Read the sentences below. Go through the reasoning process that works best for you. Identify the functions of the participles. Then, explain the reasoning process you used to complete the task.

Finding a gardening class in a city was one of Janessa’s unexpected exploits.

3 answers

To identify the functions of the participles in the given sentence, let's break it down step by step:

  1. Identify the Participles: The participle in the sentence is "Finding." Participles can be present or past and can function in several roles, such as adjectives, nouns, or part of verb phrases.

  2. Determine the Role of the Participle: In this case, "Finding" is a present participle. To understand its role, we consider the phrase it belongs to: "Finding a gardening class in a city."

  3. Analyze the Phrase: The phrase "Finding a gardening class in a city" functions as a noun phrase. It acts as the subject of the verb "was" in the main clause: "Finding a gardening class in a city was one of Janessa’s unexpected exploits."

  4. Conclusion on Its Function: Therefore, in this sentence, "Finding" acts as a noun (gerund use) because it is the subject of the main clause.

Reasoning Process

  • Step 1: Identify all the participles in the sentence.
  • Step 2: Examine the structure of the sentence to see how the participle fits into the overall grammar.
  • Step 3: Analyze the phrase associated with the participle to determine what grammatical role it plays (subject, object, or adjective).
  • Step 4: Conclude that the participle in this context serves a noun function, specifically as the subject of the main clause.

This method allows clear understanding of the participle's function by breaking down the sentence structure step by step.

please answer this with a simple 1-2 sentences

The participle "Finding" functions as a noun (gerund) in the sentence, acting as the subject of the verb "was." It introduces the action of locating a gardening class, which is described as one of Janessa's unexpected exploits.