文档介绍：College English Grammar: Grammar and Writing
Unit 8
Phrases: Participial Phrases
Grammar: Participial Phrases
Writing:
Correcting: Dangling Modifiers
Rewriting: Sentence emphasis
Participial Phrases
Words that are made of verbs but don't act like verbs are called verbals. There are three types of verbals: participles, infinitives and gerunds.
A participle is a verb form used as an adjective to modify nouns and pronouns, or as an adverb to modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. e in two forms: the present participle (V-ing) and the past participle (V-ed).
The present participle in English is in the active voice and is used for:
1. modifying a noun as an adjective; The girl is dancing. The girl is the daughter of my neighbor.
The dancing girl is the daughter of my neighbor.
2. modifying a verb or whole sentence as an adverb. Jack smiled. Jack said hello to me.
Smiling, Jack said hello to me.
The past participle may be used in both active and passive voices and is used for:
modifying a noun as an adjective, with active sense; A tree fell on the road. The road was blocked.
The road was blocked by a fallen tree.
modifying a noun as an adjective, with passive sense; The street was deserted. I felt uneasy on the street.
I felt uneasy on the deserted street.
modifying a verb or sentence as an adverb. Jack was shaken. Jack had to quit his village. Jack was in despair.
Shaken, Jack had to quit his village in despair.
If you are not sure whether you should use present participle or past participle, you can turn the phrase into a sentence. Right sentence ensures right choice. Participial phrase Sentence (be + participle)
the singing birds
flying time
broken car
the excited children
→The birds are singing.
→The birds are sung.
→Time is flying.
→Time is flown.
→The car is breaking.
→The car is broken.
→The children are exciting.
→The children are excited.
As adjectives, participles may be placed before or after the words they modify.