The Present Participial Phrase:
Definition:
A sentence part that begins with a word that ends in “ing”
Notes:
The participle is a verb, but not the main verb in the sentence.
The participial phrase tells what a noun is doing.
The participial phrase is able to change position to the front of the sentence, the subject-verb split, or the end of a sentence.
The participial phrase must be placed carefully to avoid confusion.
If the participial phrase is removed the sentence must still make sense.
Must have a period or comma before AND after the participial phrase
Examples:
Trying to earn an "A", Tom checked the rubric to revise and improve his paper.
The poor old man rested on the bench, snoozing.
The Olympic jumper, flying through the air on the wings of a dream, thrust the weight of his whole body forward.
The clown, appearing bright and cheerful, smiled and did his act with unusual certainty for someone who had just killed a man.
Belle, not knowing what else to do, mixed some medicine.
A participle phrase answers one of these questions
- What is he doing? What is she doing? What are they doing? (people)
- What is it doing? (place or thing)
The first word in a participle phrase always ends in ‘ing’
Participle phrases are ALWAYS separated from the sentence by commas.
PRACTICE:
Underline the participle phrases in the following sentences.
Example : Sophie, sitting on the Big Friendly Giant’s hand, peeped out of the cave.
1. Arriving at the used-up haystack, the boy leaned against the barbed wire fence.
2. The snow swirled, blurring his vision.
3. A cloud shadow, drifting the breadth of Trial Valley, spread across the inscrutable faces of Old Joshua.
4. Lying back in the soft hay, I folded my hands behind my head, closed my eyes, and let my mind wander back over the two long years.
5. Billy ate it offhand, sideways, reading a comic book.
6. Returning to the lab to put a bucket of water on the stove for dish washing, she noticed that Mitch was not at the computer, although it was turned on.
The Past Participial Phrase:
Definition:
Functions just like present participles except for the fact that you use the past tense of the verb (end in “ed” or “en”)
Examples:
The solider marched across the battlefield, armed with only a safety pin.
Invented over 50 years ago, the game of basketball is growing into a popular game.
Harriet, strapped in the rocking seat of the Tilt-a-Whirl, felt her stomach moving before the ride even began.
PRACTICE:
Directions: Combine the two sentences with a past participle.
Example: The Jefferson Jewelry Store was robbed this past Friday. It was guarded by armed security officers. (The Jefferson Jewelry Store, guarded by armed security officers, was robbed this past Friday.)
- This is a flower. It was taken from this plant.
- The streets were covered with water. They were very dangerous.
- Brad blocked the kick. It was intended to tie the game.
- Daniel drinks tea. It was sent from his aunt.
- The principal was questioned about the poor test scores. He refused to answer the questions.