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Topic: Participial Phrases as Adjectives |
18 June 2002 |
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A participial phrase with verb ing and verb ed can be an adjective modifying a noun.
It can be put before or after a noun. We put short adjectives with ing or -ed before the noun and longer participial
phrases (groups of word beginning with verb ing or -ed) after nouns. The ing adjectives show that the noun,
which they modify, can perform the action of the verb.
For example:
The family trip to Krabi this summer was exciting. We met many interesting people. (The trip excited us and the people we met interested us.)
Who are those people shouting on the street? (Who are the people who are shouting on the street?)
The machine was hot because the cooling system was not working properly. (The cooling system cools off the machine.)
Colorful wrapping paper can be found in gift shops and department stores. (The paper is used for wrapping gifts.)
On the contrary the adjectives ending with ed suggest that the action is done to the noun. It has a sense of passive voice.
The gray-haired man sat in the park all day.
A security guard, fired by his employer last week, decided to rob a bank.
Someone took the broken mirror off the cracked wall.
You should put the modifier as close to the noun as possible. Otherwise the modifier might be mistaken as to modify another noun.
For example:
The elephant tusks we bought from the antique shop hanging on the wall cost a fortune. (It sounds like the antique shop is hanging on the wall not the tusks.)
The letter torn to pieces is hidden in an encyclopedia. is different from The letter is hidden in an encyclopedia torn to pieces.
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Exercise: Participial Phrases as Adjectives |
| Directions: Rewrite the given sentences using participial phrases. Fill in the appropriate missing part. |
 I could not sleep because the neighbors dog was barking all night.
The ___________ kept me up all night. |
Do you know the kid who is playing on the slide?
Do you know _______________________? |
Dont drop the fruits. They will get bruised.
Nobody likes ___________. |
Bill was missing from home for two days. The police finally found him.
The police found the __________ boy. |
The parents were afraid that somebody might have kidnapped the boy.
____________ children are often in danger. |
Children who have no support suffer in school.
On the other hand, _______________________ by parents do well in school. |
Some pets are abandoned and abused. They no longer remain in owners care.
The Shelter is a home for _____________________ pets. |
Mary wants to be a nurse. She wants to take care of sick people.
Mary wants to be a nurse ____________ sick people. |
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Answers |
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