[Grammar] Participal Phrase Question

[vcolts]

Here are the examples:

1. Peel off the skin using a small knife.

2. Name two countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol using the list of countries given to you.

I believe both sentences have a participal phrase, and there is no comma necessary because the information is vital.

My questions:

1. What is the participle phrase actually modifying? The entire sentence? or just the verb?

2. Does the phrase function as an adjective?

3. Do all participle phrases practically follow the following construction?:

Pronoun + be + verb?


A link on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.


P.S.: I just realized that I misspelled "participle" in the title. Ignore that.

V

 

[Afit]

Here are the examples:

1. Peel off the skin using a small knife.

2. Name two countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol using the list of countries given to you.

I believe both sentences have a participal phrase, and there is no comma necessary because the information is vital.

Participial clause, use a comma if you want two focuses of information

My questions:

1. What is the participle phrase actually modifying? The entire sentence? or just the verb?

2. Does the phrase function as an adjective?

3. Do all participle phrases practically follow the following construction?:

Pronoun + be + verb?

1. Predicate (sentence minus subject) or predication (sentence minus subject minus operator).
2. Adverbial.
3. Far from it.

 

[vcolts]

Participial clause, use a comma if you want two focuses of information

1. Predicate (sentence minus subject) or predication (sentence minus subject minus operator).
2. Adverbial.
3. Far from it.

So you are basically saying that it's modifying the entire sentence.

As for the construction of participle phrases, I may have been confused with reduced relative clauses.

Would you have a link to this topic?

I would also like others to comment on this as well (it is the internet afterall.).

 

[TheParser]

NOT A TEACHER

(1) I believe that it might be easier to analyze if we did two things:

(a) Although we usually delete the word "you" in commands/orders, it is a

good idea to use it when analyzing a sentence.

(b) If we reorder your sentences, it might also be easier.

(2) Thus we now have:

(a) Using a small knife, you peel off the skin.
(b) Using the list of countries given to you, you name two countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol.

(3) I believe that any high school teacher would be thrilled (especially nowadays!) if

his/her students said the following:

The participial phrase modifies the word "you," which is the subject of the sentence.

Therefore, the participial phrase is being used as an adjective.

(4) Here, for example, is a sentence from A Grammar of Present-Day English by Pence and Emery:

Holding the rope in the left hand in this manner, you make two loops with the portion held in the right hand.

(5) NEVERTHELESS, the situation is not that simple when you start to get to

university-level grammar. Some people do, indeed, say that such sentences may

actually indicate an adverbial function. For example, some people say that your

sentence could actually mean "While you are using a small knife, peel off the skin."

(6) I must now end my post, for university-level grammar is over my head, but I do

have good news:

Go to the search box at this website and type in "participial phrases." You will find

many interesting threads on the adverbial role of participial phrases.

 

[vcolts]

Seems like the consensus on it seems to be that it's adverbial and that it modifies the verb.

 

[5jj]

Seems like the consensus on it seems to be that it's adverbial and that it modifies the verb.

I am not so sure about consensus. You have had only two people reply so far.

I must be getting older than I thought. I don't understand: "1. Predicate (sentence minus subject) or predication (sentence minus subject minus operator)".

It's got two 'likes'. so clearly the fault is in me.

 

[Raymott]

Here are the examples:

2. Name two countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol, using the list of countries given to you.

I believe both sentences have a participal phrase, and there is no comma necessary because the information is vital. Is this a criterion for comma use?

I would use a comma here to forestall any attempts to read this as "Name [ two countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol using the list of countries given to you.]
That is, the countries did not use the list of countries to sign the Kyoto Protocol.

 

[TheParser]

I am not so sure about consensus. You have had only two people reply so far.

REMINDER: NOT A TEACHER


Dear Teacher Fivejedjon:

Member Vcolts may be referring to the threads that he read by going to our

search box, as I had suggested.

Thank you.