Participles and Participial Phrases Quite possibly the most fun you can have in English class!

What is a participle? -A participle is a form of a verb that can act as an adjective. -Participles fall into two groups: present participles and past participles. You can identify these two different kinds of participles by their endings. 1. Present participles end in –ing (dancing, playing, etc…). 2. Past participles generally end in –ed (danced, played, etc…), but they may have irregular endings such as –nt or –en (burnt, spoken).

What do participles do? -Participles answer the questions What kind? Or Which one? Give it a shot: Underline the participle in the following sentence. Is it present or past? The Pueblo tribe was a dignified tribe. Answer: The Pueblo tribe was a dignified tribe. (past)

Verb or Participle? - Because verbs often have endings such as –ing and –ed, you must be careful not to confuse them with participles acting as adjectives. - So how can I tell? A verb shows an action, a condition, or the fact that something exists. A participle acting as an adjective modifies a noun or pronoun.

Attention: The same word can be used as a verb and as a participle! For example: The word chugging. Used as a verb: The train was chugging down the track. Used as a participle: The chugging train puffed down the track. -Give it a shot! Use the word confused as a verb and as a participle. (I thought many of you would be able to relate to this word right now.) -Here’s how I did it: As a verb: The directions confused her. As a participle: Confused, she could not follow the directions.

Participial Phrases -A participial phrase is a participle modified by an adverb. The entire phrase acts like an adjective. Examples: 1. Studying carefully, she learned much about Native American people. 2. Frightened by its sudden appearance, I yelled, “Snake!” 3. Her sister, using a calm voice, told us to stand still. 4. The man wearing the war bonnet was a chief of the Sioux people.

Give it a shot! Participial Phrases -Write the participial phrase in the following sentence. Then, write the word or words it modifies. 1. Being a resourceful people, the Nootka used their surroundings to make many things. Answer: Being a resourceful people, the Nootka used their surroundings to make many things. (the Nootka)

Gerunds and Gerund Phrases What is a Gerund? -A gerund is a form of a verb that acts as a noun. Attention: Gerunds ALWAYS end in – ing! Examples: 1.Writing by the Aztecs was often recorded on paper made of cactus. 2.On their vacation, the Rezendes discovered canoeing. 3.His performance gives acting a bad reputation. 4.One relaxing exercise is swimming. 5.The Aztecs obtained much of their food by fishing.

Gerunds Give it a shot! Identify the gerund in the following sentence - Displaying one’s social status was important to some Native American tribes. -Quick question: What’s the difference between a participle and a gerund? Answer: A participle is a verb that can act as an adjective and a gerund is a verb that can act as a noun.

Infinitives What is an infinitive? -An infinitive is a form of a verb that generally appears with the word to and acts as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Examples: - To decorate requires gold, tropical feathers, and rare furs. - Alone and frightened, she wanted to survive. - The purpose of pictures was to record an idea.

Infinitives Give it a shot! -Identify the infinitive in the following sentences. 1. He had no choice except to relent. -He had no choice except to relent. 2. His goal, to travel, was never realized. - His goal, to travel, was never realized.

Don’t make a Boo-Boo: You should take care not to confuse a prepositional phrase beginning with to with an infinitive! -A prepositional phrase always ends with a noun or pronoun. An infinitive always ends with a verb. * Prepositional Phrase: We went to the movies last week. * Infinitive: I didn’t want the movie to end.