Verbals

A verbal is a word formed from a verb that functions as a different part of speech, such as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

The three main types of verbals are gerunds, participles, and infinitives.

A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun.

"Swimming is my favorite hobby." (Here, 'swimming' is a gerund acting as the subject of the sentence.)

A participle is a verbal that can function as an adjective and can be in the past (-ed, -t, -en, etc.) or present (-ing) form.

"The broken vase lay on the floor." (Here, 'broken' is a past participle acting as an adjective.)

An infinitive is the base form of a verb preceded by 'to' (e.g., to run, to eat) and can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

"I want to learn Spanish." (Here, 'to learn' is an infinitive acting as the object of the verb 'want.')

A gerund functions as a noun in a sentence.

A participle functions as an adjective in a sentence.