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Grammar Bite:

Learn the basics of verbals - participle, gerund, and infinitive phrases. Discover their roles as adjectives, nouns, and adverbs in sentences. Dive into examples to grasp their usage and differentiate between them. Enhance your grammar skills!

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Grammar Bite:

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  1. Grammar Bite: Phrases…. Part II: Verbals

  2. Verbal Phrases • Verbals are words that are traditionally VERBS but are acting as another part of speech. • Hint: For participle and gerund phrases, look to see whether the participle form of the verb comes after a helping verb. If there is no helping verb, you know it is a verbal (or poor grammar). Your next task is to figure out whether the phrase is acting as a noun or adjective…

  3. Participles – What are they? • Basically, a participle is a form of a verb that acts as an adjective. • Present Participles are formed by adding –ing to a verb • Past Participles are (USUALLY) formed by adding –ed to a verb Participles are SNEAKY… these words look just like verbs! See the examples on the next page…

  4. Participles – Examples • Present Participle as a verb: I am wearing glasses. • Present Participle Phrase: Wearing glasses, she looked years older. • Past Participle as a verb: I was dressed in my finest outfit for the awards dinner. • Past Participle Phrase: Dressed in high heels and a long, black dress, Edna looked her best for the awards ceremony.

  5. Participle Phrases • A participle phrase consists of a participle and the other words that complete its meaning. • Wearing a sheet with eyeholes, Troy went trick-or-treating. • My neighbor owns a stray cat covered with fleas. • Remember: A participle phrase looks like a verb ending in –ing or –ed, but it lacks a helping verb and acts as an adjective!!!

  6. Gerunds • A Gerund is a verb acting like another part of speech. • A Gerund is a present participle form of a verb acting as a noun. • Present Participle verb: I am drooling. • Gerund: Drooling is very rude. (Drooling becomes the noun and the subject of the sentence.) • Gerunds can be subjects, direct objects, or objects of the preposition (all nouns!!!)

  7. Gerund Phrases • A Gerund Phrase is made up of a gerund and all the other words that complete its meaning. • Gerund: Walking is good for the health. • Gerund Phrase: Walking across a busy freeway is very dangerous.

  8. Gerund Phrase Possibilities • Remember, a gerund (or gerund phrase), can act as a subject, direct object, predicate noun (a.k.a. predicate nominative), or object of the preposition. • Exercising daily builds strength. (subject) • My favorite activity is exercising. (predicate noun predicate nominative) • Some people enjoy exercising daily. (direct object) • What are the benefits of exercising daily? (object of the preposition)

  9. Infinitives • An infinitive consists of the word to followed by a verb: • to run • To jump • To giggle • To scare • HOWEVER: it is easy to confuse a prepositional phrase beginning with to with an infinitive! • The difference? A prepositional phrase includes a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun, whereas an infinitive is only the preposition to followed by a verb!!!

  10. Infinitives – If they aren’t verbs… • What are they? Infinitives function as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs in a sentence. • Adjective: Molly made the decision to sleep. • Adverb: Bears are happy to sleep. (modifying the adjective “happy”) • Adverb: Patsy politely left the party to sleep. (modifying the adverb “left”) • (continued…)

  11. (continued…) • Noun (subject): To belch is rude. • Noun (direct object): Truman tried to belch. (to belch is the object of the verb “trying”) • Noun (predicate noun/ predicate nominative): Laura’s favorite activity is to belch. (to belch is referring back to the activity)

  12. Infinitive Phrases • An infinitive phrase, then, consists of the word to plus a verb (a.k.a. the infinitive) and the other words that complete its meaning. • An infinitive may be modified by either a single adverb or a prepositional phrase, and it may have its own direct object.

  13. Infinitive Phrases with Adverbs, Prepositional Phrases, and Direct Objects • To writewell was Alice’s ambition. (well is an adverb describing the writing) • Alice’s ambition was to write for fame and glory. (for fame and glory is a prepositional phrase) • Alice wanted to write a great novel. (a great novel is the direct object of the direct object to write – it receives the writing. The writing, however, is the D.O. to “wanted”) • Are you confused yet? I hope not!!!

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