it will save shopping later in the week.
I can’t understand his/him leaving his wife.
I couldn’t help laughing. It’s no good/use arguing.
Is there anything here worth buying?

VI. VERBS + POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE/PRONOUN OBJECT + GERUND

A If the verb or verb + preposition is followed directly by the gerund, the gerund refers to the subject of the verb: Tom insisted on reading the letter. (Tom read it.)

• But if we put a possessive adjective or pronoun before the gerund, the gerund refers to the person denoted by the possessive adjective /pronoun: He insisted on my/me reading it. (I had to read it.)

В Useful verbs and expressions which can take either construction are:

dislike propose understand
dread recollect approve/disapprove of
fancy remember insist on
involve resent it ’s no good/use
like (negative) save object to
Mean stop there ’s no point in
Mind suggest what’s the point of

He disliked working late. He disliked me/mу working late.
I object to paying twice for the same thing.
I object to his/him making private calls on this phone.
He resented being passed over for promotion.
He resented my/me being promoted before him.

С excuse, forgive, pardon and prevent are not followed directly by the gerund but take either possessive adjective/pronoun + gerund or pronoun + preposition + gerund:

Forgive my/me ringing you up so early. Forgive me for ringing you up so early.
You can’t prevent his/him spending his own money.
You can’t prevent him from spending his own money.

• appreciate usually requires a possessive adjective or passive gerund:

I appreciate your giving me so much of your time. I appreciate being given this opportunity.

D Possessive adjective and pronoun object compared

• In formal English the possessive adjective is used with the gerund. But in informal English we very often use the pronoun. The learner therefore has a choice of forms, but is recommended to use the pronoun.

• With stop meaning ‘prevent’ the pronoun is more usual than the possessive adjective:

I can’t stop him writing to the papers.

E Nouns with gerunds

• In very formal English the possessive case is used: I do not remember my mother’s complaining about it.

• But it is much more usual to omit the ’s: I don’t remember my mother complaining.

VII. THE VERB MIND

A This verb is used chiefly in the interrogative and negative: Would you mind waiting a moment? I don’t mind walking.

В It can be followed directly by a gerund, or by a noun/pronoun or possessive adjective + gerund:

I don’t mind living here. (I live here and don’t object to it.)
I don’t mind his/him living here. (He lives here and I don’t object to this./I don’t object to his/him living here.)
He didn’t mind leaving home. (He left home quite happily.)
He didn’t mind Ann leaving home. (Ann left home and he was quite happy about it. )

С would you mind? is one of the most usual ways of making a request:

Would you mind not smoking? (Please don’t smoke.)
Would you mind moving your car? (Please move it.)

• Note the change of meaning when a possessive adjective precedes the gerund:

Would you mind my moving your car? = Would you object if I moved your car? (This is not a request but a polite query.)

Do you mind if I move it? is a possible alternative to Would you mind my moving it?

• but Do you mind my moving it? may mean that the action has already started.

D mind can never be followed by an infinitive.

E The personal pronoun object can be used with gerunds instead of a possessive adjective.

VIII. THE PERFECT GERUND (HAVING WORKED, HAVING SPOKEN ETC.)

• This can be used instead of the present form of the gerund (working, speaking etc.) when we are referring to a past action:

He was accused of deserting his ship. or He was accused of having deserted his ship.

• The perfect gerund is fairly usual after deny: He denied having been there.

• Otherwise the present form is much the more usual.

IX. THE PASSIVE GERUND

• Present: being written Perfect: having been written

He was punished by being sent to bed without any supper.
I remember being taken to Paris as a small child.
The safe showed no signs of having been touched.

X. VERBS WHICH MAY TAKE EITHER INFINITIVE OR GERUND

advise need
agree permit
allow prefer
begin Propose
can/could bear recommend
cease regret
continue remember
forget require
hate start
intend stop
like try
love used to
mean want

• Note also be ashamed (of)/afraid (of) sorry (for); care (for); go on.

XI. VERBS TAKING INFINITIVE OR GERUND WITHOUT CHANGE OF MEANING

A begin, start, continue, cease

В can’t bear

С intend

D advise, allow, permit, recommend

E it needs/requires/wants

A With begin, start, continue, cease either infinitive or gerund may be used without any difference in meaning, but the infinitive is more usual with verbs of knowing and understanding and the verb matter:

I began working./I began to work. He continued living/to live above the shop.

• But:

I am beginning to understand/see/realize why he acted as he did.
It ceased to matter whether or not he sold his work.
She never ceased complaining/to complain about prices.

В After can/could bear (chiefly used in the negative) either gerund or infinitive can be used:

I can’t bear waiting/to wait; but when the infinitive refers to a deliberate action the expression implies that the subject’s feelings prevent(ed) him from performing the action: I couldn’t bear to tell him. (so I didn’t)

С After intend, an infinitive:

I intend to sell it. is more usual than a gerund: I intend selling it.

• The infinitive is necessary when we have intend + object. This is found only in formal English:

I intend him to take over the department.
D With advise, allow, permit, recommend

• If the person concerned is mentioned we use the infinitive: He advised me to apply at once. She recommends housewives to buy the big tins. They don’t allow us to park here.

• But if this person is not mentioned, the gerund is used: He advised applying at once. She recommends buying the big tins. They don’t allow parking.

• The gerund after allow and permit cannot have an object, so if we want an allow/permit + verb + object construction, we must use the infinitive and mention the person concerned:

They allowed their tenants to use the garage.

E it needs/requires/wants can be followed either by the gerund or by the passive infinitive, the gerund being the more usual: The grass wants cutting or The grass needs to be cut.

XII. REGRET, REMEMBER, FORGET

A regret, remember, forget are used with a gerund when the action expressed by the gerund is the earlier action:

I regret spending so much money = I’m sorry I spent so much money. (spending is the first action, regret is the second.)

I remember reading about the earthquake, in the papers. (reading is the first action, remember is the second.)

• remember can be followed by possessive adjective/object + gerund:

I remember his/him telling me about it. I remember my father(’s) telling me about it.

• forget + gerund is possible only when forget is in the negative. It is often used after will never forget:

I’ll never forget waiting for bombs to fall = I’ll always remember waiting for bombs to fall.

В When regret, remember, forget themselves express the earlier action they are followed by an infinitive:

I regret to say that you have failed your exam. (regret is the first action, to say is the second.)

• regret here is normally followed by a verb such as say, inform, tell. It is normally used only in the present tense. remember can be used in any tense:

I’ll remember to ring Bill. (remember is the earlier action.)

• forget is used similarly:

I often forget to sign my checks.
I remembered to lock/I didn’t forget to lock the door. (I locked it.)

• Conversely: I didn’t remember/I forgot to lock it. (I didn’t lock it.)

С regret, remember, forget can also be followed by a noun/pronoun or a that-clause.
remember and forget can also be followed by noun clauses beginning how, why, when, where, who etc.:

I can’t remember when I saw him last. I’ve forgotten where I put it.

XIII. AGREE/AGREE TO, MEAN, PROPOSE

A agree and agree to (preposition)

• agree takes the infinitive. It is the opposite of refuse + infinitive:

When I asked them to wait, Tom agreed to wait a week but Bill refused to wait another day.

• agree cannot take a noun/pronoun object. The opposite of refuse + object is accept + object:

He refused any reward. She accepted the post.

• agree to (preposition) can be followed by possessive adjective + gerund:

He agreed to my leaving early on Friday. (I asked if I could leave early on Friday and he said that I could.

• The opposite here would be He wouldn’t agree to my leaving early etc.)

• agree to can be followed by noun/pronoun object: He agreed to the change of plan/to this/to that.

В mean meaning ‘intend’ takes the infinitive: I mean to get to the top by sunrise.

• mean meaning ‘involve’ (used only with an impersonal subject) takes the gerund:

He is determined to get a seat even if it means standing in a queue all night.

С propose meaning ‘intend’ usually takes the infinitive: I propose to start tomorrow.

• propose meaning ’suggest’ takes the gerund: I propose waiting till the police get here.

XIV. GO ON, STOP, TRY, USED (TO)

A go on = ‘continue’ and is normally followed by a gerund. But it is used with an infinitive, usually of a verb like explain, talk, tell, when the speaker continues talking about the same topic but introduces a new aspect of it:

He began by showing us where the island was and went on to tell us about its climate.

• Compare: He went on talking about his accident, which implies that he had been talking about it before, with He went on to talk about his accident, which implies that he had been speaking perhaps about himself or his journey but that the accident was being introduced for the first time.

В stop (= cease) is followed by the gerund: Stop talking. It can be followed by object + gerund:

I can’t stop him talking to the press.

• A possessive adjective would be possible here but is very seldom used. stop (= halt) can be followed by an infinitive of purpose: I stopped to ask the way. (I stopped in order to ask the way.)

С try usually means ‘attempt’ and is followed by the infinitive:

They tried to put wire netting all round the garden. (They attempted to do this.)

• The sentence doesn’t tell us whether they succeeded or not.

• try can also mean ‘make the experiment’ and is then followed by the gerund:

They tried putting wire netting all round the garden. This means that they put wire netting round the garden to see if it would solve their problem (presumably they were trying to keep out rabbits and foxes).

We know that they succeeded in performing the main action; what we don’t know is whether this action had the desired effect, i.e. kept the foxes out.

D Subject + used + infinitive expresses a past habit or routine:

I used to swim all the year round. (At one time I swam all the year round.)

• But subject + be/become/get + used + to (preposition) is followed by noun or pronoun or gerund and means ‘be/become/get accustomed (to)’:

I am used to heat/to living in a hot climate. (I have lived in a hot climate for some time so I don’t mind it.)

XV. BE AFRAID (OF), BE SORRY (FOR), BE ASHAMED (OF)

A be afraid of + gerund or gerund + noun/pronoun

• Here the gerund usually expresses an action which the subject fears may happen. It is normally an involuntary action:

He never swam far out. He was afraid of getting cramp.
She avoids lonely streets. She is afraid of being mugged.
She didn’t tell him because she was afraid of upsetting him.

• be afraid + infinitive means that the subject is/was etc. too frightened to perform the action. This is obviously a deliberate action:

He was afraid to jump, (so he didn’t jump)
She was afraid to protest, (so she kept quiet)

• be afraid can also be followed by a that-clause. This can express a fear:

I’m afraid (that) he’ll blame me for this.

• But, especially in the first person, it can express (usually fairly mild) regret:

I’m afraid (that) we haven’t any tickets left.

В be sorry for + gerund means ‘apologize/regret’. The gerund usually refers to a previous action but can refer to an immediately following action: I’m sorry for making such a noise last night.

I’m sorry for disturbing you. (now) But I’m sorry to disturb you would be more usual here.

• be sorry + infinitive can express regret or sadness: I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been ill.

• When the action expressed by the infinitive is involuntary, the two actions are almost simultaneous: I was sorry to see him looking so ill. (When I saw him … I was sorry.)

• When the infinitive refers to a deliberate action, be sorry is the earlier of the two actions and is then very similar to regret: I’m sorry to inform you that there has been an accident.

• be sorry that … is also possible. Note that I’m sorry that usually expresses genuine regret, but that with I’m sorry to say that or I’m afraid that the regret may be very faint, even perfunctory.

С be ashamed of + gerund or be ashamed of yourself etc. for + gerund The gerund here refers to a previous action:

You should be ashamed of lying to him. or You should be ashamed of yourself for lying to him.

• In be ashamed + infinitive, the infinitive usually refers to a subsequent action:

I’m ashamed to tell you what this carpet cost.

• would be ashamed + infinitive often implies that the subject’s feelings (will) prevent him from performing the action: I’d be ashamed to ask for help. (so I won’t/wouldn’t ask)

XVI. THE PARTICIPLES

The present (or active) participle

A Form

• The infinitive + ing, e.g. working, loving, sitting.

В Use

1 To form the continuous tenses: He is working. You’ve been dreaming.

2 As adjectives: running water floating wreckage dripping taps leaking pipes

• Here there is equal stress on participle and noun. Compare with gerund + noun combinations.

3 After have + object:

He had me swimming in a week. We have people standing on our steps all day.
I won’t have him cleaning his bike in the kitchen.

4 A present participle can sometimes replace a relative pronoun + verb:

a map that marks/marked political boundaries = a map marking political boundaries
people who wish/wished to visit the caves = people wishing to visit the caves
children who need/needed medical attention = children needing medical attention

5 Present participles/participle phrases such as adding/pointing out/ reminding/warning can introduce statements in indirect speech: He told me to start early, reminding me that the roads would be crowded.

• The above uses have already been dealt with. The present participle can also be used:

6 After verbs of sensation.

7 After catch/find/leave + object.

8 After go, come, spend, waste, be busy.

9 Present participles can sometimes replace subject + verb in other main or subordinate clauses other than those mentioned above.

XVII. PRESENT PARTICIPLE AFTER VERBS OF SENSATION

A The basic verbs of sensation see, hear, feel, smell, and the verbs listen (to), notice and watch can be followed by object + present participle:

I see him passing my house every day. Didn’t you hear the clock striking?
I felt the car skidding. She smelt something burning and saw smoke rising.
I watched them rehearsing the play.

• The action in the present participle may be either complete or incomplete: I saw him changing the wheel could mean that I watched the whole action or that I saw only part of it.

В see, hear, feel and sometimes listen (to), notice and watch can also be followed by object + bare infinitive:

We saw him leave the house. I heard him make arrangements for his journey.

• The infinitive implies that the action is complete. I saw him change the wheel means that I saw the whole action.

С Comparison of the two forms

• The participle is the more generally useful as it can express both complete and incomplete actions. But the infinitive is useful when we want to emphasize that the action is complete. It is also neater than the participle when there is a succession of actions:

I saw him enter the room, unlock a drawer, take out a document, photograph it and put it back.

D In the passive the full infinitive is used after verbs of the senses: He was heard to say that the minister had been bribed.

XVIII. CATCH, FIND, LEAVE + OBJECT + PRESENT PARTICIPLE

A catch/find:

I caught them stealing my apples. (I found them doing this.)
If she catches you reading her diary, she’ll be furious.

• The action expressed by the participle is always one which displeases the subject. With find there is no feeling of displeasure:

I found him standing at the door = I saw him standing/He was standing at the door when I arrived.

• With find the object could be inanimate: He found a tree lying across the road.

В leave can be used with a participle: / left him talking to Bob = He was talking to Bob when I left.

XIX. GO, COME, SPEND, WASTE, BE BUSY

A go and come

• go and come can be followed by the participles of verbs of physical activity and the verb shop:

They are going riding/skiing/sailing. Come dancing.
I’m going shopping this afternoon.

В spend/waste + an expression of time or money + present participle:

He spends two hours (a day) traveling. He doesn’t spend much time preparing his lessons. We wasted a whole afternoon trying to repair the car.
He spent a lot of money modernizing the house.

С be busy + present participle: She is/was busy packing.

XX. A PRESENT PARTICIPLE PHRASE REPLACING A MAIN CLAUSE

• The participle constructions in A and В below are chiefly used in written English.

A When two actions by the same subject occur simultaneously it is usually possible to express one of them by a present participle. The participle can be before or after the finite verb:

He rode away. He whistled as he went. = He rode away whistling.
He holds the rope with one hand and stretches out the other to the boy in the water = Holding, the rope with one hand, he stretches etc.

В When one action is immediately followed by another by the same subject the first action can often be expressed by a present participle. The participle must be placed first:

He opened the drawer and took out a revolver = Opening the drawer he took out a revolver.
She raised the trapdoor and pointed to a flight of steps = Raising the trapdoor she pointed to a flight of steps.
We take off our shoes and creep cautiously along the passage = Taking off our shoes we creep cautiously along the passage.

• It would seem more logical here to use the perfect participle and say Having opened, Having raised, Having taken off, but this is not necessary except when the use of the present participle might lead to ambiguity. Eating his dinner he rushed out of the house would give the impression that he left the house with his plate in his hand. Here, therefore, it would be better to say Having eaten his dinner . . .

С When the second action forms part of the first, or is a result of it, we can express the second action by a present participle:

She went out, slamming the door. He fired, wounding one of the bandits.
I fell, striking my head against the door and cutting it. (Here we have three actions, the last two expressed by participles.)

• The participle need not necessarily have the same subject as the first verb:

The plane crashed, its bombs exploding as it hit the ground.

XXI. A PRESENT PARTICIPLE PHRASE REPLACING A SUBORDINATE CLAUSE

• These constructions are chiefly found in written English.

• The present participle can replace as/since/because + subject + verb, i.e. it can help to explain the action which follows:

Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to buy food on his journey he took large supplies with him = As he knew etc.
Fearing that the police would recognize him he never went out in daylight = As he feared etc.

• Note that being at the beginning of a sentence will normally mean ‘as he is/as he was’:

Being a student he was naturally interested in museums. = Because/As he was a student etc. It could not mean ‘while he was a student”.

• The subject of the participle need not be the same as the subject of the following verb:

The day being fine, we decided to go swimming.

• In cases like this the participle must follow its noun/pronoun. Being fine the day, we decided … is incorrect, but Being athletic, Tom found the climb quite easy is all right, as Tom is the subject of both the participle and the following verb. It is possible to use two or more participles, one after the other:

Realizing that he hadn’t enough money and not wanting to borrow from his father, he decided to pawn his watch.
Not knowing the language and having no friends in the town, he found it hard to get work.

XXII. THE PERFECT PARTICIPLE (ACTIVE)

A Form

• having + past participle, e.g. having done, having seen.

В Use

• The perfect participle can be used instead of the present participle in sentences of the type shown (i.e. where one action is immediately followed by another with the same subject):

Tying one end of the rope to his bed, he threw the other end out of the window =
Having tied one end of the rope to his bed, he threw the other end out of the window.

• The perfect participle emphasizes that the first action is complete before the second one starts, but is not normally necessary in combinations of this kind, except when the use of the present participle might lead to confusion:

Reading the instructions, he snatched up the fire extinguisher might give the impression that the two actions were simultaneous. Here, therefore, the perfect participle would be better:

Having read the instructions, he snatched up the fire extinguisher.

• The perfect participle is, however, necessary when there is an interval of time between the two actions: Having failed twice, he didn’t want to try again.

• It is also used when the first action covered a period of time:

Having been his own boss for such a long time, he found it hard to accept orders from another.

XXIII. THE PAST PARTICIPLE (PASSIVE) AND THE PERFECT PARTICIPLE (PASSIVE)

A Form

• The past participle of regular verbs is formed by adding ed or d to the infinitive, e.g. worked, loved.

В Use

1 As an adjective: stolen money a written report fallen trees broken glass tired drivers

2 To form the perfect tenses/infinitives and participles and the passive voice:

he has seen to have loved it was broken

3 The past participle can replace a subject + passive verb just as the present participle can replace subject + active verb:

She enters. She is accompanied by her mother. = She enters, accompanied by her mother.
He was aroused by the crash and leapt to his feet = Aroused by the crash, he leapt to his feet.
The bridge had been weakened by successive storms and was no longer safe =
Weakened by successive storms, the bridge was no longer safe or Having been weakened etc. (see below).
As he was convinced that they were trying to poison him, he refused to eat anything =
Convinced that they were trying to poison him, he refused to eat anything.

С The perfect participle passive (having been + past participle) is used when it is necessary to emphasize that the action expressed by the participle happened before the action expressed by the next verb:

Having been warned about the bandits, he left his valuables at home. (He had been warned etc.)
Having been bitten twice, the postman refused to deliver our letters unless we chained our dog up. (He had been bitten etc.)

XXIV. MISRELATED PARTICIPLES

• A participle is considered to belong to the noun/pronoun which precedes it:

Tom, horrified at what he had done, could at first say nothing.
Romeo, believing that Juliet was dead, decided to kill himself.
A man carrying a large parcel got out of the bus.

• Note that the participle may be separated from its noun/pronoun by a main verb:

Jones and Smith came in, followed by their wives.
She rushed past the policeman, hoping he wouldn’t ask what she had in her suitcase.

• If there is no noun/pronoun in this position the participle is considered to belong to the subject of the following main verb:

Stunned by the blow, Peter fell heavily. (Peter had been stunned.)
Believing that he is alone, the villain expresses his thoughts aloud.

• If this principle is disregarded confusion results. Waiting for a bus a brick fell on my head makes it appear that the brick was waiting for a bus, which is nonsense.

• A participle linked in this way to the wrong noun/pronoun is said to be ‘misrelated’. The above sentence should be rewritten As I was waiting for a bus a brick fell on my head.

• Other examples of misrelated participles: When using this machine it must be remembered . . .
Correct form: When using this machine you must remember . . .

Believing that I was the only person who knew about this beach, the sight of someone else on it annoyed me very much.
Correct form: As I believed I was the only person etc. or
Believing that I was the only person on the beach, I was annoyed by the sight of someone else.