Section 4 Extracts of Drama: (A) A Midsummer - Night's Dream Ex 4.3 (A)
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Participial Phrases on English Grammar
Participial phrases are a versatile and effective tool in
English grammar used to add detail and description to sentences. They consist
of a participle (a verb form typically ending in -ing or -ed) and any modifiers
or complements, functioning as an adjective to modify a noun or pronoun in a
sentence. Here's what you need to know about participial phrases:
1. Structure: Participial
phrases are structured around participles, which can be present participles
(ending in -ing) or past participles (often ending in -ed, -en, -d, -t, -n, or
irregular forms). The participle is the core of the phrase, and any
accompanying words serve to modify or complement it.
2. Function: Participial phrases function
as adjectives, modifying nouns or pronouns in a sentence. They provide
additional information about the modified noun or pronoun, such as its
characteristics, actions, or state.
3. Placement: Participial phrases can
appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, depending on the
writer's stylistic choice and the emphasis they want to give to the
information. When placed at the beginning of a sentence, they are often
followed by a comma.
• Beginning:
"Racing down the street, the cyclist narrowly avoided a collision."
• Middle:
"The cyclist, racing down the street, narrowly avoided a collision."
• End:
"The cyclist narrowly avoided a collision, racing down the street."
4. Modifying nouns or pronouns: Participial phrases modify
the noun or pronoun immediately following them in the sentence, providing
additional information about it. For example:
• "The
girl, wearing a red dress, smiled at the camera."
• "The
broken window needs to be repaired immediately."
5. Reduced relative clauses: Participial phrases can
sometimes replace relative clauses to make sentences more concise and direct.
For example:
• Relative
clause: "The man, who was wearing a hat, entered the room."
• Participial
phrase: "The man, wearing a hat, entered the room."
6. Misplaced or dangling participial phrases: It's essential to ensure that
participial phrases are correctly placed in a sentence and logically connected
to the noun or pronoun they modify. Misplacement or dangling participial
phrases can lead to ambiguity or confusion. For example:
• Misplaced:
"Running down the hill, the sunset painted the sky with vibrant
colors." (It seems as if the sunset is running.)
• Corrected: "Running down the hill, I watched as the sunset painted the sky with vibrant colors."