SKILL 1: BE
CAREFULL OF PRESENT PARTICIPLES
A present participle is
the -ing form of the verb (talking, playing). In the Structure section of the
TOEFL test a present participle can cause confusion because it can be either a
part of the verb or an adjective. It is part of the verb when it is preceded by
some form of the verb be.
For examples:
1. The man is talking to his friend. (verb)
2. The man talking to his friend has a beard. (adjective)
In this sentence
talking is an adjective and not part of the verb because it is not accompa-nied
by some form of be. The verb in this sentence is has.
The following example
shows how a present participle can be confused with the verb in the Structure
section of the TOEFL test.
The child ____ playing
in the yard is my son.
(A) now
(B) is
(C) he
(D) was
In this example, if you
look at only the first words of the sentence, it appears that child is the
subject and playing is part of the verb. If you think that playing is part of
the verb, you might choose answer (B), is, or answer (D), was, to complete the
verb. However, these two answers are incorrect because playing is not part of
the verb. You should recognize that playing is a participial adjective rather
than a verb because there is another verb in the sentence (is). In this
sentence there is a complete subject (child) and a complete verb (is), so this sentence
does not need another subject or verb. The best answer here is (A).
EXERCISE:
Each of the following
sentences contains one or more present participles. Underline the subjects once
and the verbs twice. Circle the present participles and label them as
adjectives or verbs. Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or
incorrect (I).
_______1. The companies offering the lowest prices
will have the most customers.
_______2. Those travelers are completing their trip
on Delta should report to Gate Three.
_______3. The artisans were demonstrating various
handicrafts at booths throughout the fair.
_______4. The fraternities are giving the wildest
parties attract the most new pledges.
_______5. The first team winning four games is
awarded the championship.
_______6. The speaker was trying to make his point
was often interrupted vociferously.
_______7. The fruits were rotting because of the
moisture in the crates carrying them to market.
_______8. Any students desiring official transcripts
should complete the appropriate form.
_______9. The advertisements were announcing the
half-day sale received a lot of attention.
_______10. The spices flavoring the meal were quite
distinctive.
Answer
Key
____C___1. The companies
offering the lowest prices will have the most customers.
____I___2. Those travelers are
completing their trip on Delta should
report to Gate Three.
____C___3. The artisans
were demonstrating various
handicrafts at booths throughout the fair.
____I___4. The fraternities
are giving the wildest parties
attract the most new pledges.
____C___5. The first team winning four games is awarded the championship.
____I___6. The speaker
was trying to make his point was often interrupted vociferously.
____C___7. The fruits
were rotting because of the
moisture in the crates carrying them
to market.
____C___8. Any students
desiring official transcripts should complete the appropriate
form.
____I___9. The advertisements
were announcing the half-day
sale received a lot of
attention.
____C___10. The spices
flavoring the meal were quite distinctive.
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Reference:
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