present participle clause

[Belly T]

Please tell me what the present participle clause is?
How is it different to the "relative clause"?

[ian2]

Please tell me what the present participle clause is?
How is it different to the "relative clause"?

I think there is no such a term in traditional grammar. But in some relatively new grammars, present or past participle clauses are used, for example in "A Grammar of Contemporary English" by Randolph Quirk and others. In fact, participle clause in their grammar just mean participle phrase in traditional grammar. For example,

Her aunt having left the room, I decided to read the book.
Leaving the room, he tripped over the mat.

Both leaving phrases are called present participle clauses in their grammar.

Covered with confusion, I left the room.
We left the room and went home, the job finished.

Covered phrase and job finished phrase are past participle phrases.

You can read Quirk's grammar book to know more.

Hope this helps.

[mark in perth]

God, it's late at night. I gotta go home.

I covered this in my own text:

' . . . a duck swimming.' in 'I saw a duck swimming' is what I was taught a present participial CLAUSE is.

'Her aunt having left the room' is a creature called an 'absolute.'

'Leaving the room' is a present participial phrase.

'Covered with confusion' is a past participial phrase.

-- and if I'm not mistaken, 'the job finished' is an abbreviated perfect absolute, a fabulously rare animal.

Send me an email at EMAIL REMOVED - Send PM to This User Instead and I'll email you the section of my book that deals with these rarities.