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Participial Phrase Examples: Have you heard about what is a participial phase and how it can be used in sentences? In English vocabulary, these phrases are very common and are widely used in sentences. A participial phrase contains a participle and other words. A sentence must have adjectives, pronouns etc. If you are a grammar nazi, then you must be aware of this topic as it is used to create meaningful sentences. Keep reading this blog to know all about participial phrase examples, their types and how they can be used in sentences.
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What are Participial Phrases?
Participial Phrases are a modifier that uses a verb’s participle form to describe a noun. These phrases function as adjectives, pronouns and modifying nouns in a sentence.
There are two types of participial phrases that you should be familiar with.
- Present Participial Phrases: These phrases are formed using the present participle (-ing form of the verb).
For example: Running swiftly, the athlete crossed the finish line.
- Past Participial Phrases: These are phrases that are formed using the past participle. (-ed, -en, -d, -t, -n, or -ne form of the verb).
For example: Excited by the news, the children rushed to the playground.
Must Read: All About Phrases
List of Participial Phrase Examples
Here is a list of examples of participial phrases which will help you get an understanding of the same.
Present Participial Phrases
| Reading silently, she absorbed the contents of the book. |
| Laughing uproariously, the friends enjoyed their time together. |
| Running swiftly, the cheetah chased its prey across the savanna. |
| Singing melodiously, the choir captivated the audience. |
| Writing furiously, the novelist completed the final chapter of her book. |
| Dancing gracefully, the ballerina wowed the audience with her performance. |
| Cooking deliciously, the chef prepared a gourmet meal for his guests. |
| Smiling warmly, the teacher greeted her students at the door. |
| Swimming vigorously, the athlete trained for the upcoming competition. |
| Painting meticulously, the artist added intricate details to her masterpiece. |
Past Participial Phrases
| Frightened by the sudden noise, the cat darted under the table. |
| Surprised by the unexpected turn of events, she stood frozen in disbelief. |
| Amazed by the breathtaking view, they snapped countless photographs. |
| Moved by the poignant story, tears welled up in his eyes. |
| Enthralled by the ancient ruins, the tourists eagerly explored the archaeological site. |
| Captivated by the melody, the audience swayed to the rhythm of the music. |
| Inspired by her grandmother’s recipes, she decided to become a chef. |
| Delighted by the colourful flowers, she spent hours gardening in the backyard. |
| Intrigued by the mysterious letter, he embarked on a quest to uncover its secrets. |
| Mesmerized by the flickering flames, they gathered around the campfire for storytelling. |
| Impressed by his dedication, the committee awarded him the scholarship. |
| Moved by the kindness of strangers, he vowed to pay it forward in any way he could. |
Participial Phrase Rules
Here are some rules for participial phrases which you should keep in mind when incorporating them in sentences.
Rule 1: Place the participial phrase phrase directly next to the noun that will be modified.
Participial phrases should come directly before or after the noun they describe. That is how the readers will get to know which noun the participial phrase is talking about.
Example: Frightened by the thunder, the cat hid behind the couch.
In the sentence above, the phrase ‘the cat is coming after the past participle phrase ‘frightened by the thunder’. This shows that the cat is one who got frightened by the thunder.
Rule 2: If a nonrestrictive participial phrase is modifying a subject, separate it with a comma.
When a nonrestrictive participial phrase describes the subject of a sentence then it is preferable to use a comma to set it aside.
Example: Waiting for her friend to arrive, Marie answered the phone.
Occasionally, one can put a participial phrase after the subject (if it’s not a pronoun). However, in this case, one can put a comma both before and after the participial phrase, unless it’s restrictive.
Rule 3: Place a restrictive participial phrase after the noun that has been modified and do not use a comma.
A restrictive phrase refers to a phrase that is necessary to define a noun. Say, for example, if you want to point a person in a group of people, then you can add a restrictive participial phrase to indicate which person you are talking to.
Example: The man wearing the big red clown nose is my brother.
In the above sentence, the phrase ‘wearing the big clown nose’ is the restrictive participial phrase differentiating the person from the crowd.
Rule 4: If a participial phrase modifies a noun that’s not the subject, it should be placed directly after the noun without a comma.
For all the nouns placed in a sentence other than the subject, a participial phrase is to be used after the noun that is being modified.
Example: Luckily, the teacher didn’t see us coming in late, or she would have given us a warning.
Related Reads on Phrases
FAQs
Here is an example of a participial phrase: Having completed the work, she laid down for rest.
A participial phrase is a group of words that can be placed in the beginning, middle or at the end of the sentence. Keep in mind that the sentence has to be punctuation according to its position.
A participial phrase sentence should have a participle, pronoun, noun phrase or modifier.
We hope this blog has provided you with all the necessary information on participial phrase examples. To advance your grammar knowledge and read more informative blogs, check out our Learn English page and don’t forget to follow Leverage Edu.
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