Lesson 239 - Parts of the Sentence - Verbals

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. Eating is fun.

A participle is used as an adjective and ends in 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. The glancing blow did little damage.

2. Go to the dictionary to look for the answer.

3. This computer game is easy to play and to understand.

4. Have you tried writing it down daily?

5. His chief interests are skiing and racing.

--For answers scroll down.

Answers:

1. glancing is a participle modifying the subject blow

2. to look for the answer is an adverb infinitive phrase modifying the verb go

3. to play/to understand are adverb infinitives modifying the predicate adjective easy

4. writing it down daily is a gerund phrase used as the direct object

5. skiing/racing are gerunds used as predicate nominatives

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