1. Writing With Participles
Participles are verbs ending in –ing, which can be used at the beginning of a sentence:
Before: The bald eagle swooped upon an unsuspecting salmon.
After: Squeaking its shrill cry and flexing its talons, the bald eagle swooped upon an unsuspecting salmon.
* How are commas used with participle phrases?

2. How to make participles:
Add ing to any verb: falling, whispering, discovering, running, thinking
Then, place it at the front of a sentence…

3. From The Secret Lives of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd:
Staying in a colored house with colored women, eating off their dishes, lying on their sheets–it was not something I was against, but I was brand-new to it, and my skin had never felt so white to me.

4. You may also use participle phrases in the middle of a sentence:
I guess to most people it would feel creepy to fumble through warm dirt, feeling hundreds of worms wiggle against their skin.
* Notice the placement of the comma
from: When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt

5. Student examples:
Sitting among her friends, she drew deep breaths before announcing her terrible news.
Alex hesitated, clenching the doorknob, hoping he would find the expert he had traveled hours to see.
The substitute teacher, seeming calm and helpful, twiddled his thumbs while considering his next devious plot.

6. Combine Sentences With Participles
Create participles to combine these sentence pairs:
He tried to avoid the hazardous tree branch in the road.
He swerved the car to the left shoulder.
The singer reached the highest note in the song.
She held it there for an impressive length of time.
Students crowded into the auditorium.
Students had anticipated the magician’s arrival all week.
*Don’t forget commas!

7. Participles: Words to the Wise…
Enthusiastic to use participles, writers sometimes unknowingly create dangling modifiers. This means that a reader cannot tell what the writer is trying to modify or describe with the participle or participle phrase.
On a sheet of paper, draw the sentence below. Can you explain the problem?
Licking its tail and cleaning its claws, the curious baby watched the cat grooming.

8. A Solution for Dangling Modifiers
When you create a participle, ask yourself which key word(s) you want the participle to explain. Be sure those key words immediately follow the participle phrase.
Licking its tail and cleaning its claws, a curious baby watched the cat grooming.
In this case, “licking its tail and cleaning its claws” explains or modifies the cat. Fortunately, babies don’t have claws!
A revision might be: Licking its tail and cleaning its claws, the cat’s grooming entertained a curious baby.

9. Revise the Dangling Modifiers
Locate the participle in each sentence below and determine the key word(s) it ought to explain. Rewrite each sentence to make sense.
Walking along the beach, the sun rose majestically over the ocean. 
Singing for all she was worth, we hoped desperately that Margaret would win the competition. 

10. Your turn: Look at the following photograph
Think of verbs that describe the action in the picture and add ing
Place the participle at the beginning or middle of the sentence you create, making us feel that we are a part of the experience. Use the previous examples in this section to help you
Be sure to use commas correctly
Share

11. Instructor: Insert your photo here
Think of verbs that describe the action in the picture and add ing
Place the participle at the beginning or middle of the sentence you create, making us feel that we are a part of the experience
Be sure to use commas correctly