Question

Identify the participle phrase in the following sentence:
Waking to the buzz of the alarm clock, Freddie cursed the arrival of another Monday.

a. Waking to the buzz of the alarm clock
b. Freddie cursed
c. The arrival of another Monday
d. The arrival

Answer 1

Hint: Participle phrase consists of a participle and an adjective phrase that is used to describe a noun or a pronoun.

Complete answer:
As given in the hint, Participle phrases and adjective phrases have the same function but participle phrases also contain a participle.

We use participles as an adjective in two forms: Present participle or Past participle.
Present participles end in ‘ing’ form. Example- Singing, laughing, crying etc.
Past participles or the 3rd form of the verbs end in ‘ed, d or any other suitable past verb’. Example-Sung, laughed, cried etc.
We also include modifiers and objects in a participle phrase.

In the given question: ‘Waking to the buzz of the alarm clock’ begins with a present participle and an adjective that is used to modify and describe the noun ‘Freddie’.

Now, let’s examine the given options:
> Option a- ‘Waking to the buzz of the alarm’ includes a present participle and a modifier that is used to describe the noun ‘Freddie’. Hence, it is the correct option.
> Option b- ‘Freddie cursed’ doesn’t have any participle that acts like an adjective. ‘Cursed’ is a verb that describes Freddie’s actions. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
> Option c- ‘The arrival of another Monday’ does not include any participle. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
> Option d- ‘The arrival’ does not include a participle. ‘Arrival’ is a noun. Hence, it is an incorrect option.

The correct answer is Option ‘a’.

Note: Keep in mind that participle phrases always function as adjectives that are used to describe a sentence.