Participial Phrases Worksheet #1
Part One directions: Find all single-word participles and all participial phrases in the following sentences. Then specify the noun or pronoun that each participle or participial phrase modifies.
1. The girl bursting through the front door is my former girlfriend and a certified psychotic, and she’s now dating Noah.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Girl is girlfriend/psychotic (S LV PN)
She (is) dating Noah (S TV DO)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Bursting through the front door—girl
Certified—psychotic
2. Slapped silly by his opponent, the wrestler dropped to the mat in a sloppy mixture of blood, spit, and ripped skin.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Wrestler dropped (S IV)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Slapped silly by his opponent—wrestler
Ripped—skin
3. A frozen smoothie is the most nutritious breakfast for an aspiring wrestler.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Smoothie is breakfast (S LV PN)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Frozen—smoothie
Aspiring—wrestler
4. The suspect, framed by his former protégé, sits in his cell and plots his wrathful revenge.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Suspect sits/plots revenge (S IV/TV DO—hybrid sentence)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Framed by his former protégé—suspect
5. My cousin is the sprinter racing ahead of his competitors along the glistening track.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Cousin is sprinter (S LV PN)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Racing ahead of his competitors—sprinter
Glistening—track
6. Whenever you certify the inspected items for transport, make sure they have passed all tests required by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
You certify items (S TV DO)
(You) make [that] they have passed … Services. (S TV DO)
They (have) passed tests (S TV DO)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Inspected—items
Required by the Department of Health and Human Services—tests
Part Two directions: Each group of three sentences uses the same word. Identify if the word is used as a single-word modifier, part of a participial phrase, or as a verb.
1.
(a) My lying ex-girlfriend was spreading vicious rumors about me throughout the school.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Ex-girlfriend (was) spreading rumors (S TV DO)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Lying—ex-girlfriend Answer: “lying” is a single-word modifier
(b) She’s lying about that incident!
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
She (is) lying (S IV) Answer: “lying” is an intransitive verb
Participles/Participial phrases: NONE
(c) Lying through his teeth, the culprit answered the questions without showing the slightest trace of anxiety.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Culprit answered questions (S TV DO)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Lying through his teeth—culprit Answer: “lying” is part of a participial phrase
2.
(a) My best friend, patiently waiting in line for a chance to buy tickets to the Paul McCartney concert, struck up a conversation with a woman who had swum the English Channel.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Friend struck conversation (S TV DO)
Who (had) swum English Channel (S TV DO)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Patiently waiting in line for a chance to buy tickets to the Paul McCartney concert—friend
(“Waiting” is part of a participial phrase.)
(b) The waiting crowd grew restless and belligerent after the long delay.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Crowd grew restless/belligerent (S LV PA)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Waiting—crowd (“Waiting” is a single-word modifier.)
(c) How long have you been waiting for the bus?
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
You (have been) waiting (S IV)
“Waiting” is an intransitive verb in the above sentence.
Participles/Participial phrases: NONE
3.
(a) Painstakingly grown in the verdant hills of Hawaii, these Kona beans will make the tastiest coffee [that] you’ll ever savor in your morning cup.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Beans (will) make coffee (S TV DO)
You (will) savor that (S TV DO)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Painstakingly grown in the verdant hills of Hawaii—beans
“Grown” is part of a participial phrase.
(b) Her sewing scissors had grown dull over time.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Scissors (had) grown dull (S LV PA)
“Grown” is used as a linking verb in this sentence. There are no participles/participial phrases.
(c) Since I last saw him, he has transformed into a grown man with a child of his own.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
I saw him (S TV DO)
He has (transformed) (S IV)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Grown—man
“Grown” is used as a single-word modifier.
Participial Phrases Worksheet #2
Directions: Find all single-word participles and all participial phrases in the following sentences. Then specify the noun or pronoun that each participle or participial phrase modifies. You may write your answers directly below the sentences.
1. Sneaking around like a thief, my brother found the secret password.
Essential elements/sentence patterns:
Brother found password (S TV DO)
Participles/Participial phrases:
Sneaking around like a thief—brother
2. The group trekking across the forest is a Boy Scout troop.
Essential elements:
Group is troop (S LV PN)
Participles/participial phrases:
Trekking across the forest—group
3. Hysterically laughing like a hyena, the student was making a complete fool of himself.
Essential elements:
Student (was) making fool (S TV DO)
Participles/participial phrases:
Hysterically laughing like a hyena—student
4. When my phone fell from the top bunk onto the floor, it was damaged beyond repair.
Essential elements:
Phone fell (S IV)
It was damaged beyond repair (S LV PA)
Participles/participial phrases:
Damaged beyond repair—it
5. Your paper was misplaced sometime between lunch and 4th period.
Essential elements:
Paper was misplaced sometime between lunch and 4th period (S LV PA)
Participles/participial phrases:
Misplaced sometime between lunch and 4th period—paper
6. Participial phrases also often function as predicate adjectives in sentences written in pattern 5.
Essential elements:
Phrases function (S IV)
Participles/participial phrases:
Written in pattern 5—sentences
7. My broken leg took a long time to heal because I didn’t follow the doctor’s written instructions very carefully.
Essential elements:
Leg took time (S TV DO)
I (did) follow instructions (S TV DO)
Participles/participial phrases:
Broken—leg
Written—instructions
8. The Easter eggs were scattered throughout the yard, much to the children’s delight.
Essential elements:
Eggs were scattered … delight (S LV PA)
Participles/participial phrases:
Scattered throughout the yard, much to the children’s delight—eggs
9. The oldest extant work of literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh, was written in the Akkadian language, which linguists figured out how to decipher in the 19th century.
Essential elements:
Work was written in the Akkadian language (S LV PA)
Linguists figured how to decipher in the 19th century (S TV DO)
Participles/participial phrases:
Written in the Akkadian language—work
10. The many choices listed on the menu make it difficult for me to make a decision!
Essential elements:
Choices make it [be] difficult for me to make a decision. (This DO is a noun clause.) (S TV DO)
Participles/participial phrases:
Listed on the menu—choices