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Participial Phrases & Appositives Guide

1. Participial phrases are reduced relative clauses that use present or past participles instead of verbs. They can follow or precede the noun they modify. In Structure items testing participial phrases, the participle or parts of the phrase may be missing. 2. Appositives are reduced adjective clauses that rephrase a noun without using a verb or marker. They usually follow the noun but can also precede the subject. In Structure items testing appositives, parts of the appositive or surrounding clause may be missing. 3. Sample items are provided that test recognizing incomplete participial phrases and appositives, with the correct answer identified and an explanation for why the other choices are incorrect.

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216 views6 pages

Participial Phrases & Appositives Guide

1. Participial phrases are reduced relative clauses that use present or past participles instead of verbs. They can follow or precede the noun they modify. In Structure items testing participial phrases, the participle or parts of the phrase may be missing. 2. Appositives are reduced adjective clauses that rephrase a noun without using a verb or marker. They usually follow the noun but can also precede the subject. In Structure items testing appositives, parts of the appositive or surrounding clause may be missing. 3. Sample items are provided that test recognizing incomplete participial phrases and appositives, with the correct answer identified and an explanation for why the other choices are incorrect.

Uploaded by

Winda Agnes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.

INCOMPLETE OR MISSING
PARTICIPIAL PHRASES
2. INCOMPLETE APPOSITIVES
1. INCOMPLETE OR MISSING PARTICIPIAL
PHRASES
Participial phrases generally occur after nouns. They are actually reduced
(shortened) relative clauses. Present participles (which always end in -ing) are
used to reduce adjective clauses that contain active verbs.
Ex:
Minnesota, which joined the Union in 1858, became the thirty-second state.
(adjective clause with active verb)
Minnesota, joining the Union in 1858, became the thirty-second state.
(participial phrase with a present participle)
Most past participles end in -ed, but there are also many irregular forms. Past
participles are used to reduce adjective clauses with passive verbs.
Ex:
William and Mary College, which was founded in 1693, is the second oldest
university in the United States.
(adjective clause with a passive verb)
William and Mary College, founded in 1693, is the second oldest university in the
United States.
(participial phrase with a past participle)
Participial phrases can also come before the subject of a sentence.
Ex:
Joining the Union in 1858, Minnesota became the thirty-second state.
Founded in 1693, William and Mary College is the second oldest university in the
United States.
Usually, the participle itself is missing from this type of Structure item, but any
part of a participial phrase as well as parts of a main clause may be missing.
Sample Item:
Natural resources provide the raw materials ____ to produce finished goods.
(A) needed
(B) are needed
(C) which need
(D) Needing
Answer: A
Option (B) is a passive verb; the sentence cannot contain two main verbs (are needed and provide) in
the same clause. Choice (C) creates an adjective clause, but the verb in the clause is active and a
passive verb is required. (However, a relative clause with a passive verb (which are needed) would be a
correct answer.) Choice (D) is a present participle and has an active meaning; a past participle is
needed
2. INCOMPLETE OR MISSING APPOSITIVES
An appositive is a noun phrase that explains or rephrases another noun phrase. It usually
comes after the noun which it rephrases. It may also come before the subject of a sentence.
Ex:
Buffalo Bill, a famous frontiersman, operated his own Wild West Show.
(appositive following a noun)
A famous frontiersman, Buffalo Bill operated his own Wild West Show.
(appositive before the subject)
Appositives are actually reduced adjective clauses. However, unlike adjective clauses, they
do not contain a marker or a verb.
Ex:
Oak, which is one of the most durable hardwoods, is often used to make furniture.
(adjective clause)
Oak, one of the most durable hardwoods, is often used to make furniture. (appositive)
Appositives are usually separated from the rest of the sentence by commas, but
some short appositives (usually names) are not.
Economist Paul Samuelson won a Nobel Prize in 1970.
In Structure items. all or part of an appositive phrase may be missing. In
addition, the noun that the appositive refers to or other parts of the main clause
may be missing.
Sample item:
The National Road, _________of the first highways in North America, connected
the East Coast to the Ohio Valley.
(A) which one
(B) it was one
(C) one
(D) was one
Choice (A) is incorrect; there is no verb in the relative clause. Choice (B) has no
connecting word to join the clause to the rest of the sentence. Choice (D) is
incorrect because a verb cannot be used in an appositive phrase.

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