English Phrases in Use

“Left Unchecked” – Past Participle & “Will” for Prediction in English

So, what’s interesting here. First:

People left unchecked — this is a short participle (Past Participle).
The structure noun + Past Participle (irregular verb, or if regular then with the ED ending) describes the state of the noun.

Literally: “people who were left without checking/control”.
An equivalent in English is the participial phrase “people left without control”. People [who are] left [and are] unchecked

  • a broken window → someone broke the window (result of an action).

  • a written letter → someone wrote the letter.

  • people left unchecked → people were left in a state where they are not checked.


Second: Will do evil — here will is not used for the future tense, but to indicate a confident prediction or natural inclination. The phrase means that people have a stable, predictable inclination to do evil in the absence of restraining factors. It should be treated as the phrase: “People will constantly do evil.”


Third: is composed of — a fixed passive construction meaning “consists of”“is formed from”. A more formal synonym for is made of.

How are such constructions formed?

Subject + [verb “to be” (am/is/are)] + [Past Participle] + [preposition]

  • He is known for his generosity.

  • The government (subject) + is (verb “to be”) + composed (Past Participle of “to compose”) + of (preposition).

  • The team is composed of experts.

  • The table is made of wood.

  • Paper is made from wood.