- Right: Entering the room, we saw a strange sight. [The participle entering belongs to the pronoun we.]
- Wrong: Entering the room, a strange sight was seen. [Since there is no substantive to which entering can belong, it has no construction.]
Apparent exceptions are concerning, considering, pending, generally speaking, etc. The first three may be classed as prepositions ([§ 355]), the last as an independent participle.
We fought every day, and, generally speaking, twice every day.—De Quincey.
Note. The rule in [§ 339] does not apply to such phrases as on entering, after investigating, etc., in which the words in -ing are not participles, but verbal nouns ([§ 348]). Thus the following sentences are grammatical:—“On entering the room, a strange sight appeared”; “After investigating the subject, the plan was adopted.” Such expressions, however, should be used with caution, since they are sometimes awkward or ambiguous.
340. A participle may be modified by an adverb, an adverbial phrase, or an adverbial clause.
- Smiling brightly, she extended her hand. [Adverb.]
- He leaped forward, shrieking with all his might. [Adverbial phrase.]
- Laughing until he cried, he sank into a chair. [Adverbial clause.]
341. A participle may take an object if its meaning allows.
- I found the old man mending his net.
- Lifting the box, he moved toward the door.
- Giving me a friendly nod, he passed on. [Here nod is the direct object of giving, and me is the indirect object.]
The participle, with its modifiers and such other words as are attached to it, is sometimes called a participial phrase.
342. A participle may be used as a pure adjective.