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What is a participle?

• an ing verb placed at the beginning or end of a sentence

• Examples: chasing, running, breathing

Why should I care about participles?

• They evoke ACTION in your writing

• Let's take a look at an example...

The snake attacks its prey in anger.

Hissing, slithering, and coiling, the snake attacks its prey in anger.

Multiple Choice

In the following sentence, which word(s) is/are acting as participle: "Sweating and shaking, Mary stood up to give her presentation in front of the whole class."

• sweating

• stood

• shaking

• sweating, shaking

• None

Open Ended

Now you give it a try. Add at least one participle to the following sentence: "The man got out of the chair." You can add anything else to the sentence in order for it to make sense.

As you saw, adding participles

• created action

• created specificity and detail

• allowed for elaboration

Let's go even further with

PARTICIPIAL PHRASES

What is a participial phrase?

• a participle + any modifiers that complete the image

• Huh? Let's look at an example...

The snake attacks its prey in anger.

Hissing its pointy tongue, the snake attacks its prey in anger.

Multiple Choice

In the following sentence, identify the participial phrase: "Shaking his closed fist, the old man yelled at the rowdy teenagers on his lawn."

• shaking

• yelled

• shaking, yelled

• shaking his closed fist

• None

Open Ended

Now it's your turn. Add a participial phrase to the following sentence: "He looked up to the top of the building."

In summary...

• Participles are VERBS with ing endings

• Participial phrases are participles + any modifiers that complete the image

• Both of the above add detail, specificity, and elaboration to a piece of your writing

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle(s).

My mom cringed each time she heard the crashing cymbals and pounding drums coming from my bedroom.

• cringed, heard

• pounding

• crashing, pounding

• cringed

• heard

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle(s).

Marsha smiled sadly at the wilting flower.

• smiled

• wilting

• smiled, wilting

• sadly

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle(s).

The drowning boy struggled to keep his head above the surging water.

• drowning

• struggled

• drowning, struggled

• drowning, surging

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle(s).

Shivering, the couple ran out of the rain and into the warm house.

• shivering

• couple

• into

• warm

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle(s).

The sobbing child held his injured knee.

• The

• sobbing

• child

• sobbing, injured

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle.

The cascading waterfall poured down over the rocks.

• waterfall

• rocks

• over

• cascading

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle(s).
Enjoying her victory, Monica jumped around wildly and threw her arms up in celebration.

• Enjoying
• Enjoying, jumped
• Enjoying, threw
• Enjoying, jumped, threw

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle(s).
Braking too late, Judy hit the stopped car in front of her.

• Braking
• stopped
• Braking, stopped

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle(s).
William almost stepped on the snake hidden in the clump of monkey grass.

• stepped
• hidden
• stepped, hidden

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle(s).
Defying gravity, the magician surprised the audience by levitating above the ground.

• Defying
• surprised
• levitating
• defying, levitating

Multiple Choice

Identify the participial phrase.

Preparing for the weather, Meg grabbed her raincoat and rain boots.

• Preparing for the weather

• grabbed her raincoat

• grabbed her raincoat and rain boots

• Meg grabbed

Multiple Choice

Identify the participial phrase.

Placing the cookies in the hot oven, Sam burned his arm.

• Placing the cookies

• Placing the cookies in the hot oven

• in the hot oven

• burned his arm

Multiple Choice

Identify the participial phrase.

The hummingbird, flitting quickly from flower to flower, held my attention for several minutes.

• The hummingbird

• flitting quickly from flower to flower

• held my attention

• for several minutes

Multiple Choice

Identify the participial phrase.

Placing her money on the counter, the little girl smiled at the clerk.

• Placing her money

• Placing her money on the counter

• on the counter

• smiled at the clerk

Multiple Choice

Identify the participial phrase.

The actress rehearsing her lines performed in the show last night.

• rehearsing her lines

• rehearsing her lines performed

• performed in the show

• performed in the show last night

Multiple Choice

Identify the participial phrase.
My mom asked me to wash the dishes piling up in the sink.

• asked me to wash the dishes
• piling up in the sink

Multiple Choice

Identify the participial phrase.

The scouts roasting marshmallows around the fire told ghost stories to pass the time.

• roasting marshmallows

• roasting marshmallows around the fire

• told ghost stories to pass the time

• to pass the time

Multiple Choice

Identify the participial phrase.

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

• Sweeping across the night sky, the bats

• Sweeping across the night sky

• the bats hunted

• hunted their prey.

Multiple Choice

Identify the participial phrase:

The marshmallow burnt beyond recognition tasted awful.

• The marshmallow burnt

• burnt beyond recognition

• beyond recognition

• tasted awful

Multiple Choice

Identify the participial phrase:

Scoring a goal from his net, the goalie impressed his team!

• Scoring a goal

• Scoring a goal from his net

• impressed his team

• There is no participial phrase in this sentence.

Multiple Choice

Identify the participle or participles in the following sentence.

People throughout the world have considered the flying Wright brothers the first pilots.

• considered

• flying

• both considered and flying

Fill in the Blanks

Type the participle in the following sentence. Spelling counts.

Even as young children, the Wright brothers were fascinated by machines of all types

Fill in the Blanks

Type the participle in the following sentence. Spelling counts.

Otto Lilienthal did pioneering work.

Poll

Does the following sentence need a comma or commas to set off the participial phrase?

Witnessed by only a few the first successful flight gained little recognition for the Wright brothers.

• comma

• no comma

Multiple Choice

What word does the participial phrase modify in this sentence?

Witnessed by only a few, the first successful flight gained little recognition for the Wright brothers.

• first

• flight

• recognition

• brothers

Poll

Does the following sentence need a comma or commas to set off the participial phrase?

A statement issued to the press about the Wright brothers' achievements received almost no attention.

• comma

• no comma

Fill in the Blanks

Identify the participial phrase in the following sentence.

A statement issued to the press about the Wright brothers' achievements received almost no attention.

Multiple Choice

What word does the participial phrase modify in this sentence?

A statement issued to the press about the Wright brothers' achievements received almost no attention.

• statement

• brothers'

• achievements

• attention

Fill in the Blanks

Type the participle in the following sentence. Write whether it is part of a verb phrase or is used as an adjective

Even as young children, the Wright brothers were fascinated by machines of all types