Name: _______________________________
PHRASES WORKSHEET
Prepositional Phrases, Participle Phrases, Gerund
Phrases
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)
PRACTICE
For each sentence, put the prepositional phrase in parentheses. Circle the preposition. Finally, determine if this phrase is an adjective phrase or an adverb phrase. Draw an arrow to the word it modifies.
1. The table in the kitchen was my mother’s.
2. We put the table in the kitchen
3. The keys in my pocket belong to my boss.
4. I found the keys in my pocket.
5. The bridge over the river is longer than the one
over the creek.
6. Using the bridge, the cars went over the river.
7. The stars beyond the solar system are still a mystery.
8. Let’s build a rocket that goes beyond the solar
system.
9. Between you and me, this cake of my aunt’s is dry on
the outside.
10.
The house of the
father of my best friend’s uncle from Kansas is for sale.
PARTICIPLE 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.
PRACTICE
For each sentence
below, underline the participle phrase.
Include the present or past participle and other parts of the
phrase. Draw an arrow to the noun or
noun phrase that the participle phrase modifies.
1.
Sam, encouraging
his brother, cheered him on at the finish line.
2.
The growing population
forced the city to build a new school.
3.
Studying math,
Calvin is planning a career as an accountant.
4.
The mother
quieted the sleeping baby.
5.
April, expecting
an important phone call, waited in the hallway outside.
6.
The defeated
soldiers laid down their weapons.
7.
The coffee shop,
located on the north side, hosted a sing-along.
8.
She found the
exhausted doctor asleep on one of the hospital beds.
9.
Mr. Larsen found
the opened letter on his desk.
10.
The basketball
players walked away with wounded pride.
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.
Gerund
phrase as a direct object:
·
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:
·
Carrie got first prize by memorizing
the most poetry.
Gerund
phrase as a Predicate Nominative:
·
Robyn’s greatest accomplishment is singing
in the opera.
PRACTICE
For each sentence
below, underline the gerund phrase.
Label the phrase Subject, Direct Object, Indirect Object, Object of the
Preposition, or Predicate Nominative.
1.
I love eating
burgers and fries.
2.
Listening to the
orchestra inspired me to practice more.
3.
Mrs. Jones heard
loud growling in his back yard.
4.
A trait of
successful employees is working cheerfully.
5.
I can hear from
my window the hammering on the building.
6.
Ben is not very
good at staying awake after 10:00 pm.
7.
Jumping on the
trampoline gives Mandy all the exercise she needs.
8.
I am not very
good at locating cities on a map.
9.
The candidates
reveal their personalities by arguing with one another.
10.
Some women use
group cooking to prepare food for their families.
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