Present and Past Participles

In which sentence is the word 'running' a present participle that's part of a verb phrase?

• Running is my favorite exercise.

• I saw a running stream.

• My brother is running a race.

• The running shoes were new.

Answer explanation

A present participle is part of a verb phrase when it follows a 'be' verb (like is, am, are, was, were). In this sentence, 'is running' is the complete verb.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.1A

CCSS.L.1.4C

True or False: The word 'brang' is the correct past participle of the verb 'bring'.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The correct past participle of 'bring' is 'brought,' as in 'I have brought my lunch.' 'Brang' is not a standard English word.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.1A

CCSS.L.1.4C

Complete the sentence with the correct present participle: The chef is _____ a new cake recipe.

• makeing

• making

• make

• macking

Answer explanation

When a verb ends in a silent 'e' like 'make,' you drop the 'e' before adding '-ing' to form the present participle.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.1A

CCSS.L.1.4C

Read the sentence: 'The barking dog next door kept me awake.' What job is the word 'barking' doing in this sentence?

• It's the main verb.

• It's a noun telling what the dog is.

• It's an adjective describing the dog.

• It's an adverb describing 'kept'.

Answer explanation

In this sentence, 'barking' is a present participle that acts as an adjective to modify or describe the noun 'dog.'

Tags

CCSS.L.2.1E

CCSS.L.3.1A

CCSS.L.3.1G

True or False: In the sentence 'Swimming is a great way to cool off,' the word 'Swimming' is a present participle.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

In this sentence, 'Swimming' is a gerund. It's an '-ing' verb form that functions as a noun, acting as the subject of the sentence.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.1A

CCSS.L.1.4C

Which part of the sentence is the participial phrase? 'Waving to the crowd, the singer walked onto the stage.'

• the singer

• walked onto the stage

• to the crowd

• Waving to the crowd

Answer explanation

A participial phrase starts with a participle ('Waving') and includes other words that complete its meaning. The whole phrase acts like an adjective to describe 'the singer'.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.1A

CCSS.L.1.4C

Complete the sentence with the correct verb forms: Yesterday, my friend _____ me a funny video, and I have _____ it three times already.

• showed, showed

• shown, showed

• showed, shown

• shown, shown

Answer explanation

'Showed' is the simple past tense used for an action completed in the past. 'Shown' is the past participle used with helping verbs like 'have' to form the perfect tense.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.1B

CCSS.L.5.1.B-D

CCSS.L.5.1C

CCSS.L.5.1D

CCSS.L.3.1E

Complete the sentence: My little sister is _____ extra silly today, but she has always _____ funny.

• been, being

• being, been

• been, been

• being, being

Answer explanation

'Being' is the present participle used with 'is' to show a temporary action happening now. 'Been' is the past participle used with 'has' to show something that was true over a period of time.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.1B

CCSS.L.5.1.B-D

CCSS.L.5.1C

CCSS.L.5.1D

CCSS.L.5.1B

Complete the sentence: We _____ to go to the new skate park, but it was closed.

• planed

• plan

• planned

• plann

Answer explanation

For a one-syllable verb like 'plan' that ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant, you must double the final consonant before adding '-ed'.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.1B

CCSS.L.5.1.B-D

CCSS.L.5.1C

CCSS.L.5.1D

CCSS.L.3.1D

True or False: The following sentence has a grammar mistake. 'Running for the bus, the backpack fell off my shoulders.'

• True

• False

Answer explanation

This sentence has a dangling modifier. The phrase 'Running for the bus' seems to describe 'the backpack,' which is incorrect. The phrase should describe the person.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.3A

CCSS.L.7.1C