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Quizzes > Literature & Language > English & Grammar

Types of Phrases Quiz: Test Your Grammar Expertise

Ready to master infinitives and gerunds, prepositional phrases, and more?

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustrating cutout words infinitive gerund prepositional participial adjective phrases on dark blue background

Ready to sharpen your grammar skills? Our Infinitives and Gerunds Quiz: Master Your Phrase Skills is designed for students, educators, and language lovers eager to test their knowledge of infinitives and gerunds as well as other phrase types. Dive into questions on the definition of prepositional phrase, adjective phrase definition, and what is participial, with apposition examples to see how well you understand these structures. From spotting an infinitive phrase in travel writing to recognizing a gerund subject in everyday sentences, this free interactive quiz covers key concepts and fun challenges. Whether you're brushing up on basics or looking for advanced gerund practice , you'll find instant feedback and clear explanations. Take the phrase types quiz today - boost your confidence and master your phrase skills in minutes!

Identify the gerund phrase in the following sentence: 'Running every morning keeps me healthy.'
me healthy
keeps me healthy
every morning keeps
Running every morning
In this sentence, 'Running every morning' functions as a gerund phrase acting as the subject. The gerund 'running' is used with the object 'every morning' to form the phrase. Gerund phrases always end in -ing and act as nouns in sentences. Grammar Monster: Gerund Phrases
Identify the infinitive phrase in the sentence: 'She hopes to travel the world next year.'
to travel the world
hopes to
she hopes
the world next year
The phrase 'to travel the world' is an infinitive phrase acting as the direct object of 'hopes.' Infinitive phrases begin with 'to' plus the base verb and can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. Here it names what she hopes to do. Purdue OWL: Infinitive Phrases
Which of the following is a prepositional phrase?
to finish the report
under the bright moon
eating breakfast quickly
amazed by the news
'Under the bright moon' is a prepositional phrase beginning with the preposition 'under' and including its object 'the bright moon.' It functions as an adverbial phrase of place. The other options are gerund, infinitive, and participial phrases. Grammarly: Prepositional Phrases
Choose the adjective phrase:
to be tall
in the tall building
very happily
very tall
An adjective phrase modifies a noun and includes an adjective and its modifiers. 'Very tall' is an adjective phrase modifying an implied noun. 'Very happily' is an adverb phrase, 'to be tall' is an infinitive, and 'in the tall building' is a prepositional phrase. Grammar Monster: Adjective Phrases
Identify the participial phrase in: 'Shaken by the news, she sat down.'
by the news
sat down
she sat down
Shaken by the news
The phrase 'Shaken by the news' starts with the past participle 'shaken' and acts as an adjective modifying 'she.' Participial phrases provide additional information about a noun or pronoun. Grammarly: Participial Phrases
What is the function of the infinitive phrase in: 'He called to apologize.'
Acts as subject
Complements an adjective
Expresses purpose
Modifies a noun
In 'He called to apologize,' the infinitive phrase 'to apologize' expresses the purpose of the call. Infinitive phrases can indicate purpose when they follow verbs. ChompChomp: Infinitive Phrases
In the sentence 'Swimming is a good workout,' what is the function of 'Swimming'?
Gerund acting as subject
Prepositional object
Gerund acting as object
Participle
'Swimming' is a gerund (noun form of a verb) and serves as the subject of the sentence. Gerunds end in -ing and function as nouns. EF Grammar: Gerunds and Infinitives
Which function does the prepositional phrase serve in: 'She sat by the fireplace.'?
Adverbial modifier of place
Subject
Adjective modifier
Direct object
'By the fireplace' is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverbial of place, telling where she sat. Prepositional phrases often act as adverbs or adjectives. Writing Explained: Prepositional Phrase
In the sentence 'I saw him running down the street,' what is 'running down the street'?
Participial phrase
Prepositional phrase
Infinitive phrase
Gerund phrase
'Running down the street' is a participial phrase describing 'him.' It begins with the present participle 'running' and modifies a noun. ThoughtCo: Participial Phrases
Choose the correct verb form: 'She enjoys ____ science fiction.'
having read
to read
read
reading
After the verb 'enjoy,' English requires a gerund form. 'Reading science fiction' is correct. Using 'to read' would be incorrect in this context. English Page: Gerunds vs Infinitives
Identify the phrase type in: 'The boy with long hair plays guitar.'
Prepositional phrase modifying 'boy'
Participial phrase
Infinitive phrase
Gerund phrase
'With long hair' is a prepositional phrase acting as an adjective to modify 'boy.' It begins with the preposition 'with.' YourDictionary: Prepositional Phrases
What type of phrase is 'to have finished the work'?
Participial phrase
Prepositional phrase
Perfect infinitive phrase
Gerund phrase
A perfect infinitive phrase uses 'to have' plus a past participle to show an action completed before another. 'To have finished' indicates completion prior to another point in time. EnglishClub: Perfect Infinitive
Choose the correct completion: 'He asked me ____ early.'
leave
for leaving
leaving
to leave
After 'asked,' the construction 'asked someone to do something' requires an infinitive. 'He asked me to leave early' is correct. EF Grammar: Gerunds and Infinitives
Identify the participial phrase in: 'Driving too fast, he got a ticket.'
a ticket
he got a ticket
Driving too fast
too fast
'Driving too fast' is a participial phrase starting with the present participle 'driving.' It functions adverbially to explain why he got a ticket. Grammarly: Participial Phrases
Which sentence means he quit one activity to do another: 'He stopped ____.'
smoked
for smoking
to smoke
smoking
'Stopped to smoke' means he ceased one action in order to smoke. In contrast, 'stopped smoking' means he quit the habit. This illustrates the gerund vs infinitive distinction. EnglishPage: Gerund vs Infinitive
Which phrase is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverb in: 'They arrived after midnight.'?
They arrived
arrived after
after midnight
midnight
'After midnight' is a prepositional phrase acting adverbially to specify when they arrived. It modifies the verb 'arrived.' Ginger: Adverbials
Identify the participial phrase in: 'The woman talking to John is my aunt.'
to John
The woman
talking to John
is my aunt
'Talking to John' is a participial phrase starting with the present participle 'talking.' It modifies 'the woman.' ThoughtCo: Participial Phrases
In 'They claim to have won the championship,' what type of phrase is 'to have won the championship'?
Participial phrase
Gerund phrase
Prepositional phrase
Perfect infinitive phrase
The phrase 'to have won the championship' is a perfect infinitive phrase showing that the winning occurred before the claiming. It uses 'to have' plus a past participle. EnglishClub: Perfect Infinitive
Which sentence expresses a general preference using a gerund?
I like praise.
I like being praised.
I like to be praised.
I like praise me.
'Like being praised' uses the gerund form to express a general preference. 'Like to be praised' can imply a specific occasion. Gerund after 'like' indicates enjoyment or habitual action. English Page: Gerunds vs Infinitives
Identify the reduced relative clause in: 'Books written in the 19th century are rare.'
written in the 19th century
Books written
in the 19th century
are rare
'Written in the 19th century' is a reduced relative clause (participial phrase) modifying 'Books.' The relative pronoun and verb have been omitted. Grammarly: Reduced Relative Clauses
In 'The shining star guided us,' what is 'shining'?
Gerund
Preposition
Infinitive
Present participle adjective
'Shining' here functions as a present participle adjective modifying 'star.' It describes the star's quality. Gerunds act as nouns, which 'shining' is not in this context. ThoughtCo: Participial Phrases
Identify the gerund phrase with an object: 'Eating chocolate bars relaxes me.'
relaxes me
Eating me
chocolate bars
Eating chocolate bars
'Eating chocolate bars' is a gerund phrase with the gerund 'eating' and its object 'chocolate bars.' It functions as the subject. Grammar Monster: Gerund Phrases
In 'I have work to do,' what type of phrase is 'to do'?
Adverbial infinitive phrase
Gerund phrase
Adjectival infinitive phrase
Prepositional phrase
'To do' modifies the noun 'work,' specifying what kind of work. Infinitive phrases that modify nouns are adjectival. EnglishClub: Infinitives
Identify the infinitive phrase in: 'For her to win was unexpected.'
For her to win
to win was
was unexpected
her to win was
'For her to win' is an infinitive phrase acting as the subject of the sentence. It begins with 'for' plus a pronoun and an infinitive verb. Purdue OWL: Non-finite Clauses
Which form expresses regret about a past action: 'I regret ____ your call.'
having missed
to miss
missing
to have missed
The perfect infinitive 'to have missed' indicates the action occurred before the moment of regret. 'Having missed' is a gerund phrase and less common in this structure. EnglishPage: Perfect Gerund and Infinitive
Which sentence corrects the dangling participle? 'Walking down the street, a car nearly hit me.'
Walking down the street, the car nearly hit me.
While I was walking down the street, a car nearly hit me.
Walking down the street, I was hit by a car.
A car nearly hit me walking down the street.
Adding 'While I was' explicitly links the participial phrase to the subject 'I,' eliminating the dangling modifier. The original left the phrase modifying the wrong noun. Writing Explained: Dangling Participles
Choose the correct completion: 'She promised ____ early.'
to arrive
arrive
arriving
for arriving
After 'promised,' the pattern is 'promise someone to do something.' 'She promised to arrive early' uses the infinitive correctly. EF Grammar
Which is an example of a perfect infinitive used to indicate an action completed prior to another?
to have left
leaving
to leave
having left
The perfect infinitive 'to have left' signals that the leaving occurred before another action. 'Having left' is a participle phrase, not an infinitive. EnglishClub: Perfect Infinitive
Reduce this adverbial clause: 'In order to succeed, you must practice daily.' Which is the correct reduction?
To succeed, you must practice daily.
Succeed, you must practice daily.
In order to succeed daily, you must practice.
Practicing daily will succeed you.
Dropping 'In order' is a common reduction for adverbial infinitive clauses. 'To succeed, you must practice daily' retains the meaning. Purdue OWL: Non-finite Clauses
Identify the correct correction for the phrase: 'We look forward to meet you.'
meeting you
to meeting you
meet you
to meet you
After 'look forward to,' English requires a gerund. The correct phrase is 'We look forward to meeting you.' 'To meeting' or 'to meet' would be ungrammatical here. Grammarly: Look Forward To
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Infinitives and Gerunds -

    Recognize and label infinitive and gerund phrases within sentences to understand their grammatical roles and functions.

  2. Differentiate Phrase Types -

    Distinguish between infinitives, gerunds, prepositional phrases, participial phrases, and adjective phrases by analyzing their structure and usage.

  3. Define Prepositional Phrases -

    Explain the definition of prepositional phrase and identify examples to clarify how they modify nouns and verbs in context.

  4. Recognize Adjective Phrases -

    Understand adjective phrase definition and spot descriptive phrases that modify nouns for clearer, more precise writing.

  5. Analyze Participial Constructions -

    Answer the question "what is participial" by locating and interpreting participial phrases to enhance sentence variety.

  6. Spot Apposition Examples -

    Examine apposition examples to see how nouns or noun phrases can rename or elaborate on adjacent nouns for added detail and clarity.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Infinitives and Gerunds: Core Differences -

    Infinitives and gerunds function as noun forms but differ in structure: infinitives use "to" + base verb (to run) while gerunds add "-ing" (running). Remember the mnemonic "to go or going" to decide which form fits - some verbs prefer gerunds after them, like "enjoy swimming." According to Purdue OWL, knowing these patterns boosts both clarity and variety in writing.

  2. Definition of Prepositional Phrase -

    A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun (the object), e.g., "in the library" or "over the hill." These phrases act as adjectives or adverbs, adding context about place, time, or manner. Cambridge University's grammar resources highlight that mastering these helps you write more precise and detailed sentences.

  3. Adjective Phrase Definition and Usage -

    An adjective phrase modifies a noun and often contains an adjective plus modifiers, such as "full of energy" or "extremely loud." These phrases add depth, telling readers more about qualities or states. The University of Illinois writes that recognizing adjective phrase definition patterns can improve your descriptive writing instantly.

  4. What Is Participial Phrase? -

    Participial phrases begin with a present ( - ing) or past ( - ed/en) participle and work like adjectives, e.g., "Running late, she grabbed her keys" or "Tired from work, he slept early." Remember "participles participate as modifiers" - they participate in action tense but modify like adjectives. The Oxford English Grammar emphasizes that clear use of participial phrases avoids dangling modifiers.

  5. Apposition Examples for Clarity -

    In apposition, a noun or phrase follows another noun to rename or describe it, as in "My sister, a talented musician, won the award." This structure boosts reader understanding by providing extra info without extra sentences. The Merriam-Webster dictionary example shows that apposition examples clarify relationships and enrich sentence flow.

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