Walking down the street, ... (participle clause)
Walking down the street, ... (participle clause) means “Participle clause: an -ing clause that shortens a sentence about the same subject”. A participle clause uses an -ing form (present participle) to join two ideas about the same subject in a shorter way: Walking down the street, I met an old friend = While I was walking down the street, I met an old friend. Formation: V-ing + main clause (same subject)
Participle clause: an -ing clause that shortens a sentence about the same subject
B1Formation
V-ing + main clause (same subject)
Explanation
A participle clause uses an -ing form (present participle) to join two ideas about the same subject in a shorter way: Walking down the street, I met an old friend = While I was walking down the street, I met an old friend. The subject of the -ing verb must be the same as the subject of the main clause. It can express time (when/while) or reason (because): Feeling tired, she went to bed = Because she felt tired.
Examples
Note
Keep the subjects the same. Walking down the street, a dog barked at me is wrong, because the dog was not walking. Rewrite it as While I was walking down the street, a dog barked at me.
FAQ
Walking down the street, ... (participle clause) — what does it mean and how is it used?
Participle clause: an -ing clause that shortens a sentence about the same subject. A participle clause uses an -ing form (present participle) to join two ideas about the same subject in a shorter way: Walking down the street, I met an old friend = While I was walking down the street, I met an old friend. The subject of the -ing verb must be the same as the subject of the main clause. It can express time (when/while) or reason (because): Feeling tired, she went to bed = Because she felt tired.
Walking down the street, ... (participle clause) — how do you form it?
V-ing + main clause (same subject)
Walking down the street, ... (participle clause) — any usage notes?
Keep the subjects the same. Walking down the street, a dog barked at me is wrong, because the dog was not walking. Rewrite it as While I was walking down the street, a dog barked at me.