English 9
Name ______________________________
Participial Phrases Practice
Practice 1 Identifying – Underline the participial phrase(s) in each sentence and circle the
noun(s) or pronoun(s) it modifies.
Then, double underline the participle.
1. Sitting up in bed eating breakfast, we could see the lake and the mountains across the
lake on the French side. (Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms)
2. Spencer took half an hour, swimming in one of the pools which was filled with the
seasonal rain, waiting for the pursuers to catch up to him. (Ray Bradbury, The Martian
Chronicles)
3. She was quite far from the windows which were to her left, and behind her were a couple
of tall bookcases, containing all the books of the factory library. (John Hershey,
Hiroshima)
4. Minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web-work from the
eaves. (Edgar Allan Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher”)
5. Standing there in the middle of the street, Marty suddenly thought of Halloween, of the
winter and snowballs, of the schoolyard. (Murray Heyert, “The New Kid”)
6. Professor Kazan, wearing a spotlessly white tropical suit and a wide-brimmed hat, was
the first ashore. (Arthur C. Clarke, Dolphin Island)
7. He walked to the corner of the lot, then back again, studying the simple terrain as if
deciding how best to effect an entry, frowning and scratching his head. (Harper Lee, To
Kill A Mockingbird)
8. In six months a dozen small towns had been laid down upon the naked planet, filled with
sizzling neon tubes and yellow electric bulbs. (Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles)
9. The tent, illumined by candle, glowed warmly in the midst of the plain. (Jack London,
The Call of the Wild)
10. Enchanted and enthralled, I stopped her constantly for details. (Richard Wright, Black
Boy)
11. The other shoji slammed open, and unseen, Buntaro stamped away, followed by the
guard. (James Clavell, Shogun)
12. Her hair, braided and wrapped around her head, made an ash-blonde crown. (John
Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath)
13. Looking over their own troops, they saw mixed masses slowly getting into regular form.
(Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage)
14. Amazed at the simplicity of it all, I understood everything as never before. (Alphonse
Daudet, “The Last Lesson”)
15. My father, cautioning me not to work a horse till he had fed fully, said I had plenty of
time to eat myself. (Lincoln Steffens, “A Boy on Horseback”)
16. The sight of Mick’s exploring beam of light, flashing and flickering through the
submarine darkness a few yards away, reminded him that he was not alone. (Arthur C.
Clarke, Dolphin Island)
17. She called to him, excited. (Daphne du Maurier, “The Birds”)
18. The magician patted the hand, holding it quietly with a thumb on its blue veins, waiting
for life to revive. (T.S. White, Book of Merlyn)
Practice 2 Imitation – Below, you are provided with model sentences from accomplished writers.
Sentences will vary.
Practice 3 Combining – Study the model, and then combine the sentences that follow into one
sentence that imitates the model. Change the first sentence to resemble the first sentence part of
the model, the second sentence to resemble the second sentence part of the model, etc.
SAMPLE
Model
The horse found the entrance to the trail where it left the flat and started up, stumbling and
slipping on the rocks. (John Steinbeck, “Flight”)
Sentences to be combined
a. The cycle hit something.
b. It hit a stretch.
c. The stretch was ice.
d. It happened as it rounded the bend.
e. In addition, it slid sideways.
f. Then it was tottering.
g. In addition, then it was veering.
h. It was veering toward the shoulder.
Combination
The cycle hit a stretch of ice as it rounded the bend and slid sideways, tottering and veering
toward the shoulder.
19. Model: The sound of monotonous ax blows rang through the forest, and the insects,
nodding upon their perches, crooned like old women. (Stephen Crane, The Red Badge
of Courage)
a. A pile of new debris was doing something.
b. It cluttered up the driveway.
c. In addition, the tenants were gazing at the disgrace.
d. They watched with heavy hearts.
A pile of new debris cluttered up the driveway, and trhe tenants, gazing at the disgrace, watched
with heavy hearts.
20. Model: He stood there, his coat wet, holding his wet hat, and said nothing. (Ernest
Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
The dog did something.
He sat up.
His mouth was clenching the rolled newspaper.
He was wagging his tail.
In addition, he begged a reward.
The dog sat up, his mouth clenching the rolled newspaper, wagging his tail, and begged a
reward.
21. Model: The little shack, the rattling, rotting barn were gray-bitten with sea salt, beaten
by the damp wind until they had taken on the color of the granite hills. (John
Steinbeck, “Flight”)
a. Something had been done to the upholstered pieces.
b. Something had been done to the expensive, polished tables.
c. They had been moved into the huge dining room.
d. They were covered with endless painter’s cloths.
e. This was done so that they would be protected.
f. The protection was from the spatterings of paint.
The upholstered pieces, the expensive, polished tables had been moved into the huge dining
room, covered with endless painter’s cloths so that they would be protected from the splatterings
of paint.
22. Model: The strength that had been as a miracle in her body left, and she half-reeled
across the floor, clutching at the back of the chair in which she had spent so many
long days staring out over the tin roofs into the main street of Winesburg.
(Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
The meeting had been like something.
It had been like a marathon among meetings.
The meeting continued.
In addition, the leader deliberated about his strategy.
He was stalling after the last remarks from the representative.
The representative was the one with whom he had planned something.
What they had planned were so many emergency ploys focusing upon every
conceivable tactic.
h. The tactic was for the suppression of the opposition.
The meeting that had been like a marathon among meetings continued, and the leader deliberated
about his strategy, stalling after the last remarks from the representative with whom he had
planned so many emergency ploysfocusing upon every conceivable tactic for the suppression of
the opposition.