Questions 10–17: Indicate whether the italicized verbal phrase in each of the following sentences is a gerund, participial, prepositional or infinitive phrase.

10. Teaching young children requires both skill and patience.

11. I enjoy reading historical novels.

12. To be accepted by that college was my chief ambition.

13. Going to work this morning, I saw an accident occur.

14. The fruit was left to ripen on the tree.

15. Pushing like mad, we finally opened the door.

16. The bottle of juice went rolling under the living room couch.

17. The fog blanketed the ground and reached across the entire pond

Gerund phrase: 10). Teaching young children.

                           11). Reading historical novels.

Participial phrase: 13). Going to work this morning.

                               15). Pushing like mad.

Prepositional phrase: 16). Under the living room couch.

                                    17). Across the entire pond.

Infinitive phrase: 12). To be accepted by that college.

                             14). To ripen on the tree.

Explanation:

- Gerund phrases are described as the phrases that consists of a gerund(verb +  ing) followed by any compliments or modifiers. These phrases primarily function as nouns in the sentence which could be a subject, object, or as a predicate nominative.

The sentences 10 and 11 include gerund phrases as mentioned above which are functioning as noun(in sentence 10) and as object in sentence 11.

- Participial phrases are characterized as the phrases that comprise of participial(present or past) followed by the modifier and its object or compliments. These phrases usually act as adjectives to add detail to the sentence by qualifying the noun or pronoun.

The sentences 13 and 15 involve participial phrases as they involve participles('going' and 'pushing') followed by the modifiers and function to qualify the pronoun 'I and we'.

- Prepositional phrases are elucidated as the phrases that involves a preposition followed by its object and/or any of the modifiers. These phrases function to qualify a noun or verb.

As per the definition, the sentences 16 and 17 include prepositional phrases('under..couch' and 'across...pond') which are modifying the verb 'rolling' and 'reached.'

- Infinitive phrases are elucidated as the phrases that begins with an infinitive(basic form of verb) and acts either as noun, as adverb, or as adjective in the sentence.

The sentences 12 and 14 involve infinitive phrases('to be..college' and 'to..tree') which are functioning as noun(in sentence 12) and as an adverb(in the sentence 14).

learning how to embrace the effects of colonialism is one of the central ideas of the play.