Lesson 237 - Parts of the Sentence - Verbals

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A verbal is a verb form used as some other part of speech. There are three kinds of verbals: gerunds, participles, and infinitives.

A gerund always ends in ing and is used as a noun. 

 

Example: 

Eating is fun.

A participle is used as an adjective and ends various ways. A present participle always ends with ing as does the gerund, but remember that it is an adjective. A past participle ends with ed, n, or irregularly.  

 

Examples: 

played, broken, brought, sung, seeing, having seen, being seen, seen, having been seen

An infinitive is to plus a verb form. It can be a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. 

 

Examples: 

to be, to see, to be seen, to be eaten

Instructions: Find the gerunds, gerund phrases, participles, participial phrases, infinitives, or infinitive phrases in these sentences, tell what kind of verbal they are, and how they are used.

1. Signs hung too high can't be read.

2. You know my weakness, eating late at night.

3. Your weeping and wailing will not change a thing.

4. To decorate for the dance will cost too much.

5. Do you have a book to read?

--For answers scroll down.

Answers:

1. Signs hung too high can't be read.

- hung too high (participial phrase) modifying the subject Signs

2. You know my weakness, eating late at night.

- eating late at night (gerund phrase) used as an appositive

3. Your weeping and wailing will not change a thing.

- weeping/wailing (gerunds) used as subjects

4. To decorate for the dance will cost too much.

- to decorate for the dance (noun infinitive phrase) used as the subject

5. Do you have a book to read?

- to read (adverb infinitive) modifying the verb Do have

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