Question

In the following sentence, identify the participle and the word the participle modifies. The man digging in the quarry helped us find our baseball.

Answer 1

Answer: In the sentence provided, the participle is "digging" and the word that it is modifying is "man".

Explanation: A participle is a non-finite verb form. There are two types of participles: past participles and present participles. While past participles end in "-en", "-ed", "-t", "-d" or "-n", present participles end in "-ing". Moreover, present participles usually act as adjectives and modify nouns. In the sentence "The man digging in the quarry helped us find our baseball", "digging" is a present participle because, besides ending in "-ing", it is functioning as an adjective and it is modifying the noun that is immediately before it: "man".

Answer 2

The participle is "digging." Most participles end in -ing. It modifies "man", describing what the man is doing.