Identifying and Writing Participial Phrases One Skill at a Time Lesson Teacher Overview

Transcription

1 One Skill at a Time Lesson Teacher Overview Skills Focus: Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create Grammar Composition Reading Strategies Annotation Parts of Speech Phrases Participial Clauses Independent Sentence Variety Sentence Beginnings Sentence Combining Style/Voice Conscious Manipulation of Sentence Patterns Experimentation with Sentence Variety Materials and Resources Participial phrases are introduced in the eighth grade skill progression chart. LTF lessons which incorporate participial phrases are: Sentence Structure Basics Sentence Variations The Poetry of Phrases (along with the Phrase Toolbox) Parts of Speech, Phrases, Clauses, and Sentences Subordination Techniques Lesson Introduction Participial phrases are useful in ordering which information in the sentence should be given the dominant place in that sentence. These phrases can serve as effective replacements for independent clauses and even sentences and thus help provide concision and focus to the sentence. This lesson will help students add elegance and concision to their sentences by writing participial phrases. Students will learn to use sentence variety by transforming some sentences and independent clauses into participial phrases. Students will also develop proficiency in placing participial phrases in three different positions within the sentence before the subject and verb, between the subject and verb, and after the subject and verb. Another skill students will develop as they work with this lesson is to determine which part of a sentence is the most important, or the independent clause. They will learn to subordinate less important information by placing it in a participial phrase.

2 Part 1 A participle is the verb form functioning like an adjective. The phrase is the participle plus its modifiers. In other words, a participle looks like a verb but doesn t ACT like one. For example using the verb listen As a verb: The girl was listening to music on her MP3 player (as she completed her homework). AND The girl listened to music on her MP3 player as she completed her homework. Now we change how the verb acts turn it into an adjective that describes the girl and we have to include an additional verb to act as a verb in the sentence. As a participle: The girl, listening to music on her MP3 player, completed her homework. Note: When you use an ing verb, it must have a helping verb with it to act like a verb. Helping verb list: may might must do does did should would could have has had be being been am is are was were will can shall Now you try: Use the verb singing. Write one sentence using singing as a verb and one using singing as a participle. 1. Verb: 2. Participle:

3 Placing participial phrases in a sentence. When writing participial phrases, you must take care to place them into the sentence in such a way as not to create a misplaced modifier. A misplaced modifier is a word, a phrase, or a clause that does not clearly relate to the word or phrase it is intended to modify. A misplaced modifier can be corrected by moving the modifier closer to the word or phrase it should be describing. For example: Climbing up the tree, the dog chased the cat. This is confusing because it sounds as though the dog is climbing up the tree rather than the cat. To correct this, the participial phrase should be moved closer to cat. Exercise A: In the following sentences, indicate if the participial phrase should be placed in blank 1 or blank 2 to avoid a misplaced modifier. Example: borrowed from her mother (1) the girl wore a bright, blue sweater (2) Does the phrase go in blank 1 or blank 2? The phrase is correctly placed in blank 2 because it is the sweater that is borrowed from her mother not the girl. walking backwards 1. (1) the boy couldn t see the door (2) hunting for his socks 2. (1) Jerry found his lost driver s license (2) broken in a tumble down the stairs 3. (1) I held my limp arm (2) scared by the thunder 4. (1) the dog huddled under the bed (2) rocking to and fro 5. (1) the girl kept time with the music (2)

4 Part 2 Participial phrases are a handy way to add detail, description, and elaboration to your writing. They are also a tried and true way to add concision to your sentences you can sometimes reduce a clause or even a whole sentence to a participial phrase and lend a more forceful, compact sense to your sentences. Look at the two sentences below. Abraham Lincoln was satisfied with his Second Inaugural Address. He relaxed afterward during the White House reception. Take the verb in the first sentence satisfied and create a participial phrase which modifies Abraham Lincoln: Satisfied with his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln relaxed afterward during the White House reception. (Notice that we have a past participle.) You can also take the verb in the second sentence relaxed and create a different participial phrase: Abraham Lincoln was satisfied with his Second Inaugural Address, relaxing afterward during the White House reception. (Now we have a present participle.) In the first sentence, the more important idea is the fact that Abraham Lincoln relaxed during the White House reception after his Second Inaugural Address. How do we know this? We know because this is the independent clause, and the independent clause in a sentence is always the most important part. We took the idea that Lincoln was satisfied with his Second Inaugural Address and made it less important, or subordinated it. Therefore, writing participial phrases is a key method in using subordination. In the second sentence, what is the more important idea? What idea has been subordinated by turning it into a participial phrase? Did you notice the placement of the participial phrases? In one sentence, the phrase occurs BEFORE the subject and the verb: participial phrase subject verb Satisfied with his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln relaxed afterward during the White House reception. And in the second sentence, the participial phrase occurs AFTER the subject and the verb: subject verb p articipial phrase Abraham Lincoln was satisfied with his Second Inaugural Address, relaxing afterward during the White House reception.

5 Participial phrases can occur in a third position: BETWEEN the subject and verb: subject p articipial phrase verb Lincoln, relaxing afterward during the White House reception, was satisfied with his Second Inaugural Address. OR subject participial phrase verb Lincoln, satisfied with his Second Inaugural Address, relaxed afterward during the White House reception. Let s look at two more sentences which we can combine to create a participial phrase: Frederick Douglass visited the White House reception after Lincoln s Second Inaugural Address. It was disturbing to him that at first he was not allowed entrance. Subordinate the idea that Frederick Douglass was disturbed that he was not allowed entrance use a past participle. Frederick Douglass visited the White House reception after Lincoln s Second Inaugural Address,. Now subordinate a different part of the sentence. Subordinate the idea that Frederick Douglass visited the White House reception after Lincoln s Second Inaugural Address. This time use a present participle., Frederick Douglass was disturbed that at first he was not allowed entrance. When you write participial phrases, you are making your sentences more compact and concise and packing even more information, details, and elaboration into one sentence.

6 Part 3 Notice how the following sentences may be combined to create one sentence with a participial phrase. The sentences are taken from Charles Dickens s book A Christmas Carol. The fog and darkness thickened so that people ran about. They were proferring their services to go before horses and conduct them on their way. They could see that it would be useless to pursue their point. So the gentlemen withdrew. Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror. He left the keyhole to the fog and even more congenial frost. Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror. He left the keyhole to the fog and even more congenial frost. The fog and darkness thickened so that people ran about, proferring their services to go before horses and conduct them on their way. Seeing that it would be useless to pursue their point, the gentlemen withdrew. Seizing the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror, Scrooge left the keyhole to the fog and even more congenial frost. Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror, leaving the keyhole to the fog and even more congenial frost. Note that in the last two examples, the main verb in the first sentence is seized and the verb in the second sentence left. The verb seized has been transformed into a participle by changing it to seizing. The verb left has been transformed into a participle by changing it to leaving. When you want to combine two sentences, just choose a verb, and change that verb into the first word of a participial phrase. Exercise B Find the participial phrases in these sentences from A Christmas Carol. Some sentences may contain more than one participial phrase. Remember that a participle can be present and end in ing or past and end most often in ed or en. Underline the main verb and the subject in each sentence. Then highlight the participial phrase(s). The first one has been done for you as an example. 1. He fastened the door and walked across the hall and up the stairs, slowly too, trimming his candle as he went. 2. Up Scrooge went, not caring a button for that. 3. The fireplace was an old one, built by some Dutch merchant long ago and paved all round with quaint Dutch tiles, designed to illustrate the scriptures. 4. When they were within two paces of each other, Marley s Ghost held up his hand, warning him to come no nearer. 5. The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went.

7 6. When Scrooge awoke it was so dark that, looking out of bed, he could scarcely distinguish the transparent window from the opaque walls of his chamber. 7. The idea being an alarming one, he scrambled out of bed and groped his way to the window. 8. When this result was brought about, old Fezziwig, clapping his hands to stop the dance, cried out Well done! 9. Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig took their stations, one on either side of the door, and shaking hands with every person individually as he or she went out, wished him or her a merry Christmas. 10. Down in the west the setting sun had left a streak of fiery red, which glared upon the desolation for an instant, like a sullen eye, and, frowning lower, lower, lower yet, was lost in the thick gloom of darkest night. Choose one of Dickens s sentences above. Explain the effect and the purpose of adding a participial phrase. Exercise C Combine the following sentences to create one sentence with a participial phrase. Remember that participial phrases can occur before the subject, between the subject and the verb, and after the subject and the verb. Your directions will tell you where to place the phrase. You have an example for each position of the participial phrase. (The sentences are taken from A Christmas Carol with participial phrases added.) 1. (between the subject and the verb) This is a place where miners live. They labor in the bowels of the earth. The miners, laboring in the bowels of the earth, live here. 2. (between the subject and the verb) The cheerful company was assembled round a glowing fire. They were passing through the wall of mud and stone. 3. (before the subject) The old man was becoming quite blithe and loud. His vigor sank again. Becoming quite blithe and loud, the old man s vigor sank again.

8 4. (before the subject) The Spirit was passing on above the moor. It did not tarry here but bade Scrooge hold his robe. 5. (after the subject and verb) Scrooge s nephew laughed with an infectious good humor. He was holding his sides. He was rolling his head. He was twisting his face into the most extravagant contortions. Scrooge s nephew laughed with an infectious good humor, holding his sides, rolling his head, and twisting his face into the most extravagant contortions. 6. (after the subject and verb) It was a great surprise to Scrooge. He had been listening to the moaning of the wind and thinking what a solemn thing it was to move on through the lonely darkness over an unknown abyss. (Try to write a participial phrase with two participles in it for this one.)

9 Exercise D In the following sentences taken from A Christmas Carol, Dickens did not include participial phrases. Try adding your own participial phrases in the underlined space. Notice that the phrases will sometimes appear before the subject and verb, sometimes between the subject and the verb, and sometimes after the subject and the verb. The first one is done for you as an example. 1. Scrooge shivered, feeling the effects of seeing Marley s ghost, and he wiped the perspiration from his brow. 2. Again the specter raised a cry, and shook his chain, and wrung his shadowy hands, 3. Marley s ghost bothered Scrooge exceedingly, 4., the panels shrunk, the windows cracked, and fragments of plaster fell out of the ceiling. 5., Scrooge was walking up and down despairingly. 6. Scrooge,, remembered everything about the first of the three spirits. 7. Scrooge had acted like a man out of his wits, 8., Scrooge became conscious that it was looking full upon him, while the light upon its head burned very clear. 9.The Spirit, disapproval of Scrooge s actions., showed its 10. Scrooge felt the Spirit s glance,. Choose one sentence above that you have completed by adding a participial phrase. Write commentary explaining the effect of adding the participial phrase.