Participial Phrase

First, what is a participle?

A participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in –ing or –ed. Participles modify nouns or pronouns.

Participle PhraseA participle phrase will begin with a present or past participle. If the participle is present, it will dependably end in -ing. Likewise, a regular past participle will end in a consistent ed. Irregular past participles, unfortunately, conclude in all kinds of ways.Since phrases require two or more words, a participle phrase will often include objects and/or modifiers that complete the thought. Here are some examples:

Crunching caramel corn for the entire movieWashed with soap and waterStuck in the back of the closet behind the obsolete computer

PracticeParticiple phrases always function as adjectives, adding description to the sentence. Read these examples:

Ex: The horse trotting up to the fence hopes that you have an apple or carrot.

What is the participle phrase? (What participle [verb] is modifying a noun?)

Trotting up to the fence What noun/pronoun is being modified?

horse

PracticeParticiple phrases always function as adjectives, adding description to the sentence. Read these examples:Ex: Standing there in the middle of the street, Marty suddenly thought of Halloween, of the winter and snowballs, of the schoolyard.

What is the participle phrase?Standing there in the middle of the street

What is the noun/pronoun being modified?Marty

Practice

Participle phrases always function as adjectives, adding description to the sentence. Read these examples:Ex: Eaten by mosquitoes, we wished that we had made hotel, not campsite, reservations.

What is the participle phrase?Eaten by mosquitoes

What is the noun/pronoun being modified?we

When do I need commas?When a participial phrase begins a sentence, a

comma should be placed after the phrase.Arriving at the store, I found that it was closed.

If the participle or participial phrase comes in the middle of a sentence, it should be set off with commas only if the information is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.

Sid, watching an old movie, drifted in and out of sleep.

Note that if the participial phrase is essential to the meaning of the sentence, no commas should be used:

The student earning the highest grade point average will receive a special award.

When do I need commas?If a participial phrase comes at the end of a sentence, and is

describing the word right in front of it, you need no punctuation to connect the two sentence parts

The local residents often saw Ken wandering through the streets. Mariah risked petting the pit bull wagging its stub tail.

If a participle phrase comes at the end of a sentence but modifies an earlier word in the sentence, then you need a comma before the phrase.

Tom nervously watched the woman, alarmed by her silence.(The phrase modifies Tom, not woman.)Cooper enjoyed dinner at Audrey's house, agreeing to a large slice of cherry pie even though he was full to the point of bursting.(The phrase is modifying “Cooper” which is at the beginning of the sentence.)

How to Avoid Misplacing (or Dangling) the ParticipleIn the most basic explanation: To avoid a dangling participle, keep

the participle phrase next to the noun/pronoun it’s modifying.

Participle phrases are the most common modifier to misplace or dangle. In clear, logical sentences, you will find modifiers right next to the words they describe.

Shouting with happiness, William celebrated his chance to interview at SunTrust.

Notice that the participle phrase sits right in front of William, the one doing the shouting.If too much distance separates a modifier and its target, the modifier is misplaced.

Draped neatly on a hanger, William borrowed Grandpa's old suit to wear to the interview.

The suit, not William, is on the hanger! The modifier must come closer to the word it is meant to describe:

For the interview, William borrowed Grandpa's old suit, which was draped neatly on a hanger.