What is a participle and participial phrase?

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A participle is a verbal ending in -ing (present) or -ed, -en, -d, -t, -n, or -ne (past) that functions as an adjective, modifying a noun or pronoun. A participial phrase consists of a participle plus modifier(s), object(s), and/or complement(s).



Keeping this in consideration, what is an example of a participle phrase?

A participle phrase will begin with a present or past participle. Participle phrases always function as adjectives, adding description to the sentence. Read these examples: The horse trotting up to the fence hopes that you have an apple or carrot. Trotting up to the fence modifies the noun horse.

Subsequently, question is, can you start a sentence with a present participle? It can come at the beginning of a sentence, in the middle of a sentence, or at the end of a sentence. When you start a sentence with a present-participial phrase, make certain that the grammatical subject of the sentence is the agent of that verbal activity. Otherwise, you will have written a dangling participle.

In this regard, what is the difference between participle and participial phrase?

A participle is a verb used as an adjective. The are two kinds of participles. The past participle has the past form of the verb which would go with the verb have and would usually end in -ed. A participial phrase is the participle plus any complements and modifiers of the participle and complements.

What do you mean by past participle?

Definition of past participle. : a participle that typically expresses completed action, that is traditionally one of the principal parts of the verb, and that is traditionally used in English in the formation of perfect tenses in the active voice and of all tenses in the passive voice.

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What are the types of participle?

There are two types of participles:
  • Present participle (ending -ing)
  • Past participle (usually ending -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n).

What is the use of present participle?

Function of Present Participle
The function of a present participle is to serve as an adjective, a verb, or a gerund. However, it is mostly used as a verb and an adjective to describes nouns and other verbs. Its use is more important in writing than in speaking.

What is a participle phrase in grammar?

A participle is a verbal ending in -ing (present) or -ed, -en, -d, -t, -n, or -ne (past) that functions as an adjective, modifying a noun or pronoun. A participial phrase consists of a participle plus modifier(s), object(s), and/or complement(s).

Can you end a sentence with a participle?

Remember that a participle is a verbal that acts as an adjective in the sentence. Participles can be present participles, ending in "-ing", or past participles, ending in "-ed" or "-en". Because participles are adjectives, the modify a noun or pronoun in the sentence.

Is doing a participle?


The present participle, also sometimes called the active, imperfect, or progressive participle, takes the ending -ing, for example doing, seeing, working, running. The term present participle is sometimes used to include the gerund; and the term "gerund–participle" is also used.

What is the meaning of participle and examples?

noun. In grammar terms, a participle is an adjective (descriptive word) made from a verb. An example of a participle is "sleeping" in the phrase "sleeping dogs." YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp.

What is a gerund in grammar?

A gerund is the –ing form of a verb that functions the same as a noun. For example, “Running is fun.” In this sentence, “running” is the gerund. It acts just like a noun. You can only use a gerund after the verb “suggest.”

Can a participle be an adverb?

The participle is a non-finite form of the verb which has a verbal and an adjectival or an adverbial character. Participle may have different syntactic functions. All the forms of Participle I may be used as an adverbial modifier.

How do you write a participle phrase?

Placed at the front of a sentence, a participle phrase is offset with a comma. A participle phrase placed immediately after the noun its modifying is not offset with commas (unless it's nonessential). Put your participle phrase next to its noun. If there isn't a noun, you're dangling (and that's never good).

What's an infinitive phrase?


An infinitive phrase is the infinitive form of a verb plus any complements and modifiers. The complement of an infinitive verb will often be its direct object, and the modifier will often be an adverb. For example: He likes to knead the dough slowly.

What is a participle phrase as an adjective?

A participial phrase is a phrase that looks like a verb, but actually functions as an adjective; it modifies a noun in the same sentence. Phrases like this can “spice up” a noun and provide added description about what it's doing or what it looks like.

What is example of gerund?

Gerunds are the elusive shapeshifters of the English language. They are created out of verbs, but function as nouns. For example: "Do you mind my borrowing these supplies?" At a quick glance, borrowing could easily be labeled as a verb. However, when working as a gerund, borrowing is now a noun.

What is the difference between a verb and a participle?

Understanding the differences between verbs and verbals such as participles helps you write more clearly and effectively. Verbs indicate action to a reader, while participles look like verbs but are actually describing words, or adjectives. Participles usually end in -ing or -ed.

What is an example of a dangling participle?

dangling participle. In grammar, a dangling participle is an adjective that is unintentionally modifying the wrong noun in a sentence. An example is: "Walking through the kitchen, the smoke alarm was going off." This sentence literally means that the smoke alarm was taking a stroll.

What is the difference between past and present participle?


In terms of form, the present participle is an adjectival or adverbial use of the -ing form (its noun use is called a gerund). And the past participle is either: For the majority of verbs (including some irregular ones), the 'past form' (which is the same as the past tense).

How do you identify a past participle?

You can identify the past participle of any verb just by completing this trick sentence in the present-perfect tense: I have [insert correct verb form here]. I have formed the sentence. I have decided this issue.

How do you identify a gerund in a sentence?

A gerund phrase can be a subject, subject complement, direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition. To find gerund phrases, first look for the verb ending in '-ing' then determine if it is acting as a noun or if it is a present participle showing continuing action.