Grammar Review PACKET III
Name: ________________________________
*Phrase – group of related words used as a single part of speech; does not contain a verb and its subject.
*Clause – group of related words that contains a verb and its subject
The Preposition – Relates its object to some other word in the sentence. LOCATION.
(“The Box” – of the box, in the box, above the box, under the box).
Prepositional phrase consists of the prep, its object, and modifiers of the object. Ends with a noun.
PP acts as adjective phrase (modifies noun/pronoun) OR PP acts as adverb clause (modifies verb)
The Participle –Acting as an adjective to modify a noun or pronoun.
~ Often have “endings:” ING, ED, EN, T
~Often at the beginning of the sentence
~ Set off by commas (comma ends the phrase)
~ Can usually take out the phrase – if the sentence still makes sense, you took out a participle
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GERUNDS AND PARTICIPLE
Gerunds – act as NOUNs (subject, object of preposition, direct & indirect object, predicate nominative).
Participles – act as ADJECTIVES
Gerund – Verb form used as a noun. ALWAYS.
~ING !
~Not set off by commas
Adverb Clause – Dependent clause acting as an adverb (modifies a verb).
Answers question – how, when, why, where, how much, and to what extent?
-Adverb clause starts with a subordinating conjunction (see list).
Infinitive: To + verb
Phrase and Clause Review
Directions: Place parentheses around and identify any phrases – gerund, participle, infinitive, or prepositional – or
adverb clauses.
1. Sitting on our roof, we watched the strange light in the sky.
2. Wounded by English ships, the Armada sailed north to its destruction.
3. Finding new sources of water is essential to our survival.
4. In a fit of anger, the accused screamed at her lawyer to defend her.
5. Before you jump to any conclusions, remember that you must first gather evidence.
6. Sleeping late on Saturdays is a great luxury.
7. Enjoy yourself as you crowd others off the floor because you will probably never be invited again.
8. Later you can change the subject so that you can brag about yourself.
9. While you were talking about your heroic deeds and keen intelligence, you avoided many important details.
10. Knowing the exact route, Joe did not get lost.
Directions: Write an original sentence using each of the following constructions at the beginning of the sentence:
A. Participial phrase -
B. Gerund phrase –
C. Adverb clause –
D. Prepositional phrase More Phrase/Clause Review
Directions: The following sentences contain participial, gerund, infinitive, and prepositional phrases as well as adverb
clauses. Identify and label each.
1. Because the clerk was so helpful, I praised her to the store manager.
2. Standing during a two-hour train trip is not my idea of a good time.
3. Holding onto the railing, the old man climbed the stairs slowly.
4. After the success of our show, we wanted to stay up all night to relive every moment.
5. Driven from their homelands, many people each year seek refuge in the United States.
6. Having been asked to dance, Jenny accepted with pleasure.
7. Understanding a foreign language and speaking it well are two different things.
8. After we finish watching the credits of the movie, I would like to go out for something to eat.
9. Rushing through your chores will get you nowhere.
10. Arguing with me takes much of my little brother’s time.
11. Since I’ll be late for dinner, I’ll get a sandwich downtown.
12. You may have the job if you work hard at it.
13. In his version of the incident, he never said anything which could often offend anyone else.
14. Although I’d never been to the Martins’ house before, I felt at home there.
15. Reading a good novel is my idea of the perfect way to spend an afternoon.
Still More Phrase/Clause Review
Directions: The following sentences contain participial, gerund, infinitive, and prepositional phrases as well as adverb
clauses. Identify and label each.
1. Please visit us whenever you are in the Philadelphia area.
2. Acting in high school and college plays helped prepare Tim for Broadway.
3. Whenever you make a promise, you must keep it.
4. You may have piano lessons if you will practice an hour a day.
5. Exhausted after his long hike, Dave flopped down on the step.
6. My cousin, amused by the beginning of the television program, sat down to watch it all.
7. Of all the questions on the test, those which demanded problematic but difficult level thinking were the most difficult.
8. Humming aimlessly, the little boy picked up some shells.
9. Searching for the lost bracelet took another hour.
10. Before you jump to conclusions, be sure to examine all of the possible evidence.
11. Getting the lead in the play was all Meg thought of.
12. Before the events of September 11, few Americans thought our country could be so vulnerable to attack.
13. Camping in the mountains is Joe’s idea of a perfect occasion.
14. Having recorded the results of her experiment, Kate closed her notebook.
15. Just as Leo was deciding to pick up his fishing gear and go home, he felt a sharp tug on his line.
Appositives and Appositive Phrases
Remember, an appositive is a noun or pronoun that follows another noun or pronoun to identify or explain it.
(appositive – usually one word). An appositive phrase may have adjective or adjective phrase modifiers.
- Typically an appositive follows the noun it is modifying.
- Appositives and appositive phrases are usually set off by commas, unless the appositive is a single word closely related
to the preceding word. The comma is always used when the word to which the appositive refers is a proper noun.
1. My friend Bart is moving to Kansas.
2. I enjoyed my favorite meal, spaghetti.
3. New Bedford, once the world’s largest whaling port, is located on Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts.
4. I just bought Modern Poetry, a collection of poems by American authors.
5. The famous artist Manet was born in 1832.
6. Manet, a famous French artist, was born in 1832.
7. Rover, my golden retriever, swims at the nearby pond whenever it is warm.
8. At the picnic Dad used Grandmother’s chicken recipe, a family secret.
9. Stainless steel, a valuable alloy of iron, is noted for its ability to resist rust and tarnish.
10. Georgia O’Keeffee, the American abstract painter, is famous for her paintings of the desert region of the Southwest.
11. Naomi Uemura, a Japanese explorer, was the first person to reach the North Pole alone by dogsled.
12. Romeo and Juliet, a beautiful ballet, was performed last evening.
13. The painting Sunflowers is one of Van Gogh’s most recognized masterpieces.
14. March, the first month of the Roman year, was named for Mars, the Roman god of war.
15. Did you check the thesaurus, a good source of antonyms as well as synonyms?
Adverb Clauses
Remember, an adverb clause is a subordinate clause that is used as an adverb to modify a verb, an adjective, or an
adverb. Review common subordinating conjunctions (below).
After
Although
As
As far as
As if
As long as
as soon as
as though
because
before
even though
if
in order that
since
so that
than
though
unless
until
when
whenever
where
wherever
while
1. The train arrived while we were parking.
2. After Rusty had eaten, I took him for a walk.
3. Your chili tastes spicier than mine does.
4. I worked harder than I had ever worked before.
5. You can watch the photo session as long as you are quiet.
6. As soon as you hear from the college, you must call us.
7. Since Jay was sick, I took his place.
8. The guests, after they had eaten, applauded the cook.
9. When a thunderstorm strikes on a hot day, hail may occur.
10. We went to the dance so that we could hear the band.
11. We waited for them longer than we should have.
12. As soon as you finish your homework, call me!
13. After the snowstorm ended, we shoveled the walk.
14. We ate dinner later than we had originally planned.
15.We can fill all these orders if we get more help.
16. Before William Butler Yeats wrote plays for the Abbey Theater, he had written many poems celebrating Ireland.
17. Complete the application after you read the directions.
18. Because tuna need a flow of water across their gills in order to breathe, they will suffocate if they ever stopped
swimming.
From Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition. 1973 & Heath Grammar and Composition, Complete Course.