Is there any easy way to figure out how to identify participial phrases? I need to find them in my homework sentences and am having a hard time determining if I am identifying the right phrases or not.
They are not always easy.
Participial phrases almost always start with the participle, either in present (-ing) or past (-ed or ?) form. They almost always have a direct object in them; they can have other modifiers in them, too.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/verbs.htm#participle
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/phrases.htm#participle
Scroll almost all the way to the bottom to find the section on Participial Phrases.
A participle is a VERB that describes a noun. examples:
worn tires...to wear is a verb
fishing line....to fish is a verb
torn jeans.... to tear is a verb
tired child....to tire is a verb.
So, the easiest way to find a participle is to ask first, is it a verb; second is it describing a noun.
A participial phrase needs to be next to the noun it is describing. Landing in the pasture, the pilot of the airplane safely unloaded his cargo.
Landing is a verb describing the pilot.
Yes, there are several tips and tricks that can help you identify participial phrases more easily:
1. Understand the concept: A participial phrase consists of a participle (a verb form that functions as an adjective) and any accompanying modifiers or objects. Participles usually end in -ing (present participle) or -ed (past participle), but they can also have irregular forms.
2. Look for verb forms: Scan the sentence for words ending in -ing or -ed. These are often participles. For example, in the sentence, "The crying baby woke up the whole neighborhood," the word "crying" is a present participle.
3. Identify the noun phrase: Find the noun or pronoun that the participle modifies. In the previous example, the noun phrase is "the baby."
4. Note the placement: Participial phrases usually come directly after the noun or pronoun they modify. They can also be set apart by commas. For example, in the sentence, "The path, covered in fallen leaves, led to an abandoned house," the participial phrase is "covered in fallen leaves."
5. Observe the meaning: Consider the meaning of the participial phrase in the context of the sentence. Participial phrases often provide additional information and describe the state or action of the noun. For instance, in the sentence, "She read the book written by her favorite author," the participial phrase "written by her favorite author" further describes the book.
By following these steps and practicing with examples, you should become more comfortable identifying participial phrases in your homework sentences.