How to Teach Participial Phrases
Explain that a participle is a form of a verb, usually ending in “ing” or “ed.” There are exceptions, but you can begin teaching using these endings to help the students identify them in the beginning., Explain the use of this participle., Use a...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Explain that a participle is a form of a verb
Instead of being used to show the action of the noun, it is used to describe, or modify, the noun.
For instance, the word “smiling” is usually used to indicate an act, such as “the girl is smiling;” however, it can be used to describe the noun by saying, “the smiling girl.”This is simply a participle and not yet a phrase.
As the student start to understand the use of the verb as an adjective, you can begin teaching participial phrases, a more complicated use of the participle.
Ask the students to try changing some of these compound verb forms to participles with the objects around them. , For example, “The girl, smiling at the boy, was blushing.” Ask the students to identify the noun, the verb and the participle.
Repeat this exercise with more examples using participial phrases. , Generally, they are used in a very similar fashion; however, they should know how to identify a past participial phrase and a present participial phrase using the verbs in the sentence. , For example, Interested in the ancient Mayans, Beth reads a lot of books about Mexico.
If the students have trouble recognizing the participle, ask them to identify what the phrase is describing, Beth or the books. ,, Ask the students to underline the participial phrases.
The following can be used as examples:
Excited to join the game, Devon finished his homework quickly.
Karen, smelling the delicious roast, washed her hands for dinner.
The water, cascading furiously, washes over the rocks. , Ask them to work alone or in small groups and underline the phrase.
Review the answers as a group so that they can correct themselves., Once they have the hang of this section of grammar, they can use creativity to describe something at their home or to write a paragraph story using five or more participial phrases. , Students will learn to use them more as they see them in print.
As they read a story, ask them to underline any participial phrases with pencil and make a list at the end of the book or story. -
Step 2: usually ending in “ing” or “ed.” There are exceptions
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Step 3: but you can begin teaching using these endings to help the students identify them in the beginning.
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Step 4: Explain the use of this participle.
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Step 5: Use a more complicated example to show how a participle can be used with other words to form a participial phrase.
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Step 6: Explain that there are present participles
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Step 7: which describe something that is going on
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Step 8: and past participles that describe something in the past.
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Step 9: Introduce students to the use of verbs ending in “ed” as participles.
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Step 10: Ask the students why they would use participial phrases
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Step 11: instead of writing “Beth reads a lot of books about Mexico because she is interested in the ancient Mayans.” If they are struggling with the concept
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Step 12: explain how these phrases can be used to describe something in fewer words and to vary sentence structure.
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Step 13: Try some examples written on the board or on a sheet.
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Step 14: Give the students a work sheet filled with participial phrases.
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Step 15: Ask the students to write their own sentences using participial phrases.
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Step 16: Practice recognizing and using these phrases frequently throughout the unit and year.
Detailed Guide
Instead of being used to show the action of the noun, it is used to describe, or modify, the noun.
For instance, the word “smiling” is usually used to indicate an act, such as “the girl is smiling;” however, it can be used to describe the noun by saying, “the smiling girl.”This is simply a participle and not yet a phrase.
As the student start to understand the use of the verb as an adjective, you can begin teaching participial phrases, a more complicated use of the participle.
Ask the students to try changing some of these compound verb forms to participles with the objects around them. , For example, “The girl, smiling at the boy, was blushing.” Ask the students to identify the noun, the verb and the participle.
Repeat this exercise with more examples using participial phrases. , Generally, they are used in a very similar fashion; however, they should know how to identify a past participial phrase and a present participial phrase using the verbs in the sentence. , For example, Interested in the ancient Mayans, Beth reads a lot of books about Mexico.
If the students have trouble recognizing the participle, ask them to identify what the phrase is describing, Beth or the books. ,, Ask the students to underline the participial phrases.
The following can be used as examples:
Excited to join the game, Devon finished his homework quickly.
Karen, smelling the delicious roast, washed her hands for dinner.
The water, cascading furiously, washes over the rocks. , Ask them to work alone or in small groups and underline the phrase.
Review the answers as a group so that they can correct themselves., Once they have the hang of this section of grammar, they can use creativity to describe something at their home or to write a paragraph story using five or more participial phrases. , Students will learn to use them more as they see them in print.
As they read a story, ask them to underline any participial phrases with pencil and make a list at the end of the book or story.
About the Author
Ashley Bell
Enthusiastic about teaching lifestyle techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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