Test on Phrases
Answer Sheet

A. Identifying Phrases

In each of the following sentences, identify each italicized phrase as prepositional, participial, gerund, or infinitive.

  1. Now I would like to tell you about my sister Alexandra.  inf.
  2. She likes arriving at school early.  ger.
  3. By doing so, she can spend extra time preparing for her day.  ger.
  4. She will resort to anything to get to school early, including waking me up, too.  prep.
  5. For example, when the beeping of my alarm woke me yesterday, the sky was as dark as night.  ger.
  6. I soon realized that Alexandra had adjusted the alarm to wake up later.  inf.
  7. It was, I could see, an occasion for applying my special technique.  ger.
  8. Called my slow-motion technique, it always achieves the result I want.  part.
  9. I moved around the house as if I were underwater; Alexandra watched until she could stand it no longer.  prep.
  10. The, I moved faster; I certainly did not want to be late for school.  inf.

B. Identifying and Classifying Prepositional Phrases

Identify the prepositional phrases in the following sentences.  Identify the word or words modified by each phrase.  Then, state whether the prepositional phrase is an adjective phrase or an adverb phrase.

  1. A daily newspaper has something for almost everyone.  adj.
  2. In addition to news, the paper offers entertainment, classified ads, and much more.  adv.
  3. Our entire family reads the newspaper in the morning.  adv.
  4. Dad always begins with the sports pages; Mom prefers the general news.  adv.
  5. My sister's favorite part of the newspaper is the lifestyle section.  adj.
  6. She enjoys features like "How-to-Hints."  adj.
  7. I find the editorial and opinion pages interesting, especially when a debate between two sides develops.  adj.
  8. Sometimes I see the logic behind an argument.  adj.
  9. Other times I wonder why grown people argue about a trivial issue.  adv.
  10. I also like to read news about local events.  adj.

C. Identifying Verbals

Identify each italicized verbal in the following sentences as a participle, a gerund, or an infinitive.

  1. Many amateur athletes want to earn medals for their abilities.  inf.
  2. Enjoyed by people throughout history, amateur athletic competitions can be very beneficial.  part.
  3. Winning an event is only part of the reason athletes compete.  ger.
  4. When talented amateurs compete to test their skills, they learn a great deal about their sport.  inf.
  5. In addition, the love of a sport, the best reason for entering into competition, usually grows as an athlete's performance improves.  ger.
  6. Furthermore, sharing hard work with teammates leads a person to appreciate cooperative efforts.  ger.
  7. Competitions organized on many levels give amateur athletes a motive for increased practice.  part.
  8. Participating in state, national, and international competitions is important to many amateur athletes.  ger.
  9. Wanting to be recognized for their talent, the athletes compete against their peers in such events.  part.
  10. These competitions also provide athletes with opportunities to put their abilities to test.  inf.

D. Identifying Verbal Phrases

In each of the following sentences, identify the italicized verbal phrase as participial phrase, an infinitive phrase, or a gerund phrase.

  1. Maxine gets her exercise by dancing for a least three hours a week.  ger.
  2. Eddie likes to make pizza for his friends.  inf.
  3. The mother baboon watched her infant eating a berry.  part.
  4. Yolanda went to get her book.  inf.
  5. Is the man pushing the grocery cart an employee or a customer?  part.
  6. Winning the contest was a thrill for our cheerleaders.  ger.
  7. I made a tote bag to hold my gym clothes.  inf.
  8. Richard's summer job is delivering groceries to the hospital.  ger.
  9. Enzo Ferrari became famous by building fast and stylish cars.  ger.
  10. Preparing for that play took quite a long time.  ger.
  11. Samantha overheard Tina and Sue talking about their vacation plans.  part.
  12. Prepare to run your fastest.  inf.
  13. Excited by the thought of the trip, we finished packing early.  part.
  14. Koalas get most of their nutrition by eating eucalyptus leaves.  ger.
  15. Tired of the noise outside, we closed the window.  part.