One clause instead of two sentences
Having + past participle links an earlier action or experience to the main situation. The having-clause has no separate finite verb; the tense of the main clause provides the reference point.
It can often be expanded into a clause with after or because. For example, Having booked the flights corresponds to After we had booked the flights. However, the main situation can also be present: Having lived here for years, I know the area. The speaker may still live here.
Having + V3, subject + main verb
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
- V3 / past participle —
- The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
Having tasted three cheeses, Marta bought the mildest one.
Having tasted three cheeses, Marta bought the mildest one.
The tasting was complete before the purchase, and the subject Marta performs both actions.
Having booked the flights, we started to pack.
Having booked the flights, we started to pack.
The booking precedes the packing, and the clause replaces after we had booked the flights.
How to form it
Having is followed by the past participle: finished, written, taken, gone. With irregular verbs, do not confuse it with the Past Simple form: having written, not having wrote.
Put not before having: not having finished. Having not finished also occurs, but not having is more usual. The form stays the same after the preposition after: after having finished.
The clause can appear at the beginning or end of the sentence. At the beginning, a comma separates it from the main clause. At the end, it usually clarifies what had already been done.
(Not) having + V3 / after having + V3
- V3 / past participle —
- The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
Having gone through the whole file, Ines found the missing page.
Having gone through the whole file, Ines found the missing page.
Gone is the past participle of irregular go, not went.
Not having slept well, Kai skipped the morning run.
Not having slept well, Kai skipped the morning run.
Not precedes having, and the subject Kai is shared by both clauses.
The committee approved the plan, having studied it for a month.
The committee approved the plan, having studied it for a month.
At the end of the sentence, the clause presents earlier completed work.
Having done or simple -ing
A simple -ing form often expresses a simultaneous action: Walking home, she called her sister. It can also express a closely connected sequence when the order is clear: Opening the door, she stepped inside. Having + V3 emphasises earlier time more explicitly, so it is a useful choice, not the only possible form for every earlier action.
The form can therefore make the order of events clear. Having changed trains means that the change has already occurred, while Changing trains, she dropped her phone means that the phone fell during the change.
Having changed trains twice, Ben reached the coast by evening.
Having changed trains twice, Ben reached the coast by evening.
Both changes of train were complete before arrival.
Changing trains in the rain, Ben dropped his phone.
Changing trains in the rain, Ben dropped his phone.
The actions overlap: the phone fell while he was changing trains.
A shared subject
The participle clause's subject is not stated, so the listener takes it from the main clause. If the main clause is about someone or something else, a dangling participle results: the sentence sounds as though the wrong participant performed the action.
Check who or what the action in having + V3 belongs to. In this pattern, it must be the subject of the main clause. The main clause can be passive: Having applied twice, she was finally accepted. She both applied and was accepted.
Having studied the map, the guide led us along the ridge.
Having studied the map, the guide led us along the ridge.
The guide studied the map and also led us.
Having studied the map, we thought the ridge looked easy.
Having studied the map, we thought the ridge looked easy.
We studied the map, so the main clause's subject is we. A ridge cannot study a map: placing the ridge looked easy immediately after the comma would create a shared-subject error.
Reason, not only time
A perfect participle clause often explains why something happened. Having lost the keys, he waited outside expresses not just a sequence but also a reason: he had no keys, so he had to wait.
This causal link also works when the main verb is present: earlier experience explains the current situation. Having lived in Brazil, he speaks Portuguese with ease illustrates such a present consequence.
Having overslept, Dora missed the first lecture.
Having overslept, Dora missed the first lecture.
Oversleeping is the reason for missing the lecture.
Having trained for years, Yaro handles the heavy equipment with ease.
Having trained for years, Yaro handles the heavy equipment with ease.
The earlier years of training explain the current skill. The form does not assert that the training has stopped permanently.
Written register and the limits of the rule
Having + V3 occurs most often in writing: reports, letters, articles, and narratives. In conversation, a full clause with after or because is more common: After I had finished, I left.
This rule covers the active perfect participle clause. Passive forms with having been and reductions of other clause types belong to related rules. Here the focus is on an earlier action performed by the same subject.
Having reviewed the evidence, the panel reached a decision.
Having reviewed the evidence, the panel reached a decision.
This is typical formal style: the clause replaces after the panel had reviewed the evidence.
When I had reviewed the evidence, I called my lawyer.
When I had reviewed the evidence, I called my lawyer.
In conversation, a full clause with when or after is more common.
Building your own sentence
Identify the main situation and the earlier action or experience. Check that both clauses refer to the same subject. You can then express the earlier part with having + V3, followed by a comma and the main clause.
If the actors differ, retain a full subordinate clause with its own subject: After the guests had left, Zoe cleaned the kitchen. Do not reduce it in a way that wrongly attributes the guests' departure to Zoe. Choose full or reduced clauses according to clarity and style, without a fixed limit on the number of these constructions.
Having cooked for twelve guests, Zoe was too tired to eat.
Having cooked for twelve guests, Zoe was too tired to eat.
The completed work explains the tiredness; Zoe is the shared subject.
After the guests had left, Zoe cleaned the kitchen.
After the guests had left, Zoe cleaned the kitchen.
The subjects differ. You cannot simply replace the opening with Having left, because that would imply that Zoe had left.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:Have finished the shift, Lena left.
Correct:Having finished the shift, Lena left.
Have finished is a finite verb form and does not form a participle clause. For the completed earlier action, use having + past participle.
Incorrect:Having parked the car, the shop was closed.
Correct:Having parked the car, we found the shop closed.
The shop did not park the car. The main clause's subject must perform the participle clause's action, so the actor we is needed.
Incorrect:Having took the bus, Eli arrived early.
Correct:Having taken the bus, Eli arrived early.
After having, use the past participle taken, not took.
Incorrect:Having arrived late, the meeting had already begun.
Correct:Having arrived late, Pia found that the meeting had already begun.
Pia arrived late, not the meeting. The main clause must begin with the actor of the participle clause.
Incorrect:Not have seen the notice, Hugo parked there.
Correct:Not having seen the notice, Hugo parked there.
A negative perfect participle clause requires not having + V3, not not have.