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Verbals are words that are formed from verbs but function as other parts of speech

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18 views11 pages

Verbals are words that are formed from verbs but function as other parts of speech

Uploaded by

antareepbanerjee68
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Verbals are words that are formed from verbs but function as other parts of

speech, such as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

The three verbals— gerunds, infinitives, and participles—are formed from verbs,
but are never used alone as action words in sentences.

VERBALS

INFINITIVE GERUND PARTICIPLE

GERUND
Gerunds are verbals that function as nouns and have an –ing ending. Since
gerunds are derived from verbs and have an –ing ending, they do express action.
However, because gerunds function as nouns, they occupy slots traditionally held
by nouns in sentences such as subjects, direct objects and objects of prepositions.
Gerunds may occur as one word, or they may be part of a gerund phrase. Let’s
take a look at some examples:

Gerund, functioning as subject


Reading is my most beneficial summer activity.
Gerund, functioning as direct object
James enjoys swimming.

Gerund, functioning as object of preposition


You will get good grades by studying.

Gerund phrase, functioning as subject


Eating on the run is one of the most unhealthy American habits.

Gerund phrase, functioning as direct object


The teacher simply cannot excuse sleeping during class.

Gerund phrase, functioning as object of preposition


We found the keys by looking on the ground next to the car.

Test: To determine whether a word in a sentence is a gerund, look at the word(s)


ending in –ing in the sentence. If this word can be replaced by the pronoun it,
then the word is a gerund. If the word it replaces other words in addition to the
gerund, then these make up the gerund phrase (Lester 177). Let’s take a look at
an example:

My grandfather loves getting together at Christmas.

My grandfather loves it.


SUBJECT

DIRECT OBJECT
RETAINED OBJECT

SUBJECT COMPLEMENT
OBJECT OF A PREPOSITION

APPOSITIVE
DELAYED APPOSITIVE

In the

example below, the gerund phrase renames the subject, this.

NOTE: Do not confuse gerunds with verbs (predicates) in the progressive


tense.

GERUND
PREDICATE VERB

Even though is cooking and was scratching end in -ing, they are not
gerunds because they are used as predicate verbs, not as nouns.
2. Participles

A verbal is a word formed from a verb but functioning as a different part of


speech.

A participle is a verbal that functions as an adjective.

Two kinds of participles:

A. Present participles, always ending in -ing, are created from the form of
a verb used with the verb to be ( am, is, are, was, were, been) as an auxiliary
verb (progressive tense).

Removing the auxiliary verb and using the -ing form of the main verb as an
adjective produces a present participle.

B. Past participles, usually ending in -ed or -en, are created from the
form of a verb used with the verb to be as an auxiliary verb (passive voice).
Removing the auxiliary verb and using the -en form of the main verb as
an adjective produces a past participle.
Past participles may also be part of a participial phrase.
Participles and participial phrases should be placed near the nouns they
modify. They may either precede or follow a noun.

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