Verbal Phrases

Adding Variety to Your Writing

NEC FACET Center

Have you ever felt as if your writing is

monotonous and dull?

If so, bring it to life by varying your

sentence structure.

Try Using These Special

Phrases
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Gerund
Phrases

Infini
tive
Phras
es

What is a
gerund?

Important
Definition

Strange . . .
It looks like a verb, but
it acts like a noun.

A gerund is the
-ing form of a verb
functioning in the
sentence as a noun.

Gerunds as Subjects
Some gerunds function as the subject of the
sentence.
The subject identifies who or what the
sentence is about.

Painting is Jims favorite

hobby.
Gardening keeps Aunt
Ruth busy for hours.

Gerunds as Direct Objects

Direct objects follow the verb and identify the
receiver of the action.
My entire family likes
bowling. (The verb is likes.
Bowling tells what the family
likes.)
The dirty floor required
mopping. (The verb is
required. Mopping tells what
the dirty floor required.)

Gerunds as Objects of the

Preposition

Will Rogers was famous for roping. (Roping

follows the preposition for and identifies a
cause of his fame.)
Derek finished work before skateboarding.
(Skateboarding follows the preposition before.)

Common Prepositions

above
about
across
among
around
at
before
below, beneath
beside
between
by

for
from
in, into, inside
of
off
over
through
to, toward
under
upon
with

Gerund Phrases as Subjects

Singing with a country
band occupies most of
my brothers weekend.
Crying at the top of his
lungs generally got little
Joey what he wanted.

Gerund Phrases as Objects

Herrmann the Great demonstrated making a

rabbit appear from an empty hat.
For our final few minutes at Frontier City, we
chose riding the roller coaster.

Gerund Phrases as Objects

of the Preposition
David enjoys the
ancient Japanese
art of raising bonsai
trees.
Have you ever tried
relaxing by watching
tropical fish?

Identify the Gerund Phrase

Hitting a grand slam homerun enabled Raphael

to win the game for his team.
Charles was ready for a quiet evening at home
after flying a rescue mission in the mountains.

Gerund Phrase Identified

Hitting a grand slam homerun enabled

Raphael to win the game for his team.
(subject)
Charles was ready for a quiet evening at
home after flying a rescue mission in the
mountains. (object of the preposition after)

Identify the Gerund Phrases

Steve succeeded in
climbing the mountain.
When the director
finished yelling at the
production crew, he
felt much better.

Identify the Gerund Phrases

Steve succeeded at
climbing the mountain.
(object of the
preposition at)
When the director
finished yelling at the
production crew, he
felt much better.
(object of the verb
finished, telling what
he finished.)

Identify the Gerund Phrases

Yelling at the production crew made the

director feel much better.

Identify the Gerund Phrases

Yelling at the production crew made the

director feel much better. (subject telling
what made Jack feel better)

What is a
participle?

Important
Definition

Strange . . .
It looks like a verb, but
it acts like an adjective.

A participle is a
verb form used as
an adjective (a
descriptive word).

Present & Past Participles

Remember this:

Present participles end in -ing.

Past participles end in -ed or have irregular
endings.

Examples
The laughing
child held up her
brimming piggy
bank.
With a cramped
leg, the
screaming boy
waded out of the
pool.

Notice that each of these

-ing or -ed words acts as
an adjective by describing
another word.
Laughing describes child.
Brimming describes the
bank.
Cramped describes leg.
Screaming describes boy.

Identify the Descriptive

Participles
Outside the
Halloween spook
house, dozens of
grinning skeletons
greeted the visitors.
Tired, I spilled the
steaming coffee.

Descriptive Participles
Identified
Outside the
Halloween spook
house, dozens of
grinning
skeletons greeted
the visitors.
Tired, I spilled the
steaming coffee.

Identify the Descriptive

Participles

After the torrential rain, I returned home to a

flooded basement.
I read the gripping spy novel until 2:00 a.m.

Irregular Participles
Although most participles end in -ing and -ed,
some are irregular. To identify the verbs with
irregular participles, think of the form correctly
used with the helping verbs have, has, and had.
Example: Built to last, the great pyramids of
Egypt may be around for the next millenium.

 Built to last, the great pyramids of Egypt may be

around for the next millenium.
Notice that the phrase built to last works as an
adjective to describe the word pyramids;
therefore, it is a participial phrase.
However, youll see that the participle form, in
this case, doesnt end in -ed or -ing.

 To indicate past tense, as in the following

sentence, we dont say builded: The two
children builded an elaborate sand castle.
Instead, we would write The two children built
an elaborate sandcastle.
This is one of many irregular verbs.

Descriptive Participles
Identified

After the torrential rain, I returned home to a

flooded basement.
I read the gripping spy novel until 2:00 a.m.

Participial Phrases
You have seen several examples of
single word participles ending with -ing
and -ed.
Some participles do not appear alone,
but instead as the first word of a
phrase.
This phrase still serves as an adjective
and, therefore, describes a noun.

How to Identify the Correct

Past Participle Form
If you are not sure what the correct past
participle form is, pick the form that would be
correctly used following the helping verbs
has, have, or had.
For example, the past participle of the verb
take is taken.
You can tell by trying the verb with the words
listed above: has taken, have taken, had
taken.

A Few Examples of Irregular

Verbs and Their Past Participles

begin-begun
blow-blown
bring-brought
catch-caught
choose-chosen
draw-drew
eat-eaten
fall-fallen
fly-flown
forget-forgotten

forgive-forgiven
freeze-frozen
go-gone
hear-heard
hold-held
ride-ridden
rise-risen
speak-spoken
think-thought
wear-worn

Examples of Participial Phrases

Laughing gleefully,
the child held up her
piggy bank.
Notice that Laughing
gleefully works as a
participial phrase
describing the noun
child.

Attacked by a sudden
leg cramp, the
screaming boy waded
out of the pool.
Notice that Attacked
by a sudden leg
cramp acts as a
participial phrase
describing the noun
boy.

Identify the Participial

Phrase
Listening intently, the
students translated
Spanish sentences into
English.
Using a hoe and a rake,
Steve cleared the dead
plants from the garden.

Participial Phrases Identified

Listening intently, the
students translated
Spanish sentences into
English. (describes the
noun students)
Using a hoe and a rake,
Steve cleared the dead
plants from the garden.
(describes the noun
Steve)

What is an
Infinitive?

Important
Definition

Strange . . .
It looks like a verb, but
its preceded by the
word to.

An infinitive is the
word to plus the
base form of the
verb.

Examples of Infinitives

We started to practice for the concert.

Its time to rake the yard.
I asked Jeff to go sailing on Grand
Lake.

Note
When followed by anything other than a verb, the
word to forms a prepositional phrase rather than
an infinitive.
Examples:
I took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.
I went to the post office to mail the package.
(Notice that the sentence also contains the
infinitive to mail.)
I gave the gift to Michael
I need to talk to her. (This sentence also
contains the infinitive to talk.)

Identify the Infinitives.

Sally decided to enter the Tulsa Run.

Brad learned to operate the new
photocopier.

Identify the Infinitives

Sally decided to enter the Tulsa Run.

Brad learned to operate the new photocopier.

Identify the Infinitive Phrases

When they went to the Fourth of July parade,

they began to wave their flags.
Charles paid a visit to the gypsy fortune teller
to learn what the new year would bring.

Infinitive Phrases Identified

When they went to the Fourth of July parade,

they began to wave their flags.
Charles paid a visit to the gypsy fortune teller
to learn what the new year would bring.

Remember . . .
You can bring
monotonous
sentences to life
by using gerund,
participial , and
infinitive phrases
in your writing.