Identify the term that best describes the italicized words.
Meteors, often called shooting stars, can be seen on almost any cloudless night.
(1 point)
appositive phrase
participial phrase
gerund phrase
infinitive phrase
Appositive phrase
To identify the term that best describes the italicized words in the sentence, we need to understand the types of phrases listed as options: appositive phrase, participial phrase, gerund phrase, and infinitive phrase.
1. Appositive phrase: An appositive phrase is a noun or noun phrase that renames or provides additional information about another noun in the sentence. It is usually set off by commas. In the given sentence, "often called shooting stars" provides additional information about "meteors," so it does not function as an appositive phrase.
2. Participial phrase: A participial phrase consists of a participle (a verb form ending in -ing or -ed) and any accompanying modifiers or objects. It functions as an adjective phrase, describing or modifying a noun or pronoun. In the given sentence, there is no present or past participle used, so it is not a participial phrase.
3. Gerund phrase: A gerund phrase consists of a gerund (a verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun) and any accompanying modifiers or objects. In the given sentence, there are no gerunds present.
4. Infinitive phrase: An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive (a verb form usually preceded by "to") and any accompanying modifiers or objects. In the given sentence, there is no infinitive used.
Based on the above explanations, none of the given phrase options correctly describes the words "often called shooting stars."