A participial phrase consists of a participle plus modifier(s), object(s), and/or complement(s)’. An earlier column discussed gerunds which, basically, are verbs with the ‘ing’ ending.

Gerunds, like past participles, are basically verbs that end with ‘ing’, for example, ‘messing’. Other examples include "I have been walking for the past two hours", "I have been dreaming ...

I enjoy talking with my father. Another difficulty is that sometimes choosing the infinitive or the gerund will change the meaning of the sentence. Mary stopped eating at six. (Mary was eating, ...

In the blank box under each item, rewrite the sentence using the prepostion in parentheses. Remember that a preposition is followed by a noun phrase or a gerund. Change the meaning of the original ...