Prepositional Phrases
Identify the Prepositional Phrase in the sentence.
"The book on the table is mine. "
"on the table"
Identify the appositive phrase in the sentence.
"My sister, Sarah, is a talented artist."
", Sarah,"
How does a participial phrase behave?
like an adjective
How does a Gerund phrase behave?
Like a Noun
What 3 parts of speech can an infinitive behave like?
Nouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs
Is the italicized Prepositional Phrase in this sentence an Adjective or Adverb Phrase?
"I went for a walk by the sea."
Adjective. It is modifying the noun, walk.
Identify if the italicized Appositive Phrase is essential or non essential.
"The novelist Ernest Hemingway wrote 'The Old Man and the Sea'"
Essential
What are two types/tenses of Participle Verbals and what do they end with?
Present: -ing
Past: usually -ed or -en; depends on the base verb
What is ALWAYS at the end of a Gerund Verbal?
-ing
What does an Infinitive Verbal look like?
"to" followed by a base form verb
Identify the Prepositional Phrase and determine if it is an Adjective or Adverb Phrase.
"She walked to the store."
"to the store" - Adverb; modifies walked
What are the differences between essential and non-essential appositive phrases?
Essential - required to know who or what we are actually talking about. sentence if too vague without it
Non-essential - not required to know exactly who or what we are talking about, should be separated by comma
Identify the Participial Phrase.
"The running dog crashed into the wall."
"running"; it is modifying the dog
Identify the Gerund Phrase. For 100 bonus points, state what function it fills.
"Reading is my favorite pastime."
"Reading"; functions as Subject
Identify the Infinitive Verbal. For 100 bonus, what part of speech does it behave like?
"I want to go to the beach."
to go; Noun (Direct Object)
Identify all the Prepositional Phrases in this sentence. Determine whether each one is an Adjective Phrase or an Adverb Phrase.
"The cup of coffee was spilled on the freshly cleaned floor."
"of coffee" - Adjective; modifies cup
"on the freshly cleaned floor" - Adverb; modifies spilled
Identify the appositive and whether is is essential or not.
"Esteemed paleontologist Jane Bones is the keynote speaker at Dino Fest"
Jane Bones - essential
Identify the Participial Phrase and what word it modifies.
"The baby, crying loudly and continuously, kept her parents up all night."
"crying loudly and continuously"; the baby
Identify the Gerund Phrase. For 100 bonus points, name what function it is fulfilling.
"She loves listening to music."
"listening to music"; Direct Object
Identify the Infinitive Phrase. For 100 bonus, what part of speech does it behave like?
"She went to the store to buy milk".
to buy milk; adverb (it explains WHY she went to the store)
Identify ALL Prepositional Phrases, determine if they are Adjective or Adverb Phrases, and identify what word is being modified by each phrase.
"In contemplation of the vast expanse of the night sky, she felt a sense of awe and wonder."
In contemplation - adverb; felt
of the vast expanse - adjective; contemplation
of the night sky - adjective; expanse
of awe and wonder - adjective; sense
Identify ALL Appositives, whether they are essential or not, and what it renames.
"My aunt, a renowned chef with years of experience, always prepares her most delicious meal, chicken cordon bleu.
a renowned chef with years of experience - non-essential; aunt
chicken cordon bleu - non-essential; meal
Identify ALL Participial Phrases and the words they modify.
"Hopping through the forest, the rabbit noticed a new watering hole."
"Hopping through the forest"; the rabbit
"watering"; hole
Identify ALL Gerund Phrases. For 100 bonus points, name the function they fulfill.
"Considering the potential risks and the limited resources available, the team discussed abandoning the expedition."
"abandoning the expedition" ; Direct Object
You may have thought that "Considering" was the start of a Gerund Phrase, but it is actually a Participial Phrase, describing the team. Remember, Gerunds behave like nouns so they will always be tied to a verb or preposition in some way.
Identify ALL the Infinitive Phrases. For 100 bonus, what part of speech does it behave like?
When we sent the Apollo 11 to the moon, the astronauts were given a task, to plant a flag on the surface. This was to claim America's victory in the Space Race.
"to plant a flag on the surface."; adjective (it is defining what the task was)
"to claim America's victory in the Space Race."; Noun (Predicate Nominative renaming the demonstrative pronoun, "This")
"to the moon" is NOT an Infinitive Phrase. the lack of a verb after "to" means that this is merely a Prepositional Phrase.