A participle is a verb form that is used as an adjective. Yesterday, we talked about participles ending in -ed or -en. Today we will look at participles that end in -ing. We put a participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence so that the phrase acts as an adjective modifying the subject of the sentence. Look at this example:
Turning slowly, the teacher waited for the class to be quiet.
The phrase turning slowly contains a verb form ending in -ing, but the phrase acts as an adjective modifying the subject teacher.
Here are more examples of a participial phrase using an -ing participle to describe the subject of a sentence:
Holding the baby, Mom led us into the basement. Holding the baby tells more about Mom.
Opening the door, John welcomed us into his home. Opening the door tells more about John.
Use a participle ending in -ing to begin a phrase that describes the subject of a sentence.
It’s your turn. Find the participial phrase in this sentence: Running down the street, Julie chased her dog. Did you figure out which group of words tells more about Julie? Good for you!