Participial Phrase Openers

Beginning the occasional sentence with a participial phrase imparts drama and action to your writing. A participle is a form of a verb. The present participle of most English verbs is formed by adding -ing to the base verb, the past participle by adding -ed. Notice how the participle openers in the sentences below immediately give a sense of action and drama to the writing:

Flying at an altitude just above the tree tops, Baron von Richthofen was aware that Roy Brown was after him.

Aided by a strong tailwind, Brown was in hot pursuit and rapidly closing to lethal range.

Participles are energetic words with which to begin sentences. They convey action and liven up your writing. But some style guides will caution against their use because we do not naturally speak with opening participial phrases. Imagine saying to one of your buddies after a particularly gruelling workout, "Sweating profusely from the reps, Jack, I decided that ten more wouldn't hurt me."

Use a participial phrase to create variety and motion in a sentence when the subject calls for it. But do not overuse participial phrases to begin your sentences.

Practice Exercises (10 questions)