WEEK 3 – Phrases: Prepositional, Participial, Gerund
PHRASES: A group of words without a subject and verb,
used as a part of speech.
Prepositional Phrases:
These phrases are either
adjectives or adverbs depending upon how they are used. A prepositional phrase begins with a
preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun.
Examples:
· At the high school, Mr. Thompson taught history. (adverbial modifying taught)
· The gym at the high school is
sold out for the big game. (adjectival
modifying gym)
· In 1892, James Corbett became the heavy weight champion of
boxing. (first phrase is and adverb;
second phrase is an adjective)
Same
phrase used two different ways:
· Ann found in her drink a
fly. (adverb phrase modifying found)
· The fly in her drink bothered
Ann. (adj. phrase modifying bee)
· From the shore, Randy caught fifteen catfish. (adverb modifying caught)
· Greg visited his friend from the
shore of Lake Superior. (adj.
modifying friend)
Participial Phrases: These phrases function as adjectives and
contain a present or past participle.
Participles all tend to end in “’ing” (present participle), “-ed,” “-d,”
“-en,” “-n,” or “-t” with a few exceptions like “swum” and “hung.” Participial phrases are made up of a
participle along with an object or modifier or both. These adjective phrases are usually placed as
near as possible to the words they modify.
Participles are the third and fourth principle parts of verbs.
Examples:
· Fortified against an attack, Macbeth’s army almost deserted their leader.
· Singing “Aida” in the shower, Gary annoyed his roommates.
· Marching in the parade, Patrick showed his Irish pride.
· Dedicated to the health of the poor, Mother Theresa helped others.
· Thrashing the shore with great force, the storm pounded the rocky coast of Maine.
Gerund Phrases: Like any noun, a gerund phrase can function
as a subject, direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition, or
predicate nominative. The gerund phrase
is made up of the present participle (“-ing”) and can contain an object and/or
a modifier (and sometimes many modifiers).
The gerund is a verbal noun.
Examples:
Gerund phrase as a subject:
· Making the varsity team is a challenging endeavor.
· Selling boats demands product knowledge.
Gerund
phrase as a direct object:
· My father once considered swimming
the English Channel.
· The rookie catchers practiced protecting
the plate.
Gerund
phrase as an indirect object:
· If students give learning grammar
a fair chance, their writing will improve.
· My brother once gave swinging a golf
club his undivided attention.
Gerund
phrase as an Object of the Preposition:
· Local authorities tried to control mosquitoes
by spraying insecticide.
· Carrie got first prize by memorizing
the most poetry.
Gerund
phrase as a Predicate Nominative:
· Kathy’s hobby was collecting unusual
bottles.
· Robyn’s greatest accomplishment is singing
in the opera.
· Hank’s strength in hockey was slashing
from the left.
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