Question

Identify the participle phrase in the following sentence-
Glazed with barbeque sauce, the rack of ribs lay nestled next to a pile of sweet coleslaw.
a) the rack of ribs
b) next to a pile of sweet coleslaw
c) Glazed with barbeque sauce
d) lay nestled

Answer 1

Hint: A participle is formed with the help of a verb but acts like an adjective that modifies nouns or pronouns. A participle phrase includes participles, modifiers, or objects to express a complete meaning or thought.

Complete answer:

 A participle phrase includes both present and past participle forms.
Example- (1) Sitting in the park, she decided to admire the clouds.
(2) I have written this in the book.
Here, (1) is expressed in the present participle phrase and (2) is expressed in the past participle phrase.
Let’s look at the question- We can understand that rack of ribs, glazed with barbeque sauce nestled next to a pile of sweet coleslaw. Here, ‘glazed’ is the past participle that modifies the noun, ‘rack of ribs’.
Let’s examine the given options-
Option a- ‘the rack of ribs’ represents the noun and acts as the subject in the sentence. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option b- ‘next to a pile of sweet coleslaw’ is a phrase that lacks a participle. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option c- ‘Glazed with barbeque sauce’ is the past participle phrase as it includes a past participle verb ‘glazed’ that acts as an adjective and modifies the noun ‘rack of ribs’. Hence, it is the correct option.
Option d- ‘lay nestled’ is the verb that performs the action in the sentence. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
So, the correct answer is “Option c”.

Note:
Remember, participle phrases act like an adjective that helps in modifying or describing a noun or a pronoun.