Identify the italicized word or words
EATING FLESH WITH RAZOR-SHARP TEETH is how piranhas survive.
a) gerund phrase
b) infinitive phrase
c) participial phrase
d) prepositional phrase
I'll be glad to check your answer.
No.
An infinitive is to + a verb. To go, to write, to think are examples of infinitives.
Hint: -ing is your clue.
GERUND ?
Yes. It's a gerund phrase used as the subject of this sentence.
Also answered yesterday ... http://www.jiskha.com/display.cgi?id=1384966012
Is this an online class?
To identify the italicized word or words, we need to understand the different types of phrases and their function in a sentence.
a) A gerund phrase is a phrase that starts with a gerund, which is a verb form ending in "-ing" that functions as a noun. For example, "Eating flesh" is a gerund phrase because "eating" is a gerund acting as a noun in the sentence.
b) An infinitive phrase is a phrase that starts with an infinitive, which is the base form of a verb (e.g., "to eat"). There is no infinitive phrase in the given sentence.
c) A participial phrase is a phrase that starts with a participle, which is a verb form that can function as an adjective (-ing form or past participle). No participial phrase is present in the given sentence.
d) A prepositional phrase is a phrase that starts with a preposition (e.g., "with," "in," "on"). "With razor-sharp teeth" is a prepositional phrase in the given sentence.
Therefore, the correct answer is d) prepositional phrase.