What grammatical structure is the italicized portion of the sentence?
By mistake I opened a package addressed to my sister.
adverb clause
infinitive phrase
past participial phrase
elliptical clause
adjective clause
Which words are italicized?
To determine the grammatical structure of the italicized portion of the sentence, we need to analyze its form and function within the sentence.
The italicized portion of the sentence is "addressed to my sister." This phrase describes the package and provides additional information about it. In this case, it tells us the intended recipient of the package.
Looking at the options provided, we can rule out "adverb clause" and "infinitive phrase" since they don't accurately describe the structure of the italicized portion of the sentence.
A "past participial phrase" typically consists of a past participle (e.g., opened, closed, addressed) followed by modifiers or complements. Therefore, "addressed to my sister" fits the form of a past participial phrase.
An "elliptical clause" is a sentence or part of a sentence where certain words are omitted, but can be understood from the context. However, "addressed to my sister" doesn't fit this description, as there are no missing words that would complete the meaning.
Lastly, an "adjective clause" functions as an adjective and usually starts with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, that) or a relative adverb (where, when, why). As "addressed to my sister" does not start with one of these words, it does not fit the form of an adjective clause.
Based on the analysis, we can conclude that the italicized portion of the sentence, "addressed to my sister," is a "past participial phrase."