Verbals: Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives

Front

What is a gerund?

Back

A gerund is a verb form that ends in -ing and functions as a noun in a sentence. Example: 'Swimming is fun.'

Front

What is a participle?

Back

A participle is a verb form that can function as an adjective. There are present participles (ending in -ing) and past participles (usually ending in -ed or -en). Example: 'The running water is cold.'

Front

What is an infinitive?

Back

An infinitive is the base form of a verb, often preceded by 'to'. Example: 'to run', 'to eat'.

Front

Identify the function of the gerund in the sentence: 'I enjoy reading.'

Back

In this sentence, 'reading' is a gerund functioning as the direct object of the verb 'enjoy'.

Front

Identify the function of the participle in the sentence: 'The broken vase lay on the floor.'

Back

In this sentence, 'broken' is a past participle functioning as an adjective describing 'vase'.

Front

Identify the function of the infinitive in the sentence: 'She wants to learn Spanish.'

Back

In this sentence, 'to learn' is an infinitive functioning as the direct object of the verb 'wants'.

Front

True or false: A gerund can be the subject of a sentence.

Back

True. Example: 'Running is my favorite hobby.'

Front

True or false: A participle can only be used in the past tense.

Back

False. Participles can be present (ending in -ing) or past (usually ending in -ed or -en).

Front

What is the difference between a gerund and a present participle?

Back

A gerund functions as a noun, while a present participle functions as an adjective or part of a verb tense. Example: 'Running is fun.' (gerund) vs. 'The running water is cold.' (present participle).

Front

Provide an example of a sentence using an infinitive as an adjective.

Back

Example: 'She has a book to read.' Here, 'to read' describes the noun 'book'.