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Verbals

Grammar Lesson about verbals

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Laila Alimagno
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17 views

Verbals

Grammar Lesson about verbals

Uploaded by

Laila Alimagno
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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​ Verbals

​ Is it a VERB or a VERBAL?
​ Telling the difference between a verb and a verbal is not done by looking only at the word
itself.
​ You have to see how the word is being used.
​ In both cases, the word looks like a verb, but if it’s used as something other than a verb…it’s
a VERBAL
​ Examples:
​ Waxed
​ Flowing
​ Playing
​ Sleeping
​ These can be verbs or verbals depending upon how they are used in the sentence.
​ Examples:
​ Our butler waxed the floors.
​ The waxed floors were slippery and dangerous.
​ In the first sentence, the word is being used as a verb to tell what action is being done.
​ In the other one, the word still looks like a verb, but it is being used as an adjective
Examples:
​ Water was flowing over the rocks in the stream.
​ Flowing water carries a great deal of potential energy.
​ The same thing is true here as in the other example.
​ The second sentence shows the verb working as an adjective instead of a verb.
​
​ Basic Information on Verbals
​ Verbals are verb forms (words that look like verbs or could be verbs in other sentences) that
are used as one of the following:
​ Noun
​ Adjective
​ A verbal can never be the verb of the sentence.
​ There are three different kinds of verbals:
​ Infinitive
​ Participle
​ Gerund
​ Each verbal has a specific purpose and use in a sentence.
​ Infinitives
​ An infinitive is a verb form that is preceded by the word “to.”
​ To play
​ To sleep
​ To be seen
​ To steal
​ To have been stolen
​ To speak
​ Infinitives
​ In some sentences (following certain verbs), the “sign of the infinitive” (the word “to) is
omitted.
​ This is done for clarity.
​ Help him (to) move the sofa.
​ Watch the fish (to) snap at the hook.
​ Can you feel the floor (to) move?
​
​ Infinitives
​ The verbs which call for an omitted “to” are:
​ See
​ Hear
​ Feel
​ Help
​ Let
​ Make
​ Watch
​ An infinitive has three possible functions:
​ As a noun
​ As an adjective
​ As an adverb
​ Knowing where an infinitive should go helps make the structure of the sentence more clear.
​
​ As a noun:
​ I hate to go . (direct object)
​ To steal is a crime. (subject)
​ As an adjective:
​ It’s time to go . (modify time)
​ There are jobs to be done (modify jobs)
​ As an adverb:
​ He always plays to win . (modify plays)
​ Infinitives can also have modifiers or complements.
​ This can be done because there is a verb form in the infinitive that (if being used as a verb in
another sentence) could take a complement such as an indirect or direct object or a
predicate complement.
​
​ Be careful not to create “split” infinitives. This is done when an adverb is placed between the
“to” and the verb form.
​ To boldly go….
​ To strenuously object…
​ To always comply…
​ It is a bad structure for this to be formed.
​
​ Participles
​ Verb forms that are used as adjectives are called participles.
​ They will have two forms:
​ Present (ending in “-ing”)
​ Past (ending in “-ed” or “-en”)
​ These contain action, but they are not used as verbs in the sentence.
​ Examples:
​ Smoking gun
​ Snoring spouse
​ Broken window
​ Elected official
​ Streaming video
​ Buzzing noise
​ Winning touchdown
​ Walking track
​
​ Participles can appear in several places in the sentence, but they are most commonly found
describing / modifying the subject.
​ Participle phrases can also be made from single participles
​ Running along the path
​
​ Most participle phrases will have commas setting them off. This is especially true when they
open a sentence and modify the subject.
​ Running at full speed, the back raced twenty yards for a score. Crying loudly, the baby
wanted some attention.
​
​ Gerunds
​ A gerund looks a lot like a participle because it ends in “-ing.”
​ However, the gerund is going to be used as a noun.
​ Gerunds will show up as subjects, direct or indirect objects or objects of prepositions.
​
​ Examples:
​ Chewing gum in class is not allowed. (subject)
​ I liked eating at the new restaurant . (direct object)
​ Without running very hard I won the race.
​ Abusing the warm fuzzy kitten is not allowed in this class. (subject)
​
​ Practice:
​ You will be shown ten sentences with a word or phrase underlined.
​ Identify the word or phrases as: Infinitive, Participle, or Gerund
​
​ 1. Sleeping soundly in his bed , Ron was not going to be disturbed by anyone in his house.
​ 2. I wanted to try out for the lacrosse team this spring.
​ 3. The rushing waters of the Colorado River were great for rafting.
​ 4. The warm fuzzy kitten, meowing loudly in the hallway , was a nuisance.
​ 5. We tried shooting with the NBA’s new basketball and found it to be challenging.
​ 6. To run a mile in less than four minutes is nearly impossible.
​ 7. Charging wildly down the street , the bulls tried to crush the citizens of Pamplona .
​ 8. Cheating on a final exam in English is not an advisable solution to not studying.
​ 9. To sleep , perchance to dream.
​ 10. On the sixth day of Xmas, my true love gave to me six geese a-laying , five gold rings,
four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
​
​
​ SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!! Now that you can identify these verbals, you have the
great privilege of going on to the next great step in verbals……..
​

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