Verbals

Participles,
Gerunds,
Infinitives
What is a verbal?
• A verbal is a verb functioning as
some other part of speech.

• There are three types of verbals:

participles, gerunds, and infinitives.
What is a participle?
• A participle is a verb functioning as
an adjective.
Well, what is an
adjective?
• What is an adjective?
• A word that modifies a noun or
pronoun.
• Adjectives answer the questions
which one? and how many?
Participles
• A participle is a verb functioning as
an adjective.

• There are two types of participles:

past and present.

– Past participles end in –ed

– Present participles end in -ing
Note!!
• Be aware of irregular verbs with –n,
-t, or –en endings

• Example: torn, lost, written, etc.

Example
• A raging fire destroyed the
uninsured building.

– What kind of fire? Raging (present

participle)
– What kind of building? Uninsured
(past participle)
 Choose the
word that is the
participle in
each sentence.
The moving van was
parked beneath the
tree.

MOVING
The beaten eggs are
in the bowl on the
counter by the
microwave.

BEATEN
I enjoy freezing
temperatures in the
winter.

FREEZING
The growling dog
scared away the
children from the
park.

GROWLING
The whistling wind
made an eerie sound
at night.

WHISTLING
Participle Phrases
• What is a phrase?
• A group of words functioning as a
single part of speech.

• A participial phrase is a participle

with its modifiers and
complements—all working as an
adjective.
Example
• The fire station located nearby
promptly responded to the fire.

• We saw the hawk soaring

effortlessly above us.
Select the
words that form
the participle
phrase.
Write the letter of
the correct choice
on your whiteboard.
A.Driving through the snow
B.my father had
C.to use caution.

A
A. The dinner
B. cooking on the stove
C. smelled wonderful.

B
A. Pushing the wagon up
the hill
B. the paperboy
C. continued to deliver
papers.

A
A. Riding my bicycle,
B. I began
C. to breathe heavily.

A
A. The actor
B. overtaken by fans
C. hurried into the hotel.

B
Punctuation with
Participles
• The punctuation is the same as
with prepositional phrases and
appositives.
• Introductory participles are followed
by a comma.
• If the participle is nonessential, it is
followed by a comma.
 Which is the
proper way to
punctuate the
sentence?
A. Racing to the finish line I
smiled victoriously.
B. Racing to the finish line, I
smiled victoriously.

B
A. My band, marching in the
contest, took the audience
by surprise.
B. My band marching in the
contest took the audience
by surprise.

A
A. Showering the fields the
rain fell all day.
B. Showering the fields, the
rain fell all day.

B
A. Joel, smiling after the win
joined his teammates on
the field.
B. Joel, smiling after the win,
joined his teammates on
the field.

B
A. Eating the spicy food I
began to sweat.
B. Eating the spicy food, I
began to sweat.

B
 Gerund or Participle
• A gerund is a verbal that ends in
–ing and acts as a noun.
– We were annoyed by the moth’s
fluttering. (DO)
• A participle is a verb form that ends
in –ing and acts as an adjective.
– The moth’s fluttering wings were
white.
 Identify the
verbal
Then label it as
a Gerund or
Participle
Many TV
commercials feature
acting animals.

• Acting
• participle
There are bell-ringing
turkeys and typing
chickens.

• Bell-ringing – Participle
• Typing - Participle
Training any type of
animal requires
patience.

• Training - gerund
Have your seen the
dog food commercial
that shows a dog
chasing a chuck
wagon?

• Chasing – gerund (do)

The trainer aroused
yearning in the dog
by hiding a squeaky
toy in a closet.

• Yearning – gerund (do)

• Hiding – gerund (do)
Then the excited dog
was let loose.

• Excited - participle
Staring at the door,
the dog waited for
the trainer to open it.

• Staring at the door-

participle
In the finished
commercial, the
chuck wagon
disappears right
through the cabinet
door.

• Finished - participle