Download Grammar Packet #1: The Present Participle

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Name:________________ Period: __
English I Pre-AP
2012
Due: ____________
Grammar Packet #1:
The Present Participle
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Look for the
icon for exercises you MUST DO. (I’ll trust you to do the “oral” ones! )
Any daily grades taken from packets will be based on completion for a portion of the credit and
correctness for the major part of the grade.
Work on the packets (unless specified otherwise) is individual—not group—work.
You will have 6 of these packets, one per six weeks. Sometimes a grade will be taken, sometimes
not. Each unit will usually be followed by a double daily grade quiz and then test that will count as a
single major grade.
When sentence writing is required, the sentence must be your original work and must contain at
least one interesting/”good” word.
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The Present Participle
EXPLANATION:
1. The PRESENT PARTICIPLE (-ing form of the verb) can be used WITHOUT the be auxiliary, in which
case it is an ADJECTIVE, not the main verb of a sentence.
Ex: The spinning top skittered across the floor.
spinning = adjective describing the noun top
skittered = main verb of the sentence
2. The present participle as an ADJECTIVE can be used in two ways:
a. PARTICIPLE BY ITSELF: that is, it is put into a BASIC SENTENCE by itself without other words
completing or modifying it.
Ex: The swaggering cowboy strode through the saloon doors.
BASIC SENTENCE: The cowboy strode through the saloon doors.
PARTICIPLE:
swaggering
b. PARTICIPIAL PHRASE: that is, the participle has words added to it
Ex: The cowboy, reaching for his six-shooter, pushed himself away from the table.
BASIC SENTENCE: The cowboy pushed himself away from the table.
PARTICIPLE:
reaching for his six-shooter
3. A participial phrase can come in three different positions in a sentence:
a. BEGINNING of SENTENCE
Ex: Backfiring every now and then, the old car rattled down the road.
b. Right AFTER the noun it modifies
Ex: The old car, backfiring every now and then, rattled down the road.
c. END of SENTENCE
Ex: The old car rattled down the road, backfiring every now and then.
4. Participial phrases should be SET OFF WITH COMMAS (almost always).
Ex: See example 3.
NOTE: A participial phrase in the MIDDLE of the sentence requires TWO COMMAS.
5. The action of the present participle occurs AT THE SAME TIME as the action of the main verb.
Ex: See examples 1, 2a, 2b, and 3 above.
6. If a participle has NO NOUN TO MODIFY, it is said to DANGLE.
The writer should RE-WRITE the sentence.
Ex: Dangling participle
?
Riding a trolley car, San Francisco can be seen.
Ex: Dangling participle corrected
Riding a trolley car, tourists can see San Francisco.
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Adding the Present Participle without BE to an Original Basic Sentence
I.
PRESENT PARTICIPIAL PHRASE
1. Write a BASIC SENTENCE on line a.
2. Write a PARTICIPIAL PHRASE (begin with -ing) on line b.
3. Draw an ARROW to the spot in the basic sentence where the participial phrase will go, as
indicated (BEGINNING of sentence, right AFTER the subject, END of sentence).
4. Rewrite sentence on line c, putting in the participial phrase and setting it off with commas.
EXAMPLE (after subject)
Basic Sent.
a. The barracuda circled the bottom of the sea.
Part. Ph.
b.
flipping his tail occasionally
Rewrite Sent.
c. The barracuda, flipping his tail occasionally, circled the bottom of the sea.
BEGINNING of Sentence
Basic Sent.
a. ________________________________________________________________
Part. Ph.
b. ________________________________________________________________
Rewrite Sent.
c. ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
AFTER SUBJECT
Basic Sent.
a. ________________________________________________________________
Part. Ph.
b. ________________________________________________________________
Rewrite Sent.
c. ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
END of Sentence
Basic Sent.
a. ________________________________________________________________
Part. Ph.
b. ________________________________________________________________
Rewrite Sent.
c. ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
II.
PRESENT PARTICIPLE BY ITSELF
a. Write a sentence using a PRESENT PARTICIPLE (by itself, not a phrase) BEFORE the noun.
Ex: The waning moon threw shadows across the lawn.
___________________________________________________________________________
b.
III.
Write a sentence using a PRESENT PARTICIPLE (by itself, not a phrase) AFTER the noun.
Ex: The small bird, peeping, stuck its beak out of the nest.
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COMPOUNDING THE PARTICIPLE
Write a sentence using a MORE THAN ONE present participle or participial phrase.
Ex: Lifting his head into the wind, gazing unblinkingly into the sun, the hawk waited for prey to
come into his territory.
Ex: The old horse trotted to the gate, wheezing, snorting, sagging under the weight of his rider.
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Sentence Analysis: V / S / Pres Part
DIRECTIONS:
1. Put S above the SUBJECT.
2. Mark verbs VT for transitive and VI for intransitive.
3. Mark prepositional phrases (p
op).
4. Underline PARTICIPLES (alone) and PARTICIPIAL PHRASES with a WAVY LINE.
Mark pres. part. above the participle.
5. Draw an ARROW to the noun which the participle describes.
EXAMPLES
pres.part. S
a.
S
b.
V
The weaving cars sped through the streets of New York.
pres.part.
V
The Chaps, intercepting a pass, ran for a touchdown.
EXERCISE
1. The screaming eagle flew from its nest.
2. The alien, bleeping, approached the frightened man.
3. The puppy growled fearfully, waiting for the rain to begin.
4. Gazing into the sun, the woodsman awoke.
5. The football, spiraling gracefully, swooshed into the receiver's arms.
6. The swaying limbs of the tree scratched the screen.
7. The butterfly, rejoicing in her freedom, abandoned her cocoon.
8. The tornado raged across the landscape, twisting the gnarled trees in its path.
9. The dangling thread irritated the girl.
10. The Indian knelt with his ear to the ground, listening for the hoof beats of the approaching cavalry.
11. The waves, crawling across the surface of the water, lifted the boat into the wind.
12. The Saturn probe, flashing, sputtering, drifted into space.
13. The dinosaur stomped to the water hole, growling, snorting, bowing his head to slurp up the water.
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Direct Object of Present Participle
EXPLANATION:
1. A PRESENT PARTICIPLE, because it is part VERB, can, like a verb, have a DIRECT OBJECT;
that is, it can have a RECEIVER OF THE ACTION, a word which answers who or what, after it.
The billygoat, stretching his neck, ate the clothes (on the line.)
S
pres.part. d.o.part VT
d.o.
prep
op
Ex:
Note that the word neck answers the question what? after the present participle stretching. Neck
is therefore the DIRECT OBJECT of the participle. To distinguish it from the direct object of the
verb, it is marked d.o. part.
2. A present participle does NOT HAVE to have a direct object.
S
(
pres.part. prep
op
)
VT
d.o.
(
prep
)
op
Ex: The billygoat, standing in the courtyard , ate the clothes on the line.
EXERCISE:
Mark the following structures in the sentences below.
Underline the participle and participial phrases with a WAVY LINE.
S
VT
d.o.
VI
d.o. part.
pres.part.
(prep
op)
1. Screeching across the blackboard, the fingernails sent shivers throughout the classroom.
2. Planning its attack, the viper slithered through the green grass.
3. The guru meditated in the corner, observing his inner self.
4. The old jalopy, puttering and hissing, bounced along the country road.
5. The warrior, yelling his battle cry, swung his sword at his enemy's head.
6. Taking careful aim, the mischievous boy lofted a paper airplane across the room.
7. Waiting to strike, the deepening shadows stalked the forest.
8. Wiping his brow with a handkerchief, mumbling into his quivering beard, the old geezer cursed the
humid weather.
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Analysis: Compound Present Participle and Compound Verb
EXERCISE DIRECTIONS:
The sentences below contain a considerable number of verbs and present participles.
Mark the structures as follows, and underline the participle and participial phrases with a WAVY LINE.
S
VT
d.o.
VI
d.o. part.
pres.part.
(prep
op)
1. The undertow carried the child to the sea, listening to his screams, laughing at his foolishness, then,
recognizing him, released its grasp and cast him toward the shore.
2. The alien cleared the fence with perfect form, landed on American soil, and ran off, disappearing into
the shadows of the desert scrubbrush, narrowly escaping the headlights of the vigilant border patrol.
3. The basketball player took the pass from his guard, dribbled once, took two steps, and threw his mass
of muscle through the air, slamming the ball furiously through the goal, destroying the glass backboard,
and sending a thousand fragments of glass into the audience.
4. Trodding patiently through the Congo jungle, the assailant, making no detectable noise, extracted an
arrow from his quiver, then, entering the glade, set the notch onto the handmade string and sent the
arrow, whistling its soundless song of death, into the native hut.
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PRESENT PERFECT PARTICIPLE
EXPLANATION:
1. The PRESENT PERFECT PARTICIPLE is used to express action PRIOR TO that of the VERB.
Ex: Having eaten the lettuce, Peter Rabbit hopped down the path toward the garden gate.
Note: Peter Rabbit ate the lettuce prior to hopping down the path.
2. This structure consists of TWO WORDS: Having ______________’d.
Present Participle
versus
Present Prefect Participle
bringing
scampering
understanding
throwing
having brought
having scampered
having understood
having thrown
3. The TWO WORDS operate as a unit and should be joined with a curved line.
Ex. having drifted
EXERCISE:
Mark the following structures in the sentences below and underline the participle and participial phrases with
a WAVY LINE.
S
VT
d.o.
VI
d.o. part.
pres.part.
(prep op)
pres. perf. Part
1. Having completed the art project, the young child searched for another activity, then, hearing
the call of his mother, left the playroom in search of an afternoon snack.
2. The young calf, pacing and pawing, cried for his mother, then, having discovered an opening in
the fence, quickly joined her.
3. Having received an incomplete for the assignment, the student stayed after school to complete
the task.
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Sentence Analysis: Pres Perfect Part / Pres Part / Compound V
EXERCISE DIRECTIONS:
Mark the following structures in the sentences below, and underline the participle and participial
phrases with a WAVY LINE.
S
VT
d.o.
VI
d.o. part.
pres.part.
(prep
op)
pres. perf. Part
1. Having recited an incantation, the Indian witchdoctor, eyeing his pot of stagnant medicine, cured the
diseased squaw of yellow fever.
2. The artist, having set the needle on his record, plodded to his table, then, grasping a pen, created on
paper a similar magic.
3. Having rested briefly on a ledge of the rugged mountain, the fearless diver stood and scanned the
barren cliffs below, then leapt from the security of his haven to an uncertain encounter with the desolate
sea.
4. Having trespassed into the ghost town, the gunslinger slipped into a deserted blacksmith's shop, then,
hearing an almost inaudible movement in the shadows by the forge, prepared himself for a hostile
encounter.
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Original Sentences
Compose an original, AP-quality sentence about a turtle that contains a present participle phrase at the
BEGINNING of the sentence and a direct object of the participle. DO NOT MARK YOUR SENTENCE.
Compose an original, AP-quality sentence about a giraffe that contains a present perfect participle phrase
and a compound verb. DO NOT MARK YOUR SENTENCE.
Compose an original, AP-quality sentence about an armadillo that contains a participle ALONE, a
participle phrase AFTER THE SUBJECT and a DOP (direct object of the participle). DO NOT MARK YOUR
SENTENCE.
Compose an original AP-quality sentence about a horse that contains a participle ALONE, a participle
phrase (with or without at DOP), a compound verb (one VI and one VT). DO NOT MARK YOUR
SENTENCE.