Transitions for Comparison and Contrast

Participial Phrases

An adverbial clause can be reduced to a participial phrase if the subject of both clauses is the same. For example, After they read the application several times, they finally decided to fill it out. After reading the application several times, they finally decided to fill it out. OR: Having read the application several times, they finally decided to fill it out. In order to use participial phrases correctly, it is important to learn the prepositional equivalents of subordinating conjunctions: conjunction preposition before before after (time only) after after, since (time and reason) having + past participle while, as (continuous action) while when, as soon as, immediately after upon when, while (simultaneous action) Ø whenever, every time when

Sometimes you will have to change active verbs to passive or passive verbs to active in order to make sure the subjects of both parts of the sentence match. For example:

Before you register your car, it must be insured. Before being registered, a car must be insured. or Before registering your car, you must insure it.

Some adverbial clauses can’t be reduced to participial phrases because there is no common subject. For example: Before Jane completed her assignment, her teacher checked it and made comments.

Assignment: Change each of the following tricky sentence pairs into single sentences with participial phrases.

1. As soon as I stepped into the room, I sensed that there was someone hiding in the corner.

2. Every time you leave the house, make sure you lock the door.

3. The essays were read and corrected. Then the students rewrote them.

4. When young people reach the age of 21, bars and nightclubs are open to them.

5. Fran was talking to her neighbor. She didn’t notice that she was late for work.

6. Immediately after she swallowed the medicine, her vision became blurred, and she began

to feel very weak.