Participial Phrases

Participial Phrases

By Evan Ng

Multiple Select

What is a participle?

• A noun that acts like a verb

• A verb that acts as a noun

• A verb that acts as an adjective.

• a verb that acts as a verb

Having been a gymnast, James knew the importance of exercise.

• The participial phrase acts as an adjective modifying > James.

• Having been a gymnast is the participle phrase.

Punctuation

• If the participial phrase is placed in the middle of the sentence, it should be separated with commas only if the information is not essential (unnecessary) to the rest of the sentence.

• Sid, watching an old movie, drifted in and out of sleep.

• The church, destroyed by an old fire, was never rebuilt.

Punctuation

• When a participial phrase begins a sentence, a comma should be placed after the phrase.

• Example: Arriving at the store, I found that it was closed.

• Example: Washing and polishing the car, Frank developed sore muscles.

If the participial phrase is essential to the meaning of the sentence, no commas should be used.

• The student receiving the highest grade point average will receive a special reward.

• The guy wearing the chicken costume is my cousin.

Multiple Choice

The child ( )to music can play computer games well.

• listen

• is listening

• listening

• listened

Multiple Choice

Joe, ( ) near the school, always walks to school.

• lived

• living

• who living

• lives

Multiple Choice

The bridge( )in 1890 is the landmark of the city.

• build

• building

• which built

• built

Multiple Choice

The boy by his teacher cannot answer the question.

• asking

• ask

• asked

• who asked

Multiple Choice

I received a letter __________ by Mary.

• writing

• write

• written

• to write

Multiple Choice

The powerful engine made a noise like a lion ___.

• roar

• roared

• roaring

• to roar

Multiple Choice

What is the participle in the following sentence?
Shivering, the couple ran out of the rain and into the house.

• shivering
• couple
• into
• house

Multiple Choice

What is the participial phrase in the following sentence?
Sweeping across the night sky, the bats hunted their prey.

• Sweeping across the night sky,
• the bats hunted 
• their prey.

Multiple Choice

What is the participial phrase in the following sentence?
The water drained slowly in the pipe clogged with dog hair.

• The water drained slowly
• slowly in the pipe clogged
• clogged with dog hair.

Multiple Choice

What is the participial phrase in the following sentence?
The lake, frozen over all winter, was finally thawing.

• The lake, frozen
• was finally
• frozen over all winter
• thawing.

Multiple Choice

What noun is the participial phrase modifying?
Searching the glove compartment, Evangeline looked for her sunglasses.

• sunglasses
• looked
• compartment
• Evangeline

Multiple Choice

What noun is the participial phrase modifying?
Quickly checking over his answers, Patrick handed in his test just before time ran out.

• Patrick
• answers
• test
• ran