Transcript Participle & Gerund Phrases

Adding Variety to Your Writing
NEC FACET Center
• Have you ever
felt as if your
writing is
monotonous and
dull?
• If so, bring it to
life by varying
your sentence
structure.
Try Using These Special
Phrases
Gerund
Phrases
Important
Definition
Strange . . .
It looks like a verb, but
it acts like a noun.
• A gerund is the
-ing form of a verb
functioning in the
sentence as a noun.
Gerunds as Subjects
• Some gerunds function as the subject of the
sentence.
• The subject identifies who or what the
sentence is about.
• Painting is Jim’s favorite
hobby.
• Gardening keeps Aunt
Ruth busy for hours.
Gerunds as Direct Objects
Direct objects follow the verb and identify the
receiver of the action.
• My entire family likes
bowling. (The verb is likes.
Bowling tells what the family
likes.)
• The dirty floor required
mopping. (The verb is
required. Mopping tells what
the dirty floor required.)
Gerunds as Objects of the
Preposition
• Will Rogers was famous for roping. (Roping
follows the preposition for and identifies a
cause of his fame.)
• Derek finished work before skateboarding.
(Skateboarding follows the preposition before.)
Common Prepositions
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above
about
across
among
around
at
before
below, beneath
beside
between
by
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for
from
in, into, inside
of
off
over
through
to, toward
under
upon
with
Gerund Phrases as Subjects
• Singing with a country
band occupies most of
my brother’s weekend.
• Crying at the top of his
lungs generally got little
Joey what he wanted.
Gerund Phrases as Objects
• Herrmann the Great demonstrated making a
rabbit appear from an empty hat.
• For our final few minutes at Frontier City, we
chose riding the roller coaster.
Gerund Phrases as Objects
of the Preposition
• David enjoys the
ancient Japanese
art of raising bonsai
trees.
• Have you ever tried
relaxing by watching
tropical fish?
Identify the Gerund Phrase
• Hitting a grand slam homerun enabled Raphael
to win the game for his team.
• Charles was ready for a quiet evening at home
after flying a rescue mission in the mountains.
Gerund Phrase Identified
• Hitting a grand slam homerun enabled
Raphael to win the game for his team.
(subject)
• Charles was ready for a quiet evening at
home after flying a rescue mission in the
mountains. (object of the preposition after)
Identify the Gerund Phrases
• Steve succeeded in
climbing the mountain.
• When the director
finished yelling at the
production crew, he
felt much better.
Identify the Gerund Phrases
• Steve succeeded at
climbing the mountain.
(object of the
preposition at)
• When the director
finished yelling at the
production crew, he
felt much better.
(object of the verb
finished, telling what
he finished.)
Identify the Gerund Phrases
• Yelling at the
production crew
made the director
feel much better.
Identify the Gerund Phrases
• Yelling at the
production crew
made the director
feel much better.
(subject telling
what made Jack
feel better)
Important
Definition
Strange . . .
It looks like a verb, but
it acts like an adjective.
• A participle is a
verb form used as
an adjective (a
descriptive word).
Present & Past Participles
Remember this:
• Present participles
end in -ing.
• Past participles end
in -ed or have
irregular endings.
Examples
• The laughing
child held up her
brimming piggy
bank.
• With a cramped
leg, the
screaming boy
waded out of the
pool.
• Notice that each of these
-ing or -ed words acts as
an adjective by describing
another word.
• Laughing describes child.
• Brimming describes the
bank.
• Cramped describes leg.
• Screaming describes boy.
Identify the Descriptive
Participles
• Outside the
Halloween spook
house, dozens of
grinning skeletons
greeted the visitors.
• Tired, I spilled the
steaming coffee.
Descriptive Participles
Identified
• Outside the
Halloween spook
house, dozens of
grinning skeletons
greeted the
visitors.
• Tired, I spilled the
steaming coffee.
Identify the Descriptive
Participles
• After the torrential
rain, I returned
home to a flooded
basement.
• I read the gripping
spy novel until 2:00
a.m.
Irregular Participles
• Although most participles end in -ing and -ed,
some are irregular. To identify the verbs with
irregular participles, think of the form correctly
used with the helping verbs have, has, and had.
• Example: Built to last, the great pyramids of
Egypt may be around for the next millenium.
• Built to last, the great pyramids of Egypt may be
around for the next millenium.
• Notice that the phrase “built to last” works as an
adjective to describe the word pyramids;
therefore, it is a participial phrase.
• However, you’ll see that the participle form, in
this case, doesn’t end in -ed or -ing.
• To indicate past tense, as in the following
sentence, we don’t say builded: The two
children builded an elaborate sand castle.
• Instead, we would write “The two children built
an elaborate sandcastle.”
• This is one of many irregular verbs.
Descriptive Participles
Identified
• After the torrential
rain, I returned
home to a flooded
basement.
• I read the gripping
spy novel until 2:00
a.m.
Participial Phrases
• You have seen several examples of
single word participles ending with -ing
and -ed.
• Some participles do not appear alone,
but instead as the first word of a phrase.
• This phrase still serves as an adjective
and, therefore, describes a noun.
How to Identify the Correct
Past Participle Form
• If you are not sure what the correct past
participle form is, pick the form that would be
correctly used following the helping verbs
has, have, or had.
• For example, the past participle of the verb
take is taken.
• You can tell by trying the verb with the words
listed above: has taken, have taken, had
taken.
A Few Examples of Irregular
Verbs and Their Past Participles
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begin-begun
blow-blown
bring-brought
catch-caught
choose-chosen
draw-drew
eat-eaten
fall-fallen
fly-flown
forget-forgotten
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forgive-forgiven
freeze-frozen
go-gone
hear-heard
hold-held
ride-ridden
rise-risen
speak-spoken
think-thought
wear-worn
Examples of Participial Phrases
• Laughing gleefully,
the child held up her
piggy bank.
• Notice that “Laughing
gleefully” works as a
participial phrase
describing the noun
child.
• Attacked by a sudden
leg cramp, the
screaming boy waded
out of the pool.
• Notice that “Attacked
by a sudden leg
cramp” acts as a
participial phrase
describing the noun
boy.
Identify the Participial
Phrase
• Listening intently, the
students translated
Spanish sentences into
English.
• Using a hoe and a rake,
Steve cleared the dead
plants from the garden.
Participial Phrases Identified
• Listening intently, the
students translated
Spanish sentences into
English. (describes the
noun students)
• Using a hoe and a rake,
Steve cleared the dead
plants from the garden.
(describes the noun
Steve)
Important
Definition
Strange . . .
It looks like a verb, but
it’s preceded by the
word to.
• An infinitive is the
word to plus the
base form of the
verb.
Examples of Infinitives
• We started to practice for the concert.
• It’s time to rake the yard.
• I asked Jeff to go sailing on Grand
Lake.
Note
• When followed by anything other than a verb, the
word to forms a prepositional phrase rather than
an infinitive.
• Examples:
– I took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.
– I went to the post office to mail the package.
(Notice that the sentence also contains the
infinitive “to mail.”)
– I gave the gift to Michael
– I need to talk to her. (This sentence also
contains the infinitive “to talk.”)
Identify the Infinitives.
• Sally decided to
enter the Tulsa
Run.
• Brad learned to
operate the new
photocopier.
Identify the Infinitives
• Sally decided to
enter the Tulsa Run.
• Brad learned to
operate the new
photocopier.
Identify the Infinitive Phrases
• When they went to the Fourth of July parade,
they began to wave their flags.
• Charles paid a visit to the gypsy fortune teller
to learn what the new year would bring.
Infinitive Phrases Identified
• When they went to the Fourth of July parade,
they began to wave their flags.
• Charles paid a visit to the gypsy fortune teller
to learn what the new year would bring.
Remember . . .
You can bring
monotonous
sentences to life
by using gerund,
participial , and
infinitive phrases
in your writing.