Week 5 & 6

INSTRUCTOR: TSUEIFEN CHENTERM: 100-2

Participial phrase: what is it and what does it

do? Participle forms:

1. General form –ing participial phrases2. General form –ed participial phrases3. Perfect form participial phrases

How to make a participial phrase: Reducing adj. clauses to participial phrases

Position and punctuation of participial phrase

Focus

• A participial phrase contains a participle + other words.

What is a participial phrase?

Participial Phrase

A participle is an adjective formed from a

verb. There are two kinds of participles: 1. –ing participles (called present participles)2. -ed participles (called past participles)

e.g. The computer is connecting to the Internet. The computer is connected to the Internet. an interesting book, an interested audience

What Is a Participle?

The two kinds of participles come from either active

or passive voice verbs.--an active voice verb becomes an –ing participleThe book interests (v.) me. -ing participle The interesting book is selling well.

--a passive voice verb becomes an -ed participleMy leg was broken in three places. -ed participle My broken leg is healing slowly.

-ing participles and –ed participles

• A participial phrase modifies nouns and pronouns.

What does it

do?

Participial Phrase

participial phrase

Students planning to graduate in June must make an appointment with the teacher.

A woman hurrying to catch a bus tripped and fell.

participial phrase

Examples of Participial Phrases

Participial phrases can be formed by

reducing adjective clauses and adverb clauses. Therefore, they are sometimes called reduced clauses.

How to Make a Participial Phrase

Delete the relative pronoun (who, which, or that)

Change the verb to a participle (-ing or –ed)

Keep the same punctuation (commas or no commas)

Put the word not at the beginning of a participial phrase to make it negative.

Steps of Making a Participial Phrase

Step 1

Delete the relative pronoun (who, which, or that).

Many students who study at this university are from foreign countries.

Many students who study at this university are from foreign countries.

Step 2

Change the verb to a participle.

Many students who study at this university are from foreign countries.

Many students studying at this university are from foreign countries.

The above example does not have commas.

Many students studying at this university are from foreign countries.

Step 3

Keep the same punctuation (commas or no commas).

The taxi driver, who did not realize what had happened, continued on.Step 1: The taxi driver, who did not realize what happened, continued on.Step 2 & 3: The taxi driver, not realizing what happened, continued on.Step 4: The taxi driver, not realizing what happened, continued on.

Step 4

Put the word not at the beginning of a participial phrase to make it negative.

When shortening or combining clauses with a participle

construction, keep the following rules in mind:

1. Both clauses should have the same subject.2. The less important part becomes the participle clause.

Important information should always be in the main clause.3. Make sure you use the correct participle form.4. The conjunctions as, because, since and relative

pronouns who, which are left out.5. The conjunctions before, when are used in the participle

clause.6. The conjunctions after, while can be used or left out.

Rules of Participial Constructions

Participial phrases, like adjective clauses, can be

restrictive (necessary) or nonrestrictive (unnecessary).

If the original clause is nonrestrictive, the phrase is nonrestrictive also. A nonrestrictive phrase is separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. Restrictive phrases use no commas.

The position of a participial phrase in a sentence depends on whether it is restrictive or nonrestrictive, or whether it modifies an entire clause.

Positions and Punctuation of Participial Phrases

A restrictive p.p. can only follow the noun it

modifies and does not have commas. A nonrestrictive p.p. can precede or follow the

noun it modifies and is separated by a comma or commas from the rest of the sentence.

Sometimes a p.p. modifies an entire independent clause. In this case, it follows the clause and requires a comma.

Position and Punctuation continued…