What is the BEST description and explanation for the underlined word in this sentence?
The entire printed document was placed in a box and delivered to the office
A Printed in a verb form being used as a noun to name type the type of document.
B Printed in a verb form being used as an adjective to describe the type of document
C Printed is a noun form being used as an adjective to describe the type of document.
D Printed is an adjective form being used as a verb to describe the task that was completed.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is B: Printed in a verb form being used as an adjective to describe the type of document.
In this sentence, the word “printed” is derived from the verb “print,” but it is functioning as an adjective to describe the type of document. This is an example of a past participle being used in an adjectival form. The word “printed” modifies the noun “document,” specifying that the document has undergone the process of printing.
To understand this better, it’s important to recognize how past participles can work in a sentence. A past participle is a form of a verb that often ends in -ed, and it can serve different grammatical roles. In this case, “printed” is not acting as a verb or a noun, but instead it provides additional information about the noun “document.”
The sentence could be rephrased as “The entire document that was printed was placed in a box and delivered to the office.” This rephrasing shows that “printed” is functioning to describe the document’s state after the printing process, indicating that it is an adjective.
Option A is incorrect because “printed” is not functioning as a noun; it is a verb form used adjectivally. Option C is incorrect because “printed” is not being used as a noun; it remains a verb form in this context. Option D is also incorrect because “printed” is not describing a task (verb) but the type of document, and thus it is not functioning as a verb here.
In summary, “printed” is a past participle acting as an adjective to describe the document, and the correct explanation is option B.