Understanding Participial Phrases

Understanding Participial Phrases A participial phrase or clause is a wonderful tool for writers because it gives color and action to a sentence. By employing verbals- words derived from a verb- along with other grammatical elements, an author can craft clauses that function as an adjective, modifying nouns and pronouns. The participial phrase contains a participle and the other words in the phrase that modify the noun or pronoun. They cant stand alone as complete sentences. Present or Past Participial phrases or clauses consist of a present participle  (a verbal ending in ing) or past participle (a verbal ending in en ed,  d, t, n, or ne), plus modifiers, objects, and complements. A participle may  be followed by  an  adverb, a  prepositional phrase, an  adverb clause, or any combination of these.  They are set off by commas and function the same way adjectives do in a sentence. Past-participial phrase:  Invented by an Indiana housewife in 1889, the first dishwasher was driven by a steam engine.Present-participial phrase:  Working before unfriendly crowds, the referee has orders to exude poise under the most trying circumstances. Here, for example, the participial phrase consists of a present participle (holding), an object (the flashlight), and an adverb (steadily): Holding the flashlight steadily,  Jenny approached the strange creature. In the next sentence, the participial phrase includes a present participle (making), an object (a great ring), and a prepositional phrase (of white light): Jenny waved the flashlight over her head,  making a great ring of white light. Placement and Punctuation Participial phrases can appear in one of three places within a sentence, but  be careful not to risk awkwardness or confusion by placing it too far from the word it modifies. For example, a participial phrase that indicates a cause usually precedes the  main clause and sometimes follows the  subject, but only rarely appears at the end of the sentence. No matter where they are, they always modify a subject. Correctly punctuating a sentence that contains such a clause depends on where it is placed in reference to the subject. Before the main  clause, the participial phrase is followed by a comma: Speeding down the highway, Bob didnt notice the police car. After the main clause, it is preceded by a comma: The gamblers silently arranged their cards, losing themselves in thought. In mid-sentence position, it is set off by commas before and after: The real estate agent, thinking of her profit potential, decided not to buy the property. In each sentence below, the participial phrase clearly modifies the subject (my sister) and suggests a cause: Discouraged by the long hours and low pay, my sister finally quit her job.My sister,  discouraged by the long hours and low pay, finally quit her job. But consider what happens when the participial phrase moves to the end of the sentence: My sister finally quit her job,  discouraged by the long hours and low pay. Here the logical order of cause-effect is reversed, and as a result, the sentence may be less effective than the first two versions. While the sentence absolutely works grammatically, some may misread that the job is feeling discouraged, instead of the sister. Dangling Participial Phrases Although participial phrases can be an effective tool, beware. A misplaced or dangling participial phrase can cause embarrassing errors. The easiest way to tell whether a phrase is being used correctly is to look at the subject it is modifying. Does the relationship make sense? Dangling phrase: Reaching for a glass, the cold soda called my name.Corrected phrase: Reaching for a glass, I could hear the cold soda calling my name. The first example is illogical; a bottle of soda cant reach for a glass- but a person can pick up that glass and fill it. Be careful when combining sentences and converting one to a participial phrase to keep the subject of the sentence that goes with the adjectival phrase. For instance, you wouldnt want the following sentences: I curled my toes and squinted.The doctor prepared to puncture my arm with a needle. to turn into: Curling my toes and squinting, the doctor prepared to puncture my arm with a needle. Here the participial phrase refers to  the doctor  when it should refer to  I- a pronoun thats not in the sentence. This kind of problem is called a  dangling modifier, dangling participle, or misplaced modifier. We can correct this dangling modifier either by adding  I  to the sentence or by replacing the participial phrase with an  adverb clause: Curling my toes and squinting,  I waited for the doctor to puncture my arm with a needle.As I curled my toes and squinted, the doctor prepared to puncture my arm with a needle. Gerunds vs. Participles A gerund is a verbal that also ends in ing, just like participles in the present tense. You can tell them apart by looking at how they function within a sentence.  A gerund functions as a  noun, while a  present participle functions as an adjective. Gerund:  Laughing  is good for you.Present participle: The laughing woman clapped her hands with joy. Gerund Clauses vs. Participial Phrases Confusing gerunds or participles can be easy because both can also form clauses. The simplest way to differentiate the two is to use the word it in place of the verbal. If the sentence still makes grammatical sense, youve got a gerund clause: If not, its a participial phrase. Gerund phrase: Playing golf relaxes Shelly.Participial phrase: Waiting for takeoff, the pilot radioed the control tower.