Identify participles and what they modify

Key notes:

What is a Participle?

• A participle is a form of a verb used as an adjective to describe a noun or pronoun. 📝
• It tells us what kind or which one.

👉 Example: The smiling girl waved at me.
(“Smiling” = participle, describes the noun “girl”)

Types of Participles

1. Present Participle (-ing form)
   • Ends in -ing
   • Shows an action that is happening or ongoing.
   • Example: The barking dog woke us up. 🐶
2. Past Participle (-ed, -en, irregular forms)
   • Often ends in -ed, -en, -t, -n, -d
   • Shows a completed action.
   • Example: The broken window needs repair. 🪟

What Do Participles Modify?

• Participles modify nouns or pronouns by adding details.
• Ask: Which one? What kind?

👉 Example 1: The excited students cheered loudly. 🎉
(“Excited” modifies “students”)

👉 Example 2: Frightened by the noise, the cat ran away. 🐈
(“Frightened” modifies “cat”)

Key Tips to Remember

• ✔️ A participle looks like a verb but acts like an adjective.
• ✔️ Don’t confuse it with the main verb in the sentence.
• ✔️ Participial phrases (participle + modifiers) also describe nouns.

👉 Example: The boy, running down the street, tripped over a rock. 🏃‍♂️

Practice Sentences

1. The glowing stars lit up the sky. ✨
   (Glowing = participle; modifies “stars”)
2. The shattered glass lay on the floor. 🪞
   (Shattered = participle; modifies “glass”)
3. The man, holding a map, looked confused. 🗺️
   (Holding a map = participial phrase; modifies “man”)

💡 Remember: Participles = Verb forms acting like adjectives!