Download lesson 34: participial phrases

LESSON 34: PARTICIPIAL PHRASES
Review
•
Phrases are groups of words, without both a subject and a verb, functioning as
single parts of speech.
•
Participles are words that are formed from verbs and act as adjectives. They
end in ing, -d, -t, or -n.
Lesson
If you mixed those two definitions together, you'd get participial phrases. Notice that we
don't call these participle phrases. The word participle changes to participial when we
make it an adjective.
A participial phrase is made of a participle and any word(s) that modify or
complement it. The whole phrase acts as an adjective.
Examples: Stars shooting across the sky are pretty.
Food frozen for five years doesn't taste good.
Playing the guitar, my sister concentrated on each chord.
Shooting across the sky is a participial phrase modifying the noun stars.
Frozen for five years is a participial phrase modifying the noun food.
Playing the guitar is a participial phrase modifying the noun sister.
Complements and Modifiers
Participles act as adjectives, but because they are formed from verbs, they maintain
some of their "verbness" and can do many things that verbs can do.
Starts shooting across the sky are pretty.
Across the sky is an adverbial prepositional phrase modifying the participle shooting.
Food frozen for five years doesn't taste good.
For five years is an adverbial prepositional phrase modifying the participle frozen.
Playing the guitar, my sister concentrated on each chord.
Guitar is a direct object of the participle playing.
Participles really are a mix between adjectives and verbs!
GET SMART (STUDENT) LESSON 34
© www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com 1
Diagramming Participial Phrases
Diagram the participle as you normally would. Add its complements (direct object…) and
modifiers (adverbs…) as you see in the following examples.
You already know how to diagram all of these things! Just pretend that the participle is a
normal verb (on a slanted line), and diagram everything as you normally would.
Remember that participial phrases are adjectives and they can modify any noun or
pronoun.
Diagramming Participial Phrases
Participle + Adverb
Participle + Prepositional Phrase
Participle + Direct Object
Participle + Predicate Noun/
Predicate Adjective
2
GET SMART (STUDENT) LESSON 34
© www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com Here is a participial phrase modifying the subject of the sentence. It contains a participle,
an adverb, a direct object, and an adjective.
Happily playing the guitar, my sister concentrated on each chord.
Gerund or Participle?
Gerunds end in -ing, and participles may end in -ing.
How can you tell if a word is acting as a participle or a gerund? Ask yourself these
questions.
•
Is it being used as an adjective?
Remember that participles act as adjectives. If the answer is YES, then the word
is a participle.
Playing the guitar, my sister concentrated on each chord.
Playing the guitar is an adjective modifying sister, so playing the guitar is a
participial phrase and playing is a participle.
•
Is it being used as a noun?
If the answer is YES, then the word is a gerund.
Playing the guitar is my favorite activity.
Playing the guitar is the subject of the sentence (a noun), so playing the guitar is
a gerund phrase and playing is a gerund.
GET SMART (STUDENT) LESSON 34
© www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com 3
Lesson 34 Sentence Diagramming Exercises
1. We searched for the treasure hidden in the forest.
Key
We searched for the treasure
hidden in the forest.
We
searched
for the treasure
for
treasure
the
participial phrase (adjective)
participle (adjective)
prepositional phrase (adverb)
preposition
object of the preposition (noun)
the
4
GET SMART (STUDENT) LESSON 34
© www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com 2. Swaggering through the room, the man looked confident.
Key
Swaggering through the room, the man
looked confident
man
the
participial phrase (adjective)
participle (adjective)
through the room
through
room
the
verb (intransitive linking)
predicate adjective
GET SMART (STUDENT) LESSON 34
© www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com 5
3. Delivering newspapers, David rode his bike through the neighborhood.
Key
Delivering newspapers, David rode his
bike through the neighborhood.
David
Delivering newspapers
Delivering
newspapers
rode
through the neighborhood
through
neighborhood
the
bike
his
6
GET SMART (STUDENT) LESSON 34
© www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com 4. Whistling a song from the concert, he walked through the street and arrived at his car.
Hints: Participial phrases come immediately before or after the noun or pronoun that
they modify. The participial phrase in this sentence is modifying the pronoun he.
This sentence contains a compound verb.
Key
Whistling a song from the concert, he
walked through the street and arrived
at his car.
subject (pronoun)
participial phrase (adjective)
participle (adjective)
direct object of participle (noun)
a
GET SMART (STUDENT) LESSON 34
© www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com 7
from the concert
from
concert
the
compound verbs (intransitive complete)
coordinating conjunction
through the street
through
street
the
at his car
at
car
his
8
GET SMART (STUDENT) LESSON 34
© www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com 5. Filled with joy, Mark opened his birthday presents.
Key
Filled with joy, Mark opened
his birthday presents.
Mark
Filled with joy
Filled
with joy
with
joy
opened
presents
his, birthday
Extra Practice: Diagramming Participles & Participial Phrases
Directions: Diagram the following sentences on a separate sheet of paper.
1. The sleeping dogs snuggled in the corner of the porch.
2. I need baked apples for this recipe.
3. Oh no! Tom has a broken arm!
4. Burnt marshmallows taste delicious.
5. The ceremony was held outside, and we were grateful for the shining sun.
GET SMART (STUDENT) LESSON 34
© www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com 9