Verbal Phrases B
Two types of verbal phrases are participial phrases and infinitive phrases.
A participial phrase consists of a participle together with its modifiers and
complements. The entire phrase is used as an adjective.
An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive together with its modifiers and
complements. The entire phrase may be used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
PARTICIPIAL PHRASE Pressed for time, Susan quickly bought her ticket and boarded
the plane.
INFINITIVE PHRASE She felt lucky to have a seat next to the window.
EXERCISE A Place in parentheses the verbal phrase in each of the following sentences.
Underline the Subject once and the verb phrase twice and cross out Prepositional
phrases. Label anything else you know. Then, on the line provided, identify the phrase
by writing part for participial phrase or inf for infinitive phrase.
(DO)
Example __Part____ 1. (Struggling intensely,) the toddler finally took his first step.
______ 1. I would like to know the name of that singer.
______ 2. Sarah and Katie stood in line to see the band.
______ 3. Susan and Michelle, returning from their trip, told stories about their
adventures.
______ 4. To buy a car is Laura’s main objective this summer.
______ 5. Recently released on video, the highly praised movie quickly became a big
seller.
______ 6. I caught my younger sister eavesdropping behind my bedroom door.
______ 7. The feather, dropped from a great height, drifted slowly down.
______ 8. Splashing in the shallow water, the children enjoyed their day at the beach.
______ 9. The city passed a law to protect endangered animals.
______10. Juanita was happy to find the letter.
______11. We raked all the leaves fallen from the trees during autumn.
______12. Ending the speech, the candidate received loud applause.
______13. “If you want to know the end of the story,” Gloria said, “read the book.”
______14. The dog, covered in mud from the backyard, left tracks as he ran through the
house.
______15. To end the game well was Kevin’s only wish.
______16. The raw vegetables, chopped into bite-sized pieces, made a crunchy snack.
______ 17. After the concert, we decided to go for a walk around the lake.
(Pg. 81)
Appositives
An appositive is a noun or a pronoun placed beside another noun or pronoun to
identify or describe it.
EXAMPLES My cousin Melissa plays the violin. [The appositive Melissa identifies the
noun cousin.]
Ronald, a doctor and researcher, lives and works in Houston. [The appositives doctor
and researcher identify the proper noun Ronald.]
The students selected to represent the school, you and she, will speak to a group of
elementary school children. [The appositives you and she identify the noun students.]
EXERCISE A Place in parentheses the appositives in each of the following sentences.
Underline the Subject once and the verb phrase twice and cross out Prepositional
phrases. Label anything else you know
Example 1. Cynthia went on a walk with her dog (Toby.)
1. Peter, a reader, ordered a series of detective novels.
2. Our middle school soccer team, the Thunderbolts, won a regional championship.
3. We will spend two days, Saturday and Sunday, at the mountain lodge.
4. My cousin Lisa is interested in scuba diving.
5. She often goes diving with her brother Mark.
6. Does Uncle Newman, a farmer, still raise chickens and cows?
7. I asked whether Kelly’s mother, a teacher, could help me with my homework.
8. Mom said that her favorite song, Misty, has been recorded by many singers.
9. Jacques Cousteau, the oceanographer and author, was well-known for his underwater
exploration.
10. The person with the highest score, you, will present the results of the research study.
11. Roberto asked Mr. Evingson, a neighbor, to help him move some furniture.
12. Dad, please make our favorite dinner, fajitas, tonight.
13. In the school play, Susanna and David will play the two main characters, Rose and
Harold.
14. Aboy in my class, Bryan, builds kites in his spare time.
15. Aschool newspaper reporter, Laura, interviewed several celebrities who were in
town.
16. She reported that the famous actor Mel Gibson was delightful to interview. (Pg. 82)
17. Did your friend, Dave, break his leg while skiing?
18. Tonight the family will eat at their favorite restaurant, Thai Cuisine.
19. Jan’s grandfather, a pianist and arranger, plays in a jazz band.
20. He has recorded several CDs with his group Improvisario.
Appositive Phrases
An appositive phrase consists of an appositive and its modifiers.
EXAMPLES Australian football, a fast-moving sport, is played with eighteen players per
team.
[The article a and the adjective fast-moving modify the appositive sport.]
Before her appointment to the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a graduate of
Columbia Law School, taught and practiced law. [The adjective phrase of Columbia
Law School modifies the appositive graduate.]
EXERCISE A Place in parentheses the verbal phrase in each of the following sentences.
Underline the Subject once and the verb phrase twice and cross out Prepositional
phrases. Label anything else you know
(IO)
(DO)
Example 1. Mr. Torres told us that guinea pigs, (rodents originally from South America,)
are not related to pigs.
1. Oxygen, one of the most plentiful elements on our planet, is used in the fuel systems
of rockets.
2. A perch, a type of freshwater fish, is the first fish that Ella caught on her recent trip.
3. Photographs taken by William Henry Jackson, an American photographer, turned out
to be one reason that Yellowstone became a national park.
4. Reggie was surprised to learn that "Twist and Shout," the song playing on the radio,
was one that both he and his mother knew.
5. Until our class this morning, I’d never heard of eruptive variables, stars in the sky that
suddenly grow brighter without warning.
EXERCISE B Using the words provided, write an appositive phrase in a sentence.
Example 1. my favorite color Blue, my favorite color, is the color of my new shirt.
6. my favorite sport _______________________________________________________
7. a famous city __________________________________________________________
8. the book she’s reading ___________________________________________________
9. a CD in my collection ___________________________________________________
10. the name of the child’s dog ______________________________________________
11. our school mascot _____________________________________________________
12. our favorite restaurant __________________________________________________
13. my best school subject __________________________________________________
14. a movie at the theater __________________________________________________
15. the author’s name _____________________________________________________
Review A: Identifying Phrases
EXERCISE A Underline each prepositional phrase in each of the following sentences.
Then, draw an arrow from the phrase to the word or words it modifies.
Example 1. A bath in warm water before bed relaxes your muscles.
1. Scientists have studied patterns of human sleep.
2. Our nightly rest consists of light sleep and deep sleep.
3. Some people sleep on their backs.
4. Other people rest on their sides quite comfortably.
5. The origin of dreams has interested some people.
6. One theory is that we write our own script for each dream.
7. Some dreams appear in color.
8. The amount of sleep a person gets affects how often he or she dreams.
9. Some nightmares may be caused by tension, worries, and nervousness.
10. Most adults dream at regular intervals.
EXERCISE B A Underline the Subject once and the verb phrase twice and cross out
Prepositional phrases. Label anything else you know. Identify the phrase in each of the
following sentences by placing parentheses around them, then writing part for participial
phrase, inf for infinitive phrase, or app for appositive phrase on the line provided.
(DO)
Example ___app___ 1. The rain, (falling gently,) had a steady rhythm.
______11. To forecast the weather is not a simple process.
______12. Gathered from weather stations and satellites, data change continually.
______13. Barometers, instruments that measure air pressure, detect weather changes.
______14. The clouds forming in the sky also indicate weather conditions.
______15. To measure precipitation, gauges are used.
______16. Instruments indicating wind speed and direction are important tools.
______17. Monitoring temperature changes, local news stations report current
information throughout the day.
______18. To study weather changes is the job of a meteorologist.
(Pg. 84)
EXERCISE A Underline the Subject once and the verb phrase twice and cross out
Prepositional phrases. Label anything else you know. Identify the phrase in each of the
following sentences by placing parentheses around them, then writing part for participial
phrase, inf for infinitive phrase, or app for appositive phrase above it.
Example 1. The submarine beneath the sea lies in wait.
1. Submarines can travel on the surface of the water.
2. They also move quite well beneath the surface.
3. Submarines deploy in times of war.
4. Many modern submarines run on nuclear power.
5. During operations, nuclear-powered submarines remain deep under the water’s
surface.
6. Satellites bounce back information from distances high above the earth.
7. In the future, more and more information will be sent by satellite.
8. The news on television comes to us by satellite.
9. Cables under the ocean carry messages to our homes.
10. During the 1920s, few people would have dreamed of such marvels in our own
homes.
EXERCISE B Underline the Subject once and the verb phrase twice and cross out
Prepositional phrases. Label anything else you know. Identify the phrase in each of the
following sentences by placing parentheses around them, then writing part for participial
phrase, inf for infinitive phrase, or app for appositive phrase on the line provided.
Example __APP__ 1. Tennessee, (admitted to the Union in 1796,) is in the South.
______11. Planning a family trip to Tennessee, my grandfather gathered information.
______12. He wrote the tourist information center, a state agency, for information.
______13. My sisters wanted to visit Nashville.
______14. They wished to see the Grand Ole Opry House.
______15. My cousins wanted to visit different places in Tennessee.
______16. Gatlinburg, a city at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, was a popular choice.
______17. Topping the list of second choices, Memphis received many votes. (pg. 85)
______18. To hike in the mountains was my choice.
______19. The destination finally agreed upon by my entire family was Nashville.
______20. It was difficult to choose the location of our trip in such an interesting state.
EXERCISE A In each of the following sentences, identify the underlined phrase by
writing above it prep for prepositional phrase or part for participial phrase.
Example 1. Traveling in Thailand, Faith learned a great deal about this Eastern nation.
1. The Kingdom of Thailand is one of ten nations in Southeast Asia.
2. Bangkok, located near the Gulf of Thailand, is Thailand’s capital.
3. Producing vehicles and agricultural crops, Thailand is a rapidly developing nation.
4. Thailand is the world’s largest producer of natural rubber.
5. Named Siam until 1938, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy.
6. Thailand is bordered by Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
7. Colored red, white, and blue, the Thai flag has five horizontal stripes.
8. The monsoon season in Thailand lasts from May to October.
9. Buddhism, founded in the sixth century B.C., is Thailand’s principal religion.
10. Covering approximately 198,000 square miles, Thailand is smaller than the state of
Texas.
EXERCISE B Underline the verbal phrase or appositive phrase in each of the following
sentences. Then, identify the phrase by writing above it part for participial phrase, inf for
infinitive phrase, or app for appositive phrase.
INF
Example 1. To take better notes in class is one of my goals this year.
11. Hopping slowly across the dirt road, the frog finally reached the pond.
12. The concerto, one of the cellist’s favorites, was performed at the recital.
13. The best room to use for the spring dance is the large ballroom.
14. Yesterday, we saw a squirrel collecting food for the winter.
15. Scattered on the ground, the fall leaves added color to the landscape.
16. Will all of these names and dates be too difficult to remember for the test? (pg. 86)