Identify participles and what they modify
Key Notes:
| What is a Participle? |
A participle is a verb form that acts like an adjective in a sentence.
It describes a noun or a pronoun. 🧠✍️
| Types of Participles |
| Type | Form | Example | Emoji |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Participle | ends with -ing | running water | 🏃♂️💧 |
| Past Participle | usually ends with -ed, -en, -d, -t, or -n | broken glass, baked cake | 💔🧁 |
| How to Identify a Participle? |
Ask these 2 questions:
1️⃣ Does the word come from a verb?
2️⃣ Is it describing a noun or pronoun?
If YES, it’s a participle! ✅
| What Do Participles Modify? |
Participles modify nouns or pronouns.
📌 Example:
- The crying baby needs milk. 👶🍼
(Crying = participle, modifies baby) - The broken vase was expensive. 🏺💸
(Broken = participle, modifies vase)
| Participial Phrase |
A participial phrase includes a participle + words related to it.
It works as an adjective too! 🎀
📍 Examples:
- Running late, Riya rushed to school. 🏃♀️⏰
(Participial phrase modifies “Riya”) - The cat sleeping on the mat is mine. 🐈🛏️
(Participial phrase modifies “cat”)
| Common Mistake: Dangling Participles |
A dangling participle has nothing to modify clearly, making the sentence confusing.
😕 Wrong:
Walking to school, the rain started.
(Who was walking? Rain?)
✅ Correct:
Walking to school, I got caught in the rain. 🌧️
| Quick Practice (Identify the Participle & Noun Modified) |
- The shining stars lit the sky. ✨
- The boiled eggs were tasty. 🥚😋
- Excited to play, the children ran outside. ⚽👧👦
| Summary |
| Key Point | Emoji |
|---|---|
| Participles are verb forms used as adjectives | 🏅 |
| Present: -ing | 🔵 |
| Past: -ed/-en/-t/-n | 🟡 |
| Participles modify nouns and pronouns | 🔧 |
| Participial phrases = participle + extra words | 🧩 |
Let’s practice!🖊️
