WREN & MARTIN's English grammar-10 MCQs on the Participle,

 

10 MCQs on the Participle, Use of the Participle and Errors in the Use of Participles

1. "Having completed the entire assignment well before the deadline, she decided to help her classmates." — Identify the use of the participle phrase in this sentence.

  • A) The participle phrase functions as an adjective modifying the noun "deadline"
  • B) The participle phrase functions as an adverb expressing the reason or cause of her decision
  • C) The participle phrase functions as the subject of the sentence
  • D) The participle phrase functions as the object of the verb "decided"

Answer: B) The participle phrase functions as an adverb expressing the reason or cause of her decision (The perfect participial phrase "having completed the entire assignment well before the deadline" functions as an adverbial modifier expressing the reason or cause behind her decision to help her classmates — the perfect participle "having completed" indicates that the action of completing the assignment was fully done before the action in the main clause.)

2. "The burning building could be seen from several kilometres away by the horrified residents." — Identify the use of the participle "burning."

  • A) "Burning" functions as a verb in the present continuous tense
  • B) "Burning" functions as a noun referring to the act of burning
  • C) "Burning" functions as an adjective modifying the noun "building"
  • D) "Burning" functions as an adverb modifying the verb "could be seen"

Answer: C) "Burning" functions as an adjective modifying the noun "building" ("Burning" is a present participle used here as an attributive adjective — it comes directly before the noun "building" and describes its condition or state — when a participle is placed before a noun to describe or modify it the participle is functioning as an adjective — this is one of the most common uses of the present participle.)

3. "Identify the error in the following sentence: 'Walking along the road, a dog suddenly bit him.'"

  • A) The tense of the participle "walking" is incorrect
  • B) The participle phrase "walking along the road" incorrectly modifies "a dog" instead of "him"
  • C) The participle "walking" should be replaced by the past participle "walked"
  • D) The sentence is grammatically correct and contains no error

Answer: B) The participle phrase "walking along the road" incorrectly modifies "a dog" instead of "him" (This is an example of a dangling or misrelated participle — the participial phrase "walking along the road" must logically refer to the subject of the main clause — since "a dog" is the subject the sentence incorrectly implies that the dog was walking along the road — the correct sentence should be "Walking along the road, he was suddenly bitten by a dog.")

4. "Exhausted by the long and demanding journey, the travellers immediately fell asleep at the hotel." — Identify the use of the participle "exhausted."

  • A) "Exhausted" functions as a verb in the simple past tense
  • B) "Exhausted" functions as an adverb modifying the verb "fell"
  • C) "Exhausted" functions as a noun referring to the state of tiredness
  • D) "Exhausted" functions as a past participial adjective modifying "the travellers"

Answer: D) "Exhausted" functions as a past participial adjective modifying "the travellers" ("Exhausted" is a past participle used here as a predicative adjective in a participial phrase — it describes the condition of the travellers and explains why they fell asleep immediately — the past participial phrase "exhausted by the long and demanding journey" functions as an adverbial modifier expressing the cause of the action in the main clause.)

5. "Identify the error in the following sentence: 'Having finished the dinner, the television was switched on by them.'"

  • A) The tense of the perfect participle "having finished" is incorrect
  • B) The sentence is grammatically correct as the participle refers to "them"
  • C) "Having finished the dinner" is a dangling participle as it does not logically refer to "the television"
  • D) The past participle "finished" should be replaced by the present participle "finishing"

Answer: C) "Having finished the dinner" is a dangling participle as it does not logically refer to "the television" (The participial phrase "having finished the dinner" must logically refer to the subject of the main clause — since "the television" is the subject of the passive construction it creates the absurd implication that the television finished the dinner — the correct sentence should be "Having finished the dinner, they switched on the television.")

6. "She sat by the window reading a fascinating novel about adventure and discovery." — Identify the use of the participle "reading."

  • A) "Reading" functions as a noun as the object of the preposition "by"
  • B) "Reading" functions as an adverb modifying the adjective "fascinating"
  • C) "Reading" functions as a present participle expressing a simultaneous action
  • D) "Reading" functions as a verb in the present continuous tense

Answer: C) "Reading" functions as a present participle expressing a simultaneous action ("Reading" is a present participle used here to describe an action that was taking place simultaneously with the action of sitting by the window — the participle phrase "reading a fascinating novel about adventure and discovery" tells us what she was doing while sitting — this use of the present participle expresses two simultaneous actions performed by the same subject.)

7. "Identify the error in the following sentence: 'Being a rainy day, I decided to stay indoors and read a book.'"

  • A) The sentence is grammatically correct as "being" clearly refers to "I"
  • B) The participle "being" is in the wrong tense and should be "having been"
  • C) "Being a rainy day" is a dangling participle as it does not logically refer to "I"
  • D) The main clause should be in the passive voice

Answer: C) "Being a rainy day" is a dangling participle as it does not logically refer to "I" (The participial phrase "being a rainy day" does not logically refer to the subject "I" — a day cannot be "I" — this is a misrelated or dangling participle — the correct version should be "It being a rainy day, I decided to stay indoors" or "As it was a rainy day, I decided to stay indoors and read a book.")

8. "The soldier, wounded in the fierce battle, was immediately evacuated to the nearest military hospital." — Identify the use of the participle "wounded."

  • A) "Wounded" functions as a verb in the simple past tense
  • B) "Wounded" functions as a past participle in a non-defining participial phrase modifying "the soldier"
  • C) "Wounded" functions as an adverb modifying the verb "was evacuated"
  • D) "Wounded" functions as a noun referring to the act of being wounded

Answer: B) "Wounded" functions as a past participle in a non-defining participial phrase modifying "the soldier" ("Wounded" is a past participle that forms part of the non-defining participial phrase "wounded in the fierce battle" — the phrase is set off by commas and provides additional information about the subject "the soldier" — it modifies the noun "the soldier" and describes the condition that led to his evacuation.)

9. "Turning the corner, the school came into view after the long and tiring walk through the village." — Identify the error in this sentence.

  • A) The tense of the participle "turning" is incorrect and should be in the perfect form
  • B) The sentence is grammatically correct as the participle clearly refers to the implied subject
  • C) "Turning the corner" is a dangling participle as it does not logically refer to "the school"
  • D) The main clause should be rewritten in the active voice to correct the sentence

Answer: C) "Turning the corner" is a dangling participle as it does not logically refer to "the school" (The participial phrase "turning the corner" must logically refer to the subject of the main clause — since "the school" is the subject the sentence implies that the school was turning the corner which is absurd — the correct version should be "Turning the corner, they saw the school come into view after the long and tiring walk.")

10. "Which of the following sentences correctly uses a participle without any error?"

  • A) Entering the examination hall, the question paper was found to be very difficult.
  • B) Having submitted the report, the manager was informed about the next assignment.
  • C) Walking through the forest, the trees appeared to be centuries old.
  • D) Being tired after the long journey, the travellers decided to rest before continuing.

Answer: D) Being tired after the long journey, the travellers decided to rest before continuing. (This sentence correctly uses the participial phrase "being tired after the long journey" — the participial phrase logically and clearly refers to the subject of the main clause "the travellers" — the subject performing the action of being tired is the same subject that decided to rest — options A B and C all contain dangling or misrelated participles where the participial phrase does not logically refer to the subject of the main clause.)

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