Combining Sentences using Participial Phrases

What is a Participial Phrase?

• A Participle is a word formed from a verb that can be an adjective. They will end in –ing or –ed.

• A Participial Phrase contains a participle and any words that modify or compliment that participle.

• For sentence combining we will be using –ing participles.

How to combine sentences using Participial Phrases

• Reduce one sentence to a participial phrase.

• Ex: “Juanita Platero describes the conflict between old and new ideas. She does this as she writes about Navajo culture.” becomes . . .

• “Writing about Navajo culture, Juanita Platero describes the conflict between old and new ideas.”

How to combine sentences using Participial Phrases

• When you insert a participial phrase into a sentence, place it close to the noun or pronoun it modifies for clarity.

• Ex: “Writing about Navajo culture, Juanita Platero describes the conflict between old and new ideas” is much more clear than . . .

• “Juanita Platero describes the conflict between old and new ideas, writing about Navajo Culture.”

How to combine sentences using Participial Phrases

• Are the sentences closely related?

• Reduce one of the sentences to a participial phrase (a word ending in –ing).

• Place the participial phrase near the noun or pronoun it modifies.