The audience sat quietly as the maestro, stretching his arms, began to conduct the orchestra.
What is the participial phrase in the sentence?
A.
to conduct the orchestra
B.
The audience sat quietly
C.
as the maestro
D.
stretching his arms
D. stretching his arms
The participial phrase in the sentence is D. "stretching his arms."
The participial phrase in the sentence is "stretching his arms."
To identify the participial phrase, we need to look for a verb form that ends in -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -ing. In this case, the verb form is "stretching," which ends in -ing.
Additionally, the phrase "stretching his arms" functions as an adjective phrase because it modifies the noun "maestro." It provides additional information about what the maestro was doing as he began to conduct the orchestra.
So, the correct answer is D. "stretching his arms."