CP Writing - Gaffney
Grammar Lesson #6 – Verbals: The Participle
A verbal is a verb form that functions in a sentence as a noun, adjective, or an adverb.
A verbal phrase is a verbal plus and complements (direct/indirect objects, objects of
complements and subject complements).
RULES
1. Participles – a verb that can function as an adjective. A participle phrase contains a
participle plus any complements or modifiers.
a. present participles always end in –ing
i. The moving van is parked outside of my house.
b. past participles end in –ed
i. The dogs barked at the striped cat.
c. some forms are irregular (broken)
i. The broken window startled the neighbors.
d. The antecedent of a participial phrase is the word to which the phrase refers.
i. The girl wearing that ridiculous hat is my cousin Sara. (bolded phrase refers to
the girl)
Don’t confuse a participle with part of a verb phrase
ex: The confused child was afraid. (participle)
ex: The teacher has confused our names. (verb phrase)
**Participial phrases are always adjectives and can be placed anywhere in the sentence.
ex: The dog saw many ducks swimming in the lake.
ex: Barking loudly, the dog approached the water.
ex: The ducks, startled by the noise, flew away quickly.
ex: The sorely disappointed dog returned to the campsite.
Exercises
Part 1 - Write the present and past participles of each verb.
ex:
meet
meeting
met
1. go
present
___________________
past
_____________________
2. keep
___________________
_____________________
3. know
___________________
_____________________
4. take
___________________
_____________________
5. lose
___________________
_____________________
6. forgive
___________________
_____________________
7. write
___________________
_____________________
8. choose
___________________
_____________________
9. do
___________________
_____________________
10. improve
___________________
_____________________
11. prevent
___________________
_____________________
12. close
___________________
_____________________
13. move
___________________
_____________________
14. study
___________________
_____________________
15. think
___________________
_____________________
CP Writing - Gaffney
Part 2 – Underline the participle phrase.
1. The man smoking the pipe is the president of the company.
2. Having realized his limitations, Ron decided not to run for governor.
3. Who is that woman collecting the money for needy families?
4. Listening carefully, Muldoon was able to figure out the story.
5. The papers hidden under the rug proved Deborah innocent.
6. Waiting in the corridor, Johnny overhead Connie’s comments on the game.
7. The girl wearing the blonde wig is Tony’s older sister.
8. The car blocking the driveway belongs to Mr. Andrews.
9. The students planning to take Latin must enroll by August 18.
10. Having worked all night, Chris looked tired and sleepy.
Part 3 – Underline the participial phrase and circle its antecedent (the noun/pronoun to which it
refers).
1. Sitting beside his brother Rey, Bill looked small.
2. Having witnessed the crime, Mr. Reed felt obligated to testify.
3. The Johnsons want to buy the house overlooking the lake.
4. The show following the news is a documentary on Cuba.
5. Do you know the woman driving that lime green Bug?
6. The boy carrying the packages is my nephew.
7. Write him a letter telling him exactly how you feel about it.
8. Having cast their votes by secret ballot, no one knew who won.
9. I could not remember the name written on the paper,
10. The truck blocking the driveway belongs to my neighbor’s youngest son.
Part 4 – Participle or verb? Read the sentence and determine if the underlined word is a participle
or a verb. If it’s a participle, write P; if it’s a verb, write V.
_______ 1. The dining room is covered with dishes from the party.
_______ 2. I was boiling a pot of water for my pasta.
_______ 3. The frightened dog cowered under the bed during the storm.
_______ 4. The dog was frightened by the noise of the storm.
_______ 5. Mark told an embarrassing story about me.