What is a participial phrase

SEMESTER 3

1. What Is a Participial Phrase?
A participle is a verb form that functions as an adjective by modifying nouns and
pronouns. A participle can be either a present participle or a past participle.
A participial phrase includes the participle, plus any modifiers and complements.
Present Examples:
Shivering, the couple ran out of the rain and into the house.
(Shivering is the present participle. It modifies couple .)
The sobbing child held his injured knee.
(Sobbing is the present participle. It modifies child .)
The cascading waterfall poured down over the rocks.
(Cascading is the present participle. It modifies waterfall .)
Sweeping across the night sky, the bats hunted their prey.
(Sweeping is the present participle, and sweeping across the night sky is the
participial phrase. The participial phrase modifies bats .)
Quickly checking over his answers, Patrick handed in his test just before time ran
out.
(Checking is the present participle, and quickly checking over his answers is the
participial phrase. The participial phrase modifies Patrick .)
Searching the glove compartment, Evangeline looked for her sunglasses.
(Searching is the present participle, and searching the glove compartment is the
participial phrase. The participial phrase modifies Evangeline .)
Past Examples:
The broken window needed to get repaired quickly.

2. (Broken is the past participle. It modifies window .)
We were sad to see our fallen apple tree after the storm hit.
(Fallen is the past participle. It modifies tree .)
To make the batter, stir the beaten eggs into the flour.
(Beaten is the past participle. It modifies eggs .)
Excited about dinner, Hari ran the whole way home.
(Excited is the past participle, and excited about dinner is the participial phrase. The
participial phrase modifies Hari .)
Frightened by the loud fireworks, the dog hid under the couch.
(Frightened is the past participle, and frightened by the loud fireworks is the
participial phrase. The participial phrase modifies dog .)
Injured during the soccer match, Marco had to leave the field.
(Injured is the past participle, and injured during the soccer match is the participial
phrase. The participial phrase modifies Marco .)

3. THE
PARTICIPLE
PHRASE
Recognize a participle
phrase when you see one.
A participle phrase will begin with a present or pastparticiple.
If the participle is present, it will dependably end in ing.
Likewise, a regular past participle will end in a consistent ed.
Irregular past participles, unfortunately, conclude in all kinds
of ways [although this list will help].

4. Since all phrases require two or more words, a participle phrase
will often include objects and/or modifiers that complete the
thought. Here are some examples:
Crunching caramel corn for the entire movie
Washed with soap and water
Stuck in the back of the closet behind the obsolete
computer
Participle phrases always function as adjectives, adding
description to the sentence. Read these examples:
The horse trotting up to the fencehopes that you
have an apple or carrot.
Trotting up to the fence modifies the nounhorse.
The water drained slowly in the pipeclogged with
dog hair.
Clogged with dog hair modifies the nounpipe.
Eaten by mosquitoes , we wished that we had made
hotel, not campsite, reservations.
Eaten by mosquitoes modifies the pronounwe.

5. Don't mistake a present
participle phrase for a
gerund phrase.
Gerund and present participle phrases are easy to confuse
because they both begin with an ing word. The difference is the
function that they provide in the sentence. A gerund phrase will
always behave as a noun while a present participle phrase will
act as an adjective. Check out these examples:
Walking on the beach , Delores dodged jellyfish that
had washed ashore.
Walking on the beach = present participle phrase
describing the noun Delores.
Walking on the beach is painful if jellyfish have
washed ashore.
Walking on the beach = gerund phrase, thesubject of
the verb is.
Waking to the buzz of the alarm clock , Freddie
cursed the arrival of another Monday.
Waking to the buzz of the alarm clock = present
participle phrase describing the nounFreddie.

6. Freddie hates waking to the buzz of the alarm
clock.
Waking to the buzz of the alarm clock = gerund phrase,
the direct object of the verbhates.
After a long day at school and work, LaShae found
her roommate Ben eating the last of the leftover
pizza.
Eating the last of the leftover pizza = present participle
phrase describing the nounBen.
Ben's rudest habit is eating the last of the leftover
pizza.
Eating the last of the leftover pizza = gerund phrase,
the subject complement of the linking verb is.
Punctuate a participle
phrase correctly.
When a participle phrase introduces a main clause, separate
the two sentence components with a comma. The pattern looks
like this:
PARTICIPLE PHRASE + , + MAIN CLAUSE.
Read this example:

7. Glazed with barbecue sauce, the rack of ribs lay
nestled next to a pile of sweet coleslaw.
When a participle phrase concludes a main clause and is
describing the word right in front of it, you need no punctuation
to connect the two sentence parts. The pattern looks like this:
MAIN CLAUSE + Ø + PARTICIPLE PHRASE.
Check out this example:
Mariah risked petting the pit bullwagging its stub
tail.
But when a participle phrase concludes a main clause and
modifies a word farther up in the sentence, you will need a
comma. The pattern looks like this:
MAIN CLAUSE + , + PARTICIPLE PHRASE.
Check out this example:
Cooper enjoyed dinner at Audrey's house, agreeing
to a large slice of cherry pie even though he was
full to the point of bursting.
Don't misplace or dangle
your participle phrases.

8. Participle phrases are the most common modifier
tomisplace or dangle. In clear, logical sentences, you will find
modifiers right next to the words they describe.
Shouting with happiness, William celebrated his
chance to interview at SunTrust.
Notice that the participle phrase sits right in front of William,
the one doing the shouting.
If too much distance separates a modifier and its target, the
modifier is misplaced.
Draped neatly on a hanger , William borrowed
Grandpa's old suit to wear to the interview.
The suit, not William, is on the hanger! The modifier must
come closer to the word it is meant to describe:
For the interview, William borrowed Grandpa's
old suit, which was draped neatly on a hanger .
If the sentence fails to include a target, the modifier is dangling.
Straightening his tie and smoothing his hair, the
appointment time for the interview had finally
arrived.
We assume William is about to interview, but where is he in the
sentence? We need a target for the participle
phrasestraightening his tie and smoothing his hair.

9. Straightening his tie and smoothing his
hair, William was relieved that the appointment time
for the interview had finally arrived.

10. What Are Participle Phrases? (with Examples)
A participle phrase is an adjective phrase that starts with a participle. Look at this example:
 You could see the panther releasing its grip.
(The shaded text is the participle phrase. The participle itself is in bold. The participle
phrase is describing the panther.)
Participle Phrases Can Start with Past Participles or
Present Participles
Participles are used as adjectives. There are two types of participles:
 Present Participles (ending -ing)
 Past Participles (usually ending -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n)
Look at these examples:

The
Verb
The Present
Participle
The Past
Participle
Example of a Participle Phrase
To rise the rising sun the risen sun Rising out of the sea in front of us, the sun
started to warm our faces.
To print the printing
document
the printed
document
Printed on the very first press, the document
was extremely valuable.
To
break
the breaking
news
the broken news Broken by a government whistle-blower, the
news is all over the media.


Placement of Participle Phrases
A participle phrase will often appear at the start of a sentence to describe something in the
main clause. For example:
 Removing his glasses, the professor shook his head with disappointment.
(When a sentence is structured this way, use a comma to separate the participle
phrase from whatever it's modifying (the professor in this example).)
A participle phrase can also appear immediately after whatever it's modifying. For example:
 I saw Arthur running for the bus.
(There is no comma when a participle phrase is placed immediately after its noun
(Arthur in this example).)

11. It is also possible to use a participle phrase at the end of a clause and not immediately after
whatever it's modifying. For example:
 Paul loved his boxing gloves, wearing them even to bed.
(There is a comma when the participle phrase is used farther down the sentence than
its noun (Paul in this example).)
Beware of Dangling Modifiers and Misplaced
Modifiers
Particularly when using a participle phrase at the start of a sentence, be sure to place the
noun being modified directly after the comma. If you fail to do this, you will have made a
mistake known as a misplaced modifier. For example:
 Disappointed almost to the point of tears, the empty test tube was examined by the
professor.
(The empty test tube was not disappointed almost to the point of tears. The words after
the participle phrase and the comma should be the professor.)
Also, be sure to include the noun being modified. If you omit it, you will have made a mistake
known as a dangling modifier. For example:
 Disappointed almost to the point of tears, an empty test tube was the worst outcome
possible.
(In this example, there is nothing at all for the participle phrase to modify. It is dangling.)

12. Participial Phrase
1. What is a Participial Phrase?
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. They’re often used in pieces
that need to tell readers a lot in a few words, like newspaper articles or even fiction books.

2. Examples of Participial Phrases
Here are few simple examples of participial phrases (in green) in action. We really do see
them all the time, even though they sound sort of complicated.
Example 1
 Fond of brushing her hair, Kelly always had smooth and silky locks.
It might look like Kelly is brushing her hair in the action of this sentence, but the beginning
phrase is actually an adjective here. It tells us something about Kelly, a noun and
the subject of the sentence. That makes “Fond of brushing her hair” a participial phrase. The
participial phrase doesn’t describe an action that’s happening currently, but it does help us
understand why Kelly always has soft hair.
Example 2
 The trash can sat in the corner, brimming with garbage.
Here, the phrase “brimming with garbage” tells us about the trash can, a noun. “Brimming” is
a verb, but the entire phrase acts as an adjective again. That makes “brimming with garbage”
another participial phrase!

3. Parts of a Participial Phrase
Participial phrases will always start with a participle. A participle is formed from a verb, but
it acts as a noun or an adjective. They modify other nouns in sentences, and are often parts of
longer phrases—like a participial phrase, of course!
The participle in a participial phrase can be either the present participle or the past participle.
 The present participle of a verb expresses the action of a verb, specifically in the present. It
will always end in –ing, every single time.
 Meanwhile, the past participle of a verb is not always as easy to pick out. They usually end in
-ed, for regular past participles. But irregular past participles are out there, ready to try and
confuse you. Don’t let them, though, because you already use most past participles without
knowing that they’re called past participles!

13. The best way to show you how present participles and past participles are different is to give
you a few example verbs.
Verb Infinitive Present Participle Past Participle
to smile smiling smiled
to hang hanging hung

Example 1
 The woman, smiling and waving, said hello.
With the verb “to smile,” we get a present participle of smiling. “Smiling” describes the
woman, so we know more about her. That’s the present participle in action, and the past
participle for smile would be pretty similar!
Example 2
 Framed and hung, the painting lit up the room.
The past participle is irregular this time, because “hung” doesn’t end in –ed like regular past
participles. Now our participial phrase is “framed and hung” and we get information about
the subject: the painting.
Picking out the participle in a participial phrase is actually pretty easy, because participles
stick out once you figure out how they work. There’s a participle in every participial phrase,
so it’s important you understand how to use them.
a. Noun
A participial phrase sometimes uses a noun, depending on the participle. Some participles
will just make more sense with a noun. A noun is a person, place, or thing, and is usually the
subject of a sentence. Common nouns are words like dog, book, or computer. They can also
be the names of specific people or places. In some cases, like participial phrases, adding a
noun can bring more detail to a sentence.
Example 1
 The phone was almost out of battery power, blinking in the dark.
The participial phrase “blinking in the dark” describes a noun, the phone. Most sentences
with participial phrases will work in similar ways, because the participial phrases will always
modify the subject of the sentence.
The participle “blinking” might make sense on its own in another sentence, but in this
sentence the noun “dark” gives us a better sense of what’s going on.

14. Example 2
 The phone was almost out of battery power, blinking.
Now the noun “dark” is gone and we can still mostly understand what the participial phrase
means, but it’s just a bit weird. It’s not clear what’s blinking, or why it’s blinking. The
participial phrase feels incomplete without “in the dark” and we’re not getting enough
information. So sometimes participial phrases will use nouns to clear up a situation or give
more detail. The nouns aren’t always necessary, and you should be able to feel it out through
context.
b. Modifier
A modifier will modify a noun, just like the name says. They can be lots of different kinds of
words—like adjectives, adverbs, or even participles—as long as they modify a noun.
Modifiers add more detail to a phrase, so they can be used in participial phrases to describe
more of the situation. Check out the example of a modifier in a participial phrase to see how
they work!
Example 1
 Quickly opening the bag, Carrie found her favorite notebook.
The word “quickly” tells us more about how Carrie opened the bag, and that makes it a
modifier. Meanwhile, the entire participial phrase describes how Carrie found her notebook.
Modifiers are used all the time to make a sentence more interesting and give us more
information. They’re also used in participial phrases, like in the example sentence, to
describe the action of the phrase. Modifiers can add a lot of fun to a sentence or a phrase, so
use them right and you can have fascinating sentences!

4. How to Avoid Mistakes When Writing Participial
Phrases
First, your participial phrase will need to use a participle, in past or present form. Make sure
you have the right form if you’re using an irregular past participle! Also, remember that a
participial phrase describes a subject (usually a noun!) but isn’t part of the main clause of a
sentence. The main clause of the sentence describes the action going on. If you take out the
participial phrase, the main clause should still be a complete sentence.
Here’s what you shouldn’t do with your participial phrases.

15. a. Don’t Forget Punctuation
When you start a sentence with a participial phrase, you’ll need to use commas to set it apart
from the main clause. But when your participial phrase describes the word right in front of it,
you don’t need the commas.
Example 1
 Pouring a glass of milk Amanda concentrated.
This sentence doesn’t make much sense, does it? It sounds like half of a sentence! Instead of
a glass a milk, it seems like someone is pouring a glass of something called “milk Amanda
concentrated.”
Here’s how it should look with a comma.
Example 2
 Pouring a glass of milk, Amanda concentrated.
Now the participial phrase “pouring a glass of milk” is set apart from the rest of a sentence
with a comma, and it makes much more sense. It is describing Amanda (the noun) as she
concentrates.
b. Avoid Dangling Modifiers
You should also watch out for what’s called a dangling modifier. This happens when a
participial phrase is put in the wrong place, and that makes it seem like they’re describing the
wrong noun or subject in a sentence. This can confuse people, but it can also create some
pretty funny misunderstandings and the sentence doesn’t make logical sense. Here is an
example of a misplaced participial phrase and how to correct it.
Example 1
 The cup of water spilled everywhere and Connor walked over to clean it up, dripping over the
sides of the table.
The participial phrase “dripping over the sides of the table” is stuck in the wrong place here.
Now it looks like Connor is dripping off the table instead of the water! Both the cup of water
and Connor are nouns, but the participial phrase can only modify one of them. It should be
put closer to its noun so that the sentence makes more sense. Here’s what it should look like.
Example 2
 The cup of water spilled everywhere, dripping over the sides of the table, and Connor walked
over to clean it up.
Now we can clearly see that the water is what’s dripping, not Connor. It’s important to link
your participial phrase to the right noun, so that your sentences don’t get too hard to
understand.

16. c. Avoid Confusing Gerunds With Participial Phrases
A gerund looks like a participial phrase, but it actually does something different when it’s
used in a sentence. Gerunds are verb phrases that act as nouns, but participial phrases act as
adjectives. Here are some sentences with gerunds and participial phrases so you can learn to
tell them apart.
Example 1
 Turning the light on is a necessity at night.
In this sentence, “turning the light on” is a gerund. We can tell this is a gerund because the
phrase acts as a noun in the sentence. The rest of the sentence describes the gerund, by saying
that it’s “a necessity at night.” So gerunds might look just like participial phrases, but make
sure you figure out what the phrase is doing before you decide what it is.
Example 2
 Turning the light on, Haley walks into the room.
Now the same phrase is a participial phrase! It’s set off from the main clause of the sentence
“Haley walks into the room” with a comma. Also, if we take out the participial phrase, the
sentence still makes sense. The phrase “turning the light on” describes Haley, instead of
being described like a gerund would.
Gerunds and participial phrases can sometimes be the exact same words, but they have very
different functions. Avoid confusing them by checking for signs that a phrase is a gerund or a
participial phrase.
 Look for commas that set the phrase apart from the sentence. They can be small clues that
you’re looking at a participial phrase.
 Make sure to read over the sentence to see how the phrase acts within the entire sentence. Is it
a noun or the subject of the sentence? Or is it describing the noun/subject?
 If you can take the phrase out and still have a complete sentence, you’re probably dealing with
a participial phrase.
Test your Knowledge
1.
What punctuation is used to set a participial phrase off from the main clause of a
sentence?
a.Period
b.Commas
c.Line Break
d.Punctuation mark

17. 2.
Identify the participle in the following sentence

Hanging up the phone, Susan thought about her life.
a.susan
b.phone
c.hanging
d.thought
3.
TRUE or FALSE: All past participles end in -ed.
a.FALSE
b.TRUE
4.
A ________________ happens when a participial phrase isn’t linked up to the right
noun
a.Dangling modifier
b.verb
c.phrase
d.mistake Enter

18. Participles
Summary:
This handout provides a detailed overview (including descriptions and examples) of gerunds, participles,
and infinitives.
Contributors:Purdue OWL
Last Edited: 2011-04-13 12:09:54
A participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or -ed. The
term verbal indicates that a participle, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and
therefore expresses action or a state of being. However, since they function as adjectives,
participles modify nouns or pronouns. There are two types of participles: present participles and
past participles. Present participles end in -ing. Past participles end in -ed, -en, -d, -t, -n, or -ne as
in the words asked, eaten, saved, dealt, seen, and gone.
 The crying baby had a wet diaper.
 Shaken, he walked away from the wrecked car.
 The burning log fell off the fire.
 Smiling, she hugged the panting dog.
A participial phrase is a group of words consisting of a participle and the modifier(s) and/or
(pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the direct object(s), indirect object(s), or
complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the participle, such as:
Removing his coat, Jack rushed to the river.
The participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying Jack.
Removing (participle)
his coat (direct object of action expressed in participle)
Delores noticed her cousin walking along the shoreline.
The participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying cousin.
walking (participle)
along the shoreline (prepositional phrase as adverb)
Children interested in music early develop strong intellectual skills.
The participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying children.
interested (in) (participle)
music (direct object of action expressed in participle)
early (adverb)
Having been a gymnast, Lynn knew the importance of exercise.
The participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying Lynn.
Having been (participle)
a gymnast (subject complement for Lynn, via state of being expressed in participle)
Placement: In order to prevent confusion, a participial phrase must be placed as close to the
noun it modifies as possible, and the noun must be clearly stated.
 Carrying a heavy pile of books, his foot caught on a step. *
 Carrying a heavy pile of books, he caught his foot on a step.

19. In the first sentence there is no clear indication of who or what is performing the action expressed
in the participle carrying. Certainly foot can't be logically understood to function in this way. This
situation is an example of a dangling modifier error since the modifier (the participial phrase) is
not modifying any specific noun in the sentence and is thus left "dangling." Since a person must be
doing the carrying for the sentence to make sense, a noun or pronoun that refers to a person must
be in the place immediately after the participial phrase, as in the second sentence.
Punctuation: When a participial phrase begins a sentence, a comma should be placed after the
phrase.
 Arriving at the store, I found that it was closed.
 Washing and polishing the car, Frank developed sore muscles.
If the participle or participial phrase comes in the middle of a sentence, it should be set off with
commas only if the information is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.
 Sid, watching an old movie, drifted in and out of sleep.
 The church, destroyed by a fire, was never rebuilt.
Note that if the participial phrase is essential to the meaning of the sentence, no commas should
be used:
 The student earning the highest grade point average will receive a special award.
 The guy wearing the chicken costume is my cousin.
If a participial phrase comes at the end of a sentence, a comma usually precedes the phrase if it
modifies an earlier word in the sentence but not if the phrase directly follows the word it modifies.
 The local residents often saw Ken wandering through the streets.
(The phrase modifies Ken, not residents.)
 Tom nervously watched the woman, alarmed by her silence.
(The phrase modifies Tom, not woman.)
Points to remember
1. 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.
2. A participial phrase consists of a participle plus modifier(s), object(s), and/or
complement(s).
3. Participles and participial phrases must be placed as close to the nouns or pronouns they
modify as possible, and those nouns or pronouns must be clearly stated.
4. A participial phrase is set off with commas when it:
o a) comes at the beginning of a sentence
o b) interrupts a sentence as a nonessential element
o c) comes at the end of a sentence and is separated from the word it modifies.

20. 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).

Step 1: Find the participle. (
 Step 1: Find the participle. ( throwing)
 Step 2: Find the noun that it modifies. ( friend)
 Step 3: Find the rest of the phrase. ( rocks across the water)
 Step 4: Figure out what the rest of the phrase is doing.

Phrases are groups of words, without both a subject and a verb, functioning as a singlepart
of speech. Participial phrases consist of a participle along with all of its modifiers and
complements. Here are three examples. Notice that each phrase is modifying a noun.

In English grammar, a participial phrase is a word group consisting of a
present participle (also known as an -ing form) or past participle (also known as an -en
form), plus any modifiers, objects, and complements. Aparticipial phrase commonly
functions as an adjective.