Key Points
- Use a participle phrase to say something about your subject before you've even mentioned your subject. ...
- Placed at the front of a sentence, a participle phrase is offset with a comma.
- A participle phrase placed immediately after the noun its modifying is not offset with commas (unless it's nonessential).
Why do we use participle phrases?
The participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying Lynn. Placement: In order to prevent confusion, a participial phrase must be placed as close to the noun it modifies as possible, and the noun must be clearly stated. Carrying a heavy pile of books, he caught his foot on a step.
How can a participle phrase be used in a sentence?
Usually, participial phrases modify the subjects of sentences, but sometimes they modify other nouns. For example: In the sentence, “Wearing his new suit, Bill went to work,” the participial phrase wearing his new suit acts like an adjective to describe the subject of the sentence, Bill.
