What is the function of the phrase "hoping for a few scraps of food" in the first sentence?
Hoping for a few scraps of food, the tiny puppy scooted
closer to the table where the man was eating. She placed
her paws on the edge of the man's seat to signal that she
was hungry. The man gently eased the whining puppy
back onto the floor. "No begging," he scolded. Pushing his
plate away from the edge of the table, the puppy walked
away from the man.
It is a participial phrase that modifies "puppy."
It is an infinitive phrase that modifies "puppy."
* It is a participial phrase that modifies "man."
It is a gerund phrase that is the subject of the
sentence