What is a participial phrase?

A participial phrase is a group of words working together to act as an adjective in a sentence. The participial phrase starts with a participle.

A participle is a form of a verb that can be used as an adjective. The present participle is formed by adding "-ing" to a verb. The past participle is more irregular, but can be found by looking up the word in the dictionary.

A participial phrase is frequently made up of the participle and a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase is considered to be part of the participial phrase since it works with the participle to add information about the noun it is modifying.

How do I write a sentence using a participial phrase?

Participial phrases should be located in the sentence just before or just after the noun being modified. If the phrase comes before the noun being modified, it should be separated from the noun with a comma.

Examples

1. Known as one of the most prolific inventors in history, Thomas Alva Edison holds 1,093 patents.

"Known" is the participle. The entire phrase modifies "Thomas Alva Edison."

2. Discerning needs and creating products to answer them, Edison came up with many ideas that are still in use today.

"Discerning" and "creating" are participles. "Needs" is a noun that is the object of the participle "discerning." "Products" is a noun that is the object of the participle "creating." The entire group of words modifies "Edison."