Participles and Participle Phrases

Summary

This video explains the concept of participles in grammar, describing how verbs can act as adjectives to modify nouns. Participles typically end in 'ing' or 'ed', though they can have other endings. Examples highlight how participles describe nouns, like 'applauding' in 'the applauding crowd'. The video also covers participle phrases, which include modifiers and objects, and discusses how participles can be identified by removing them from a sentence without altering its meaning. A quick recap emphasizes the versatility of participles in sentence structure.

Takeaways

• 😀 A participle is a verb form that functions as an adjective, describing a noun.
• 😀 Participles often end in '-ing' or '-ed', but they can have other endings too.
• 😀 Example 1: 'Applauding' is a participle in the sentence 'The babies reacted strongly to the applauding crowd.'
• 😀 Example 2: 'Crying' is a participle in the sentence 'The crying baby stole the show.'
• 😀 Not all participles end in '-ing'. For example, 'abandoned' in 'The abandoned house in town' is a participle.
• 😀 A participle phrase includes the participle and any objects or modifiers that go with it.
• 😀 Example of participle phrase: 'Walking along the beach' in 'Walking along the beach, Raymond collected jellyfish.'
• 😀 A participle phrase functions as a single adjective that describes a noun in the sentence.
• 😀 When testing for a participle, try removing the participle or participle phrase from the sentence. If the sentence still makes sense, it’s likely a participle.
• 😀 Example of testing participles: In 'The salesman convinced the very tall man to buy the car,' 'charming' is the participle because removing it still makes sense.
• 😀 Example of participle phrase removal: In 'Frightened by the loud fireworks, the dog hid behind me,' removing the phrase 'frightened by the loud fireworks' leaves a complete sentence.

Q & A

What is a participle?

A participle is a verb form that functions as an adjective, describing a noun.

How can participles end?

Participles typically end in -ing or -ed, but they can have many other endings as well.

Can you give an example of a participle describing a noun?

In the sentence 'The babies reacted strongly to the applauding crowd,' the word 'applauding' is a participle because it describes the noun 'crowd.'

What does a participle phrase include?

A participle phrase includes the participle itself along with any objects or modifiers, and the entire phrase acts as a single adjective.

What is an example of a participle phrase?

In the sentence 'Walking along the beach, Raymond collected jellyfish,' the phrase 'walking along the beach' is a participle phrase describing Raymond.

How can you identify a participle or participle phrase in a sentence?

One way to identify a participle or participle phrase is to remove it from the sentence. If the sentence still makes sense, the removed part is likely the participle or participle phrase.

How does removing adjectives affect a sentence?

Adjectives can typically be removed from a sentence without altering its basic meaning. This is a key way to identify participles.

In the sentence 'The charming salesman convinced the very tall man to buy the car,' how do you determine which word is the participle?

In this sentence, 'charming' is the participle because removing it ('The salesman convinced the very tall man to buy the car') still leaves a meaningful sentence. 'Convinced' is the main verb in this case.

Why is 'frightened by the loud fireworks' considered a participle phrase in the sentence 'Frightened by the loud fireworks, the dog hid behind me'?

'Frightened by the loud fireworks' is a participle phrase because it describes the noun 'dog,' and removing it from the sentence ('The dog hid behind me') still leaves a grammatically correct sentence.

Do all participles end in -ing or -ed?

No, not all participles end in -ing or -ed. While those are common endings, participles can have various other endings depending on the verb form.