A participle is a verbal – a word that looks like a verb but acts as an adjective. Participles modify nouns. A participle with modifiers makes up a participial phrase.
Look at this sentence with a participial phrase:
Knowing it would be dark soon, Mary headed for home.
This phrase begins with a participle – the word knowing. Knowing looks like a verb but acts as an adjective modifying Mary. Mary is knowing. The rest of the words in the phrase tell more about what Mary is knowing. Mary is knowing it would be dark soon.
Here are more participial phrases:
Hoping to win a prize, Bob took extra time with his poem.
Hoping to win a prize describes Bob.
Opening the door, Grandma smiled and gave me a hug.
Opening the door describes Grandma.
Wounded and howling, the wolf stopped to rest.
Wounded and howling describes the wolf.
Be very careful to place the participial phrase right in front of the noun that is being modified.
Here is a sentence with a misplaced participial phrase: Dad watched the game eating his dinner.
We don’t know for sure if Dad is eating his dinner or if the game is eating his dinner.
Here is a better way to write this sentence: Eating his dinner, Dad watched the game.
Always place the participial phrase right in front of the noun being modified.
Participial phrases begin with a participle and modify the noun that comes right after the phrase.