I don't understand the grammatical structure of "having situated oneself." Could you explain this phrase and the meaning of "Having" at the beginning of this sentence?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
To be "situated" means to be ideally located or to be in a good place. In this case it is referring to the fact that Panda had placed himself close to the girl he likes. The used of "having" at the start of the sentence is important. Sometimes we can use an -ing or past participle clause to emphasize that the first action has been completed before the second action begins. So, by saying "Having situated himself near his potential mate, the panda hopes to draw her attention" emphasises that first Panda found a good location (situated) then he tried to get her attention. In general, we tend not to use participle clauses like this in speech. They are too formal. However, this is copying the formal speech of a nature documentary. Ex: Having taken the wrong train, I ended up in Bath, not Bristol. (Because I had taken the wrong train, I ended up in Bath, not Bristol.) Ex: Having seen an accident ahead, I stopped my car. (I noticed that there had been an accident ahead and stopped my car.)
