VERBALS

(Participles, Gerunds, &

Infinitives) Words that look like verbs but

function as nouns, adjectives, or

adverbs (modifiers)

Participles (Participial Phrases)

Acts as an adjective = describes nouns (usually

comes before or after the noun it modifies

Ends in –ing, -ed, or –en (depending on tense =

present or past participle)

Often, the participial phrase is set off by

commas, making it easy to identify.

Find the participles

Played for over 100 years, football has a rich

tradition and history.

Running down the beach, I tripped and stubbed

my toe on a rock.

Eaten by many people, sushi is my least favorite

food.

Waving my hand, I tried to get the attention of

the cab driver.

MISPLACED MODIFIERS

Participials and phrases MUST be adjacent to

the nouns they modify.

Beginning in the 1890’s, Thanksgiving Day was

when top high school football teams played

their rivals.

GERUNDS

End in –ing

Function as NOUNS! (S, PN, DO, IO, or OP)

Can be confused with participles because of the –ing ending; however, gerunds function as NOUNS while participles function as ADJECTIVES. This is how you determine the difference!

Locate the gerunds and state their noun

function (S, PN, IO, DO, or OP).

Swimming is my least favorite sport.

Her best sport is swimming.

Swimming in the ocean, I was afraid of a shark attack.

However, I like swimming in the ocean.

Between swimming and tennis, I much prefer tennis.

Start-Up: Find the gerund or participle.

My favorite form of exercise is running.

Living in NWI, we expect snow delays.

Confused, she could not follow directions.

A squeaking sound came from my brakes.

Playing golf is my favorite sport.

I don’t like eating lima beans!

INFINITIVES

Structure: to + a verb (to play)

Function as nouns (S, PN, DO, IO, or OP),

adjectives, or adverbs

If the infinitive is not functioning as a noun,

then it is a modifier (either an adjective or

adverb)

INFINITIVES

They look so different from gerunds and

participles that they are easy to identify;

however, some students confuse them with

prepositional phrases because of the word to.

Prep. phrase = to the store (to + a NOUN-OP)

INFINITIVE = to play (to + a VERB)

Find the infinitives and state their function in

the sentence, either N (S, PN, DO, OP) or

MODIFIER (adj. / adv).

More women are learning to play golf.

To make a living as a golfer is no easy task.

To become a pro golfer, Annika Sorenstam

practiced constantly.

I dropped my clubs off at the golf course.

He had no choice except to relent.

Afraid to speak, he remained silent.