Question

Identify the participle phrase in the following sentence:
Mariah risked petting the pit bull wagging its tail.
A) Mariah risked
 B) Wagging its tail
C) Petting the pit bull
D) The pit bull wagging

Answer 1

Hint: A participle is a form of a verb. It has a distinct character as it acts both as a verb as well as an adjective. Therefore, in the given sentence the phrase that is acting as both verb and adjective needs to be identified.

Complete answer:
Let us analyze each option according to the hint given above.

Option A is ‘Mariah risked’. The phrase is not a participle phrase. This is because Mariah risked does not act as an adjective. The only verb is present. Therefore, option A is incorrect.

Option B is ‘wagging its tail’. The word wagging is a verb as well as an adjective as it describes the quality of the dog. Therefore, the conditions mentioned in the hint are satisfied. Hence, option B is possibly the correct answer.

Option C is ‘petting the pit bull’. The phrase is not a participle phrase. This is because ‘petting the pit bull’ does not act as an adjective. The only verb is present. Therefore, option C is also incorrect.

Option D is ‘the pit bull wagging’. The phrase is not a participle phrase. This is because ‘the pit bull wagging’ does not act as an adjective. The only verb is present. Therefore, option D is also incorrect.
So, the correct answer is “Option B”.

Note:
The participle phrase will obviously start with a verb in participle form. Therefore, in this case, also, the participles form of the verb needs to be identified which will help in answering the question correctly.