Intermediate participles. 45 questions on participial phrases, dangling participles, and reduced relative clauses.
What this test covers
- Participial Phrases
- Dangling Participles
- Reduced Relative Clauses
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1___ the report, she realized she had made a mistake.
Answer: D. Having finished
The perfect participle 'Having finished' is used to show that one action was completed before another action began — she finished the report and then realized her mistake. 'Finished the report' is incorrect because a bare past participle carries passive meaning (implying the report was finished by someone else), which clashes with the active subject 'she' who must be the one doing the finishing. 'Having finished' correctly expresses the active, prior completion of the task.
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Q2Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. Walking down the street, I noticed the trees looked beautiful.
The subject of a participial phrase must match the subject of the main clause. In the correct choice, 'I' am the person who was 'Walking down the street.' If the subject is 'the trees' or 'it,' the sentence suggests the trees were walking, which is a grammatical error called a 'misplaced introductory phrase'.
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Q3The woman ___ at the desk is my supervisor.
Answer: A. sitting
This is a reduced relative clause. 'Sitting at the desk' is a shorter way of saying 'who is sitting at the desk.' We use the present participle (-ing form) for active descriptions. 'Sat' is a past participle and 'sits' is a main verb that would require the relative pronoun 'who' to be correct here.
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Q4Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. Exhausted by the long day, I felt incredibly comfortable on the sofa.
The past participle 'Exhausted' must describe the subject of the main clause. Since a sofa cannot feel exhaustion, it cannot be the subject following that phrase. 'I' is the correct subject because a person is the one who was exhausted. This avoids a misplaced introductory phrase.
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Q5___ by the heavy rain, the cancellation of the match was inevitable.
Answer: A. Caused
We use the past participle 'Caused' here because the cancellation is the result of the rain — it was caused by the rain. The word 'by' is a strong context clue that a passive past participle is required. 'Causing' would incorrectly suggest the cancellation caused the rain.
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Q6The car ___ in the garage is brand new.
Answer: B. parked
This is a reduced relative clause with a passive meaning. 'The car parked in the garage' is short for 'The car which is parked in the garage.' We use the past participle 'parked' for items that have an action done to them, whereas 'parking' would mean the car was actively doing the parking.
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Q7___ to the party, he realized he had forgotten the gift.
Answer: B. Driving
The present participle 'Driving' is used to show an action happening at the same time as the main verb. While he was driving, he realized his mistake. 'Drove' and 'Drives' are finite verbs and cannot start a modifying phrase like this without a conjunction.
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Q8Which sentence contains a dangling participle?
Answer: D. Arriving at the station, the train was leaving.
A misplaced introductory phrase occurs when the subject of the participle phrase does not match the subject of the main clause. In 'Arriving at the station, the train was leaving,' the grammar implies the train was the one arriving at the station, which contradicts the logic of the sentence.
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Q9The students ___ the exam were silent.
Answer: B. taking
This is a reduced relative clause where 'taking' replaces 'who were taking.' We use the present participle (-ing) because the students are performing the action actively. The past participle 'taken' would imply the students were being taken by someone else.
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Q10___, the chef decided to close the restaurant early.
Answer: C. Feeling ill
The present participle phrase 'Feeling ill' functions as an adjective describing the chef and explains the reason for his decision. It is a more concise way of saying 'Because he felt ill.' 'Felt ill' cannot start the sentence without a subject like 'He'.
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Q11The letter ___ yesterday arrived this morning.
Answer: A. written
This is a passive reduced relative clause. 'Written yesterday' is short for 'which was written yesterday.' The past participle 'written' is necessary because the letter is the receiver of the action. 'Writing' would imply the letter was doing the writing.
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Q12___ for hours, the hikers were exhausted.
Answer: C. Having walked
The perfect participle 'Having walked' indicates an action that was completed before the state of exhaustion. This structure emphasizes the duration and completion of the first action. Simple present forms like 'Walks' or 'Walk' cannot function as introductory participle phrases.
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Q13Which is the correct way to fix: 'Watching TV, the phone rang.'?
Answer: D. Watching TV, I heard the phone ring.
The original sentence implies the phone was watching TV. To fix this, the subject of the main clause must be the person doing the watching. In 'Watching TV, I heard...', the subject 'I' correctly matches the participle 'Watching'.
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Q14The cake ___ by my grandmother is delicious.
Answer: A. made
This is a reduced relative clause with a passive meaning: 'The cake which was made by my grandmother.' The past participle 'made' is used for passive descriptions. The present participle 'making' would suggest the cake is the one performing the action.
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Q15___ the directions, he found the house easily.
Answer: A. Having followed
The perfect participle 'Having followed' clearly shows the sequence of events: he followed the directions first, and then he found the house. While 'Following' (present participle) could also work, 'Having followed' emphasizes the completion of the first task.
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Q16The children ___ in the park are my cousins.
Answer: A. playing
This is a reduced relative clause. 'Playing in the park' is a shorter way of saying 'who are playing in the park.' The present participle (-ing) is used for active, ongoing actions. 'Played' would imply a passive meaning which is incorrect here.
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Q17___ in a hurry, the report contained errors.
Answer: A. Written
The past participle 'Written' modifies 'the report.' Since a report is written by someone (passive), the past participle is required. 'Writing' would imply the report itself was actively writing, which is impossible.
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Q18Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. Having finished his dinner, the man sat back to relax.
The subject of the main clause must be the person who finished the dinner. Only 'the man' makes sense as the subject. In the other choices, the 'meal,' 'cat,' or 'kitchen' are placed as subjects, incorrectly suggesting they were the ones eating dinner.
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Q19The files ___ on the table belong to the manager.
Answer: B. left
This is a reduced relative clause with a passive meaning: 'The files which were left on the table.' We use the past participle 'left' because the files were placed there by someone else. 'Leaving' would mean the files were departing on their own.
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Q20___ the heavy traffic, we arrived late.
Answer: C. Considering
The present participle 'Considering' is used here as an introductory phrase meaning 'taking into account' or 'given the fact of.' It explains the reason for the late arrival. 'Considered' would be a past participle used to describe someone's reputation (e.g., 'He was considered a genius').
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Q21___, the athlete won the gold medal.
Answer: A. Training hard
The present participle phrase 'Training hard' describes the athlete's active state or the reason for their success. Since the athlete is performing the training, the active -ing form is used. 'Train hard' is an imperative and cannot modify a noun in this way.
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Q22Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. Looking through the telescope, I saw the planet clearly.
The participle 'Looking' must describe the subject of the main clause. 'I' am the one looking through the telescope. If the subject is 'the planet,' it sounds like the planet itself is using the telescope, which is a misplaced introductory phrase error.
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Q23The man ___ the bus is my neighbor.
Answer: C. waiting for
This is a reduced relative clause. 'Waiting for the bus' is short for 'who is waiting for the bus.' Because the man is actively doing the action, we use the present participle (-ing). 'Waited for' would imply the man was being waited for by someone else.
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Q24___, the building collapsed.
Answer: A. Weakened by the storm
The past participle 'Weakened' is used to show a passive relationship; the building was made weak by the storm. The context clue 'by' usually indicates a passive construction where the past participle is necessary. 'Weakening' would imply the building was making the storm weak.
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Q25Which is the correct way to fix: 'Driving to the airport, the tire blew out.'?
Answer: B. While I was driving to the airport, the tire blew out.
The original sentence has a misplaced introductory phrase because a tire cannot drive. To fix this, we can use a full subordinate clause with its own subject ('While I was driving'). This clarifies that a person was driving when the tire failed.
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Q26The book ___ on the shelf is a classic.
Answer: B. placed
This is a reduced relative clause: 'The book which is placed on the shelf.' We use the past participle 'placed' because the book didn't place itself; someone else put it there. 'Placing' would mean the book was currently performing the action of putting something else on the shelf.
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Q27___ by his performance, the audience applauded.
Answer: C. Impressed
We use the past participle 'Impressed' to describe the emotional state of the audience. Past participles are used to describe how people feel, while present participles (-ing) describe the thing that causes the feeling. The clue 'by' also signals a passive construction.
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Q28The girl ___ the guitar is my sister.
Answer: C. playing
This is a reduced relative clause: 'The girl who is playing the guitar.' The present participle 'playing' is used for an active action performed by the subject. 'Played' would suggest the girl was being played like an instrument, which is incorrect.
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Q29___, the document was difficult to read.
Answer: D. Handwritten
The past participle 'Handwritten' is used as an adjective modifying 'the document.' Since a document is written by someone (passive), the past participle is required. 'Handwriting' is a noun or present participle and would not logically modify 'document' here.
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Q30Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. Sitting in the garden, she read a book.
In participial phrases, the subject of the main clause must match the implied subject of the participle. 'She' is the only logical subject that can be 'sitting in the garden.' In the other options, the 'book,' 'sun,' and 'flowers' are the subjects, which makes no sense.
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Q31The painting ___ in this gallery is very expensive.
Answer: D. displayed
This is a reduced relative clause with a passive meaning: 'The painting which is displayed in this gallery.' Because paintings are displayed by people, the past participle 'displayed' is used. 'Displaying' would mean the painting was showing something else to the public.
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Q32___, the employee was asked to leave.
Answer: D. Caught stealing
The past participle phrase 'Caught stealing' describes the subject 'the employee.' He was caught (passive) in the act of stealing. 'Catching stealing' would imply the employee was the one who caught someone else, which doesn't fit the context of being asked to leave.
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Q33The man ___ the lawn is my uncle.
Answer: C. mowing
This is an active reduced relative clause: 'The man who is mowing the lawn.' We use the present participle (-ing) because the man is the one performing the action. 'Mowed' would be a past participle, implying the man himself was being cut.
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Q34___ the instructions, he started the machine.
Answer: A. Having read
The perfect participle 'Having read' shows that the action of reading was completed before he started the machine. It highlights the sequence of events. 'Reads' and 'Read' are finite verbs and cannot be used to start a modifying phrase without a subject or conjunction.
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Q35Which is the correct way to fix: 'While walking to school, the bell rang.'?
Answer: A. While walking to school, I heard the bell ring.
The original sentence contains a misplaced introductory phrase because it suggests the 'bell' was walking to school. To fix it, the subject of the main clause must be 'I,' because 'I' am the one who was walking. 'While walking to school, I heard...' is the correct construction.
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Q36The students ___ the rules will be punished.
Answer: A. breaking
This is an active reduced relative clause: 'The students who are breaking the rules.' We use the present participle 'breaking' because the students are performing the action. 'Broken' is a past participle used for things that have had an action done to them.
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Q37___, the house looked beautiful.
Answer: A. Painted
The past participle 'Painted' modifies 'the house.' Since the house received the action of being painted (passive), the past participle is used. 'Painting' would imply the house was the one holding the brush and painting something else.
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Q38The car ___ by the police was stolen.
Answer: A. stopped
This is a reduced relative clause with a passive meaning: 'The car which was stopped by the police.' The context clue 'by the police' indicates a passive construction, requiring the past participle 'stopped.' 'Stopping' would mean the car was the one pulling someone else over.
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Q39___, he decided to take a break.
Answer: D. Tired
We use the past participle 'Tired' to describe the internal state or feeling of the subject 'he.' Present participles (-ing) describe the thing that causes the feeling (e.g., 'a tiring day'), but the past participle describes the person experiencing it.
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Q40Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. Having lost his keys, he could not enter.
The subject of the main clause must be the person who lost the keys. 'He' is the only logical subject. In the other options, 'the house,' 'the door,' or 'the locksmith' are the subjects, which incorrectly implies they were the ones who lost the keys.
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Q41The dog ___ outside is barking.
Answer: B. waiting
This is a reduced relative clause: 'The dog which is waiting outside.' We use the present participle 'waiting' because the dog is actively performing the action. 'Waited' is a past participle and would imply a passive meaning that does not fit here.
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Q42___ by the news, she started to cry.
Answer: D. Shocked
The past participle 'Shocked' describes the subject's emotional state. We use past participles to describe how someone feels in response to something. 'Shocking' would describe the news itself, as it is the thing causing the feeling.
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Q43The cake ___ in the oven smells great.
Answer: A. baking
This is a reduced relative clause: 'The cake which is baking in the oven.' We use the present participle 'baking' to describe the current, ongoing process. While cakes are 'baked' by people, the -ing form is used here to describe the cake's state while inside the oven.
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Q44___ the room, she turned off the lights.
Answer: C. Leaving
The present participle 'Leaving' is used to show an action happening at the same time as, or immediately before, the main action. Using the -ing form at the start of the sentence is a standard way to connect two actions done by the same subject ('she').
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Q45Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. Having finished the test, the students handed in their papers.
In this context, the students are the ones who finished the test. Therefore, 'the students' must be the subject of the main clause. If the subject is 'the teacher' or 'the papers,' it creates a misplaced introductory phrase, suggesting the teacher or the papers sat for the exam.
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