Placement of Participles

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

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

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

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

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.

The marshmallow burnt beyond recognition tasted awful.

• The marshmallow burnt

• burnt beyond recognition

• beyond recognition

• tasted awful

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

• stepped

• hidden

• stepped, hidden

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

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.

Identify the participial phrase. The cat, purring softly, lay on the windowsill.

• A) The cat

• B) purring softly

• C) lay on the windowsill

• D) The cat, purring softly