Participle at the end of a sentence

[kl004535]

Dear Teachers,

May I know the circumstances under which I can move the participle (present or past) to the end of a sentence ?

Just as I rephrase the sentence below :
Many visitors are left unsupervised in the castle.

into this one :
Many visitors are left in the castle unsupervised.

Your guidance is highly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Eric Davis]

Dear Teachers,

May I know the circumstances under which I can move the participle (present or past) to the end of a sentence ?

Just as I rephrase the sentence below :
Many visitors are left unsupervised in the castle.

into this one :
Many visitors are left in the castle unsupervised.

Your guidance is highly appreciated.

Thanks.

I'm not a teacher, but I want to comment on this topic.

I believe that the participle unsupervised is serving as an adjective, modifying the noun visitors. If this is the case, shouldn't the modifier be placed before the word it modifies, more so if it is an adjective?

Many unsupervised visitors are left in the castle.

Correct me if I am wrong...please.

 

[corum]

Dear Teachers,

May I know the circumstances under which I can move the participle (present or past) to the end of a sentence ?

Just as I rephrase the sentence below :
Many visitors are left unsupervised in the castle.

into this one :
Many visitors are left in the castle unsupervised.

Your guidance is highly appreciated.

Thanks.

It is not the participle that is mobile in these sentences; it is the locative adjunct (in the castle) that changes its place, from E in #1 to iE in #2.

[Many visitors] [are left] [unsupervised] [(in the castle)].
Note the round brackets, as opposed to the square brackets, around 'in the castle', an optional element in the sentence.

unsupervised = C = predicate adjective

 

[Raymott]

I'm not a teacher, but I want to comment on this topic.

I believe that the participle unsupervised is serving as an adjective, modifying the noun visitors. If this is the case, shouldn't the modifier be placed before the word it modifies, more so if it is an adjective?

Many unsupervised visitors are left in the castle.

Correct me if I am wrong...please.

You are wrong. Adjectives don't have to come before the noun.
Predicate adjectives don't: The man is fat.

In any case, you change the meaning by putting the participial adjective before the noun.
1. The man was left broken-hearted and depressed by the woman.
2. The broken-hearted and depressed man was left by the woman.
In 1. it's implied that the woman caused the depression by leaving.
In 2. it's possible that the woman left because she couldn't handle the man's constant broken-heartedness and depression.

 

[kl004535]

You are wrong. Adjectives don't have to come before the noun.
Predicate adjectives don't: The man is fat.

In any case, you change the meaning by putting the participial adjective before the noun.
1. The man was left broken-hearted and depressed by the woman.
2. The broken-hearted and depressed man was left by the woman.
In 1. it's implied that the woman caused the depression by leaving.
In 2. it's possible that the woman left because she couldn't handle the man's constant broken-heartedness and depression.

Could you tell me under what circumstances I can move the participle to the end of a sentence without changing the meaning?

I am much obliged to you for your help.
Thanks

 

[Raymott]

Could you tell me under what circumstances I can move the participle to the end of a sentence without changing the meaning?

I am much obliged to you for your help.
Thanks

It's hard to give a rule. So far, we have three versions:

1. Many visitors are left unsupervised in the castle.
2. Many visitors are left in the castle unsupervised.
3. Many unsupervised visitors are left in the castle.

In 3, the adjective refers to the noun, generally unrelated to the rest of the sentence. That is, the visitors are unsupervised whether they left in the castle or not. It's an independent attribute of the visitors, just as being depressed is an independent attribute of the man in:
"The broken-hearted and depressed man was left by the woman."

So, you can't move it to the end of the sentence if it belongs before the noun.

In 1. and 2. the adjective is dependent for its meaning on "left". They are left unsupervised. They are not unsupervised unless they are left that way.

In this case, you can change 1. to 2. (by moving the prepositional phrase - as corum has explained.)
There are sure to be cases where you can't change a sentence like 1. to 2.
Maybe someone can think of an example.