PRACTICING WITH PHRASES WORKSHEET

SECTION I: FINDING PREPOSITIONS PHRASES

Underline the preposition phrases in each sentence. There may be more than one.
1. Gustav Mahlers Symphony No. 3 is the longest of all symphonies.
2. Claude Monet painted hundreds of pictures of the same water-lily garden.
3. Among the most easily recognized photographs are those of Ansel Adams.
4. Julia Margaret Cameron, a pioneering photographer of the 19
th
century, developed
new techniques in portrait photography.
5. During his career, Italian sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini worked for five popes.

SECTION IV: IDENTIFYING ESSENTIAL AND NONESSENTIAL APPOSITIVE
PHRASES
Underline the appositive phrase in each sentence. Circle the noun it identifies. Add
necessary commas. On the line, identify each phrase as E for essential or NE if it is
nonessential.
6. Swiss scientist Jacques Piccard is an oceanographic engineer.
7. His father Auguste Piccard designed the bathyscaphe.
8. In 1953, the two Piccards descended 10,300 feet under the Mediterranean
Sea in the bathyscaphe Trieste.
9. The Great Barrier Reef a chain of coral reefs is located of the northeastern
coast of Australia.
10. The coral is formed by polyps hardened skeletons of flowerlike water animals.

SECTION VI: IDENTIFYING PARTICIPIAL PHRASES
In each sentence, find and underline the participial phrase that modifies the boldfaced
noun or pronoun. On the blank, write what kind of participial it is: PRESENT for present
participle or PAST for past participle.
11. Writing quickly, the students took the exam
12. The travelers saw a huge stone castle perched on the rocky cliff.
13. The boy performing a solo on the trumpet is my brother.
14. Swimming with his friend, Frances made it to the float.
15. Eds sailboat, damaged near the stern, was unusable.
SECTION


SECTION VIII: IDENTIFYING GERUNDS
In each sentence, underline every gerund phrase. Circle the gerund.
16. Speeding down mountain slopes thrills many skiers.
17. Cross-country style identifies hiking on skis over snow-covered ground.
18. Norwegian immigrants introduced skiing into the United States in the mid-1800s.
19. Almost every ski area in the United States has machines for making snow.
20. Ski areas also have ski lifts, devices for transporting skiers to the tops of slops.

SECTION X: IDENTIFYING INFINITIVE PHRASES
In each sentence, underline the infinitive phrase. Circle the infinitive.
21. The tourists asked the bus driver to go slower.
22. Their purpose for taking the tour was to see the countryside.
23. The earliest attempts to fly ended in embarrassment, if not injury.
24. Roberts plan to compete in a triathlon surprised everyone.
25. In the spring, crabs begin to shed their shells.
26. Yes, we packed supplies enough to last a full week.