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English 2024-2025
Verbals
Participles
Gerunds
Infinitives
All Saints Academy
Mrs. Mlodzienski
Verbals: Participles
Verbals are words made from verbs. There are three kinds: participles, gerunds, and infinitives.
Participles
A participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective; it modifies nouns and pronouns.
A present participle always ends in -ing and a past participle generally ends in -ed.
A participle adjective stands alone before or after the word it modifies.
Participle Adjective
A participle phrase consists of the participle, an object or complement, and any modifiers.
Participle Phrase
Placement of Participle
Placement of Participles
A participle may be used alone as an adjective before or after the word it modifies or after a a linking verb as a subject complement.
DO NOT CONFUSE a participle used as an adjective after a linking verb and a participle that is part of the verb phrase.
Use these questions to determine if the participle is alone or part of a verb phrase:
1. Can the participle be used in front of the noun?
2. Does it make sense when used after seems?
3. Can it be compared?
4. Can it be modified?
Dangling and Misplaced Participles
A dangling participle is a participle phrase that does not appear to modify any word in the sentence. DO NOT USE IN WRITING!!
A misplaced participle is a participle phrase that seems to modify the wrong word or more than one word in the sentence.
Gerunds
Gerunds
A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that is used as a noun; as a subject, subject complement, object of a verb, object of a preposition, and an appositive.
A gerund phrase may have object, complement, and contain modifiers. The whole phrase acts as the noun.
Possessives with Gerunds
Gerunds as Objects and Appositives
Gerunds as Objects and Appositives
Direct Object
Direct Objects
A gerund can be used as a direct object.
Object of Preposition
Object of Prepositions
A gerund can be used as the object of preposition.
Appositive
Appositives
A gerund can be used as an appositive, a word or a group of words that renames a noun and gives more information about it.
Possessives with Gerunds
Gerunds may be preceded by a possessive form - either a possessive noun or a possessive adjective.
These possessives describe the doer of the gerund.
Whether an -ing form of a verb is a participle or a gerund depends on the emphasis in the sentence.
When the emphasis is on the doer; the form is participle.
When it is on the action; it is a gerund.
The student winning the award was I.
My winning the award was a surprise.
Infinitives
Infinitives
An infinitive is a verb form, usually preceded by to, that is used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
Like participles and gerunds, infinitives can appear alone or in phrases
Continued
Infinitives may have objects and be accompanied by adverbs or adverbial phrases (prep. phrases used as adverbs).
Ex: I went to get a history book at the library.
When an infinitive is used as a noun, it can function as a subject, subject complement, an object, or an appositive.
Nouns
To finish the report is my goal.
My task was to describe society during the Middle Ages.
Infinitives can be active or passive, and have perfect forms.
Voice and Tense
Simple active: My is to peel potatoes.
Simple passive: These potatoes are to be peeled for the stew.
Perfect active: My goal is to have peeled the potatoes by six o'clock.
Perfect passive: Those potatoes were to have been peeled by my sister.
Tactics
Objects and Appositives
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Picture the possibilities
Adjectives and Adverbs
Project 1
Project 1
Project 2
Project 2
Project 3
Project 3
Hidden and Split
Hidden and Split Infinitives
The word to is called the sign of the infinitive, but sometimes infinitives appear in sentences without the to. These are called hidden infinitives.
After verbs of perception - hear, see, feel
After verbs like let, make, dare, need, and help
After prepositions but and except
After the conjunction than
An adverb placed between the to and the verb result in a split infinitive.
Try to avoid split infinitives in your writing.
Where you place the adverb you remove from the middle depends on the meaning of the sentence.