Verbals and Verbal Phrases
ELA8C1f—The student analyzes the
structure of a sentence (basic
sentence parts).
What is a VERBAL?
 A verb acting like another part of
speech
 3 types: infinitives, gerunds, and
participles
Infinitives
 to + a verb
 Can be used as a noun, an adjective,
or an adverb in a sentence
 Examples:
 I like to read before I go to sleep.
 Most people like to watch comedies on
TV.
 To succeed in school, you must work
hard.
Infinitives vs. Prepositional Phrases
 Be aware that the word TO does not
always mean you have an infinitive.
 If TO is not followed by a verb, it is
NOT an infinitive.
 I like to shop at the mall.
 Let’s go to the mall.
 Which sentence contains an infinitive
and which sentence contains a
prepositional phrase? Why?
Gerunds
 A verb acting like a noun
 Always ends in –ing
 Can be used as subjects, direct
objects and indirect objects, objects
of prepositions, and predicate
nominatives.
Gerunds continued
 Examples
 Swimming is my favorite sport.
 Do you like riding horses?
 Many students like playing basketball in PE.
 Gerund or not?
 The dog, carrying its bone in its mouth, ran
around the house.
 Carrying is NOT a gerund; not used as a noun
 Smiling is an indication that a person is happy.
 Smiling is a gerund; it is used as a noun
(subject of the the sentence)
Participles
 A verb acting like an adjective
 Often ends in –ing or –ed but
occasionally ends in another way
 Examples
 Smiling, the teacher collected homework
from her students.
 I like ice skating on frozen ponds.
 Barking dogs can be a nuisance.
 The burnt popcorn made the entire house
smell.
Participial Phrases
 A participial phrase is a participle and
all of its objects or modifiers
 Examples
 Rounding third base, the runner charged
toward home plate.
 The pitcher, losing control, has
overthrown the ball.
 Especially pleased, the crowd cheered
loudly.
Hints
 Participles and participial phrases are
almost always near the noun or pronoun
they modify.
 Participles and participial phrases can
usually be taken out of a sentence and the
sentence will still make sense.
 The skilled catcher trapped the wild pitch in his
mitt.
 The catcher trapped the wild pitch in his mitt.