Participles

O Verb form that functions as an adjective. O Describe nouns or pronouns O May be present participles or past participles Smiling, he ate another fried chicken wing.

Past vs. Present Participles O Past participles end in –d or –ed O There are some irregular past participles that don’t follow this pattern (i.e. sent) O Present participles end in -ing Turn and teach: What is the difference between a past participle and a present participle?

Find the participles and the word(s) that they modify. It [Tyrannosaurus rex] came on great, oiled, resilient, striding legs. --Ray Bradbury, “A Sound of Thunder”

Participial Phrase O Participle plus its descriptors and complements Foolishly wasting time, he studied the broken creature.

Why This Matters O Using participial phrases and participles in writing can make your descriptions more vivid

Find the participial phrases and the words they describe And then, for some reason, Millicent thought of the heather bird. Swooping carefree over the moors, they would go singing and crying out across the great spaces of air … their wings flashing quick and purple in the bright sun. --Sylvia Plath, “Initiation”

Change the Meaning Jody ran across the field. Add a participle phrase to make the sentence: 1. Silly 2. Gruesome 3. Beautiful EXAMPLE (silly): Jody ran across the field, throwing cheese cubes to the crowd.