Verbals Practice Part I
Directions: Rewrite as directed, on a separate piece of paper. Refer to your notes or textbook if you have questions.
Exercise 1: On your paper, write the participle or the participial phrase that acts as an adjective in each of the
following sentences. Then write the word each one modifies.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
George Lucas achieved international fame in 1977 with his stunning science fiction movie Star Wars.
Celebrated for its superb special effects and suspenseful story, Star Wars has become a classic.
Raised in California, Lucas developed an interest in movies.
Having competed against other students, he won a national film competition in 1967 at the age of twenty-three.
Luca’s first major success was the popular American Graffiti (1973), a film portraying the lives of California
teenagers in the 1960s.
Lucas worked on American Graffiti in two capacities, serving as both coauthor and director of the film.
By 1981, having produced The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi, Lucas again proved his great
versatility.
That year Lucas produced the highly successful adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark, directed by his old friend
Steven Spielberg.
That year Lucas produced The Empire Strikes Back and The Raiders and the two films succeeding it-Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).
Freed from dependence upon film studios through his wealth and influence, Lucas can continue to pursuer his
personal artistic vision.
Exercise 2: On your paper expand the following sentences by adding a participle or participial phrase to each one.
Use commas where necessary.
Sample The campfire kept us warm.
Answer The blazing campfire kept us warm.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The driver slammed on his brakes.
The strong wind knocked down power lines.
The candidates finally acknowledged defeat.
Huge crowds gathered around the astronauts.
The skater completed her routine for the judges.
Exercise 3: On your paper, list the gerund and gerund phrases that appear in the following sentences. (Three of
the sentences have two gerunds or gerund phrases, and one has three.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The art of creating decorative tin objects is practiced by Hispanic men and women, long admired as tin workers.
After studying and adapting century-old patterns, these artisans begin by expertly cutting a sheet of tin.
Making indentations in the tin, or punching, is done with blunt steel or iron tools.
Piercing, which requires sharper implements, has the effect of enhancing an object’s design.
Selling these masterful products is easily accomplished since many enjoy owning them.