A Quiz On Present Participle Phrases (with explanations)

Do you guys know what present participle phrases are, how they are formed, and how they are identified in a sentence?

This quiz on present participle phrases tests our understanding of them and helps us learn about them through elaborate explanations.

You can also go through our detailed post on present participle phrases before trying this quiz and gain some understanding of the topic. I would, however, suggest that you try this present participle phrase quiz first and go through the post afterward to gain more clarity.

Results

#1. A present participle phrase is ______.

a phrase that functions as an adjective in a sentence.

a phrase that starts with a present progressive form of verb and functions as an adjective in a sentence.

#2. Which of these is not true about a present participle phrase?

It starts with a present participle form of verb.

It can come at the beginning, middle, or the end of a sentence.

It can function as the object of a verb.

It can function as the reason for an action sometimes.

#3. Which of these is not a possible structure of a present participle phrase?

Present participle + object of the participle

Present participle + possessive adjective

Present participle + adverb or adverbial

Present participle + object of the participle + adverb or adverbial

Explanation: Here are some examples of the possible structures of a present participle phrase:

The man driving my car is a friend of mine.
The man driving in the streets is a friend of mine.
The man driving my car in the streets is a friend of mine

Present participle = driving
The object of the participle = my car (driving what)
Adverbial phrase = in the streets (driving where)

#4. Which of these sentences have a present participle phrase in it?

The man cleaning the floor is Jon's father.

I am not against cleaning the floor.

Explanation: ‘Cleaning the floor’ is a present participle phrase that refers to the noun ‘man‘ and modifies it. The same phrase in the second sentence works as a noun, the object of the preposition ‘against‘.

#5. Which of these sentences have a present participle phrase in it?

Looking at the photos of his mother always tears Jonah up.

Looking at the photos of his mother, Jonah started breaking down.

Explanation: ‘Looking at the photos of his mother’ is a present participle phrase, modifying the noun ‘Jonah’. In the first example, it functions as the subject of the sentence.

#6. Which of these sentences have a present participle phrase in it?

I am not a big fan of people working from home.

All of us are working from home.

Explanation: ‘Working from home’ is a present participle phrase in the sentence. It modifies the noun ‘people’ with a description of it. In the second example, the word ‘working’ functions as the main verb of the sentence.

#7. Which of these sentences have a present participle phrase in it?

Most people don't like waking up early in the morning.

Are the girls making a scene in the hall related to you?

Explanation: ‘Making a scene in the hall’ is a present participle phrase that modifies the noun ‘girls‘. It helps us identify which girls the speaker is talking about. The phrase ‘waking up early in the morning‘ in the first example is a gerund phrase that works as the object of the verb ‘like’.

#8. "None of the people working at the club saw you talk to me?" Does the sentence have a present participle phrase in it?

Yes

Explanation: ‘Working at the club’ is a present participle phrase that functions as an adjective, modifying the noun ‘people’ and helping us identify it.

#9. "The man who is sitting next to my car has been threatening me for some time?" Does the sentence have a present participle phrase in it?

Yes

Explanation: Both ‘sitting‘ and ‘threatening‘ are the main verbs in the sentence. The verb ‘sitting‘ is the main verb in the adjective clause ‘who is sitting next to my car’, and the verb ‘threatening’ is the main verb of the entire sentence. They don’t function as an adjective in the sentence.

#10. "We all were not excited about going to the party?" Does the sentence have a present participle phrase in it?

Yes

Explanation: There is no present participle phrase in the sentence. The phrase ‘going to the party’ does start with a present participle form of a verb, but it functions as a noun in the sentence. It is a gerund phrase acting as the object of the preposition ‘about’.

#11. "Are we talking about the man painting the wall?" Does the sentence have a present participle phrase in it?

Yes

Explanation: ‘Painting the wall‘ is a present participle phrase, modifying the noun ‘man’.

#12. "Looking out of the window, Tom finished his tea?" Does the sentence have a present participle phrase in it?

Yes

Explanation: ‘Looking out of the window’ is a present participle phrase that modifies the subject ‘Tom’.

#13. "Jonah lost his life fighting for all of us." Does the sentence have a present participle phrase in it?

Yes

Explanation: ‘Fighting for all of us’ is a present participle phrase that functions as an adverb, indicating the reason for the main verb.

#14. Can a present participle phrase function as an adverb?

Yes

Explanation: A present participle phrase can function as an adverb in a sentence. When it does, it modifies the main verb and indicates the reason for it.

Ex – We drove all the way to Shimla looking for something special.

In this example, the phrase ‘looking for something special’ tells us why we did the action: drive all the way to Shimla.

#15. "People working here are donating money for some patients having heart diseases." How many present participle phrase does the sentence have?

Explanation: ‘Working here’ and ‘having heart diseases’ are present participle phrases modifying ‘people’ and ‘patients’ in the sentence. Both phrases modify the nouns with essential information.

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A quiz on present participle phrases