Download Infinitives

Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives
By Krystin Prastil and Virgilio Meo
Verbals
 Made from a verb, but doesn’t tell you who, when, or
how many
Verbal
Gerund
Participle
Infinitive
Gerund
 Verbal that functions as a noun
 Can be a subject, object or compliment position
Verb + ing = gerund
What gerunds look like in sentences
Examples
Function of the Gerund
Studying is hard work.
Subject
Some students enjoy studying.
Object
Nothing stops Lucy from studying.
Object of the preposition from
Lucy’s favorite activity is studying.
Subject compliment
Gerund phrases
 Consists of a verbal, modifier(s), object(s) and/or
complement(s)
 Functions as a noun
What gerund phrases look like in sentences
studying + English + grammar =
gerund phrase
Function of gerund phrase
Studying English grammar requires
patience.
Subject
Everyone enjoys studying English
grammar.
Object
Nothing stops Lucy from studying
English grammar .
object of the preposition from
Lucy’s favorite activity is studying
English grammar.
Subject compliment
Possession
 Just like nouns, gerunds can show possessive
His coming late created problems.
The cat’s purring soothed the baby.
Gerunds can be negative
 Not studying can be a problem.
 Gerund
 Not studying English grammar can be a problem.
 Gerund phrase
Implications for ELLs
 ELLs might get confused on when to use a gerund
I go to the store or I go to store
 Students need to learn to use –ing form of the verb
“go” to show that they are complimenting the verb.
Without the gerund, the sentence would be
nonsensical.
I am going to the store.
Participles and Participle Phrases
 Form of a verb that is used in a sentence to modify a
noun, noun phrase, verb or verb phrase (-ing, -ed)
 Participle phrases function mainly as adjectives
4 Types of Participles
Examples
I read a boring book.
Function of the Participle
participial adjective modifying book
The embarrassed child hid her face.
I am reading a good book.
I was reading a good book.
The mother has scolded her child.
present participle, part of a progressive
verb
phrase (be + V + ing)
The mother had scolded her child.
past participle, part of a perfect verb
phrase
(have + V + ed)
Running too quickly, the child fell.
participial phrase, modifying the child
Participle Positions
Wanting to improve her grade, the student asked the
teacher for help.
Initial, modifying the student
The children’s mother, insisting on their cooperation,
asked them to clean their rooms.
Middle, modifying the children’s mother
The neighbor noticed the man talking on his cell phone.
Final, modifying the man
Past Participle Phrases
 -ed occurs in participle phrases that act as an adjective;
are closely related to passive voice
The teacher was annoyed by the students’ behavior.
Annoyed by the students’ behavior, the teacher gave
them extra work.
Participles and Time
 Since participles don’t reflect time, do they all imply
the same time?
 Two different types of references
Basic vs. Perfect
 Perfect: Event/action occurred prior to the event or
action expressed by main verb
 Having reached a decision, the jurors returned to the
courtroom.
 Basic: General, non-specific
 Wanting to end the argument, Peter left the room.
Passive participles
 Expressed in two types of time references
 General time: being + past participle
 Being watched by millions of viewers, the newsman
became a household name.
 Earlier actions: having + past participle
 Having been sequestered for two weeks, the jurors were
happy to return home.
Implications for ELLs
 Unlike gerunds, participles cannot take the place of
noun
 Participles modify a noun, noun phrase, verb, or verb
phrase
Gerund Phrases vs. Participle Phrases
 How can students tell the difference between the -ing
participle in a gerund phrase versus a participle
phrase?
 If “it” can be substituted in for a phrase, it is a gerund
Doing crossword puzzles relaxes Kylie.
It relaxes Kylie.
Example of a gerund
While waiting for takeoff, the flight attendants passed out
magazines.
It, the flight attendants passed out magazines.
Example of a participle
The “It” Test
The candidate contested the outcome of the election, claiming voter
fraud.
PP
Working even after retirement age, George has been indispensable to
the company.
PP
You should consider doing your homework more carefully.
G
Exhausted by the climb, Taylor collapsed by the side of the road.
PP
Taking a vacation is important for all of us.
G
Brenda, taking a deep breath, continued her talk.
PP
Infinitives can function as…
 a noun (can be subject or object)
 an adjective
 an adverb
 and complements
The infinitive is a verbal that combines the
“to” + the base or simple verb
Examples: to find, to travel, to run, to jump
Infinitive as the subject of the verb
 To do the right thing is not easy.
Place the infinitive at the beginning of the
sentence. In English we avoid doing this except in formal situations. Instead we use the
“filler” or “dummy” subject it.
 It is not easy to do the right thing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Infinitive as an object of the verb
 I want to help.
 The love to travel.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Infinitive as an adjective
 The students have a lot of homework to do. Modifies noun
Infinitive as an adverb
 We must study to learn. Modifies verb and gives
more info. Ask “Why?”
------------------------------------------------------------------
Infinitive as a complement
 Her class is difficult to teach.
Practice…
Identify how the infinitive is being used.
• The most important thing is to learn.
• To learn is important.
• He wants to learn.
Answers
• The most important thing is to learn.
COMPLEMENT
• To learn is important.
SUBJECT
• He wants to learn.
OBJECT
Gerunds and Infinitives
 Both can be used as the subject or complement.
Infinitives make a person sound sophisticated;
however, we are more inclined to use the gerund as the
subject or complement.
 Learning is important.
To learn is important.
More on Gerunds and Infinitives
 As the object of a sentence, it is more difficult to
choose between a gerund or an infinitive.
 He enjoys swimming. gerund
 He wants to swim. infinitive
Infinitives as Direct Objects of Verbs
 The most common sentence position of infinitives and
infinitive phrases is after a main verb. When infinitives and
infinitive phrases follow verbs, they are functioning as
objects.
 He agreed to come for the interview.
 Add an adverb. How would you add immediately to this
sentence?
Correct answer…
 He agreed immediately to come for the interview.
 At times the adverb may come between the main verb
and the infinitive or an infinitive phrase.
 A split-infinitive is when you place an adverb between
the “to” and simple verb of an infinitive.
Wrong answer/Informal…
 He agreed to immediately come for he interview.
More exceptions…
 Some verbs require an indirect object between the
main verb and the infinitive/infinitive phrase. This
object may either be a noun or a pronoun
 The teacher allowed her students to eat in class.
Exception to that exception…
 If we change one of the verbs to the passive, the
original indirect object becomes the subject of the
passive sentence. There is no indirect object between
the verb and the infinitive.
 The teacher allowed her students to eat in class.
 Her students were allowed to eat in class.
Other patterns…
 Infinitives can be made negative by placing not before
“to” + the simple/base verb.
 She decided not to go home.
 Infinitives can be made passive by following the
structure “to” + be + past participle.
 Revered above all else are the lessons to be learned
from “just going out and doing it.”
Bare Infinitive
 Certain verbs are followed by the verb without the
“to.” They fall into one of two groups, the causatives
verbs and the sensory verbs.
P. 403
Causative Verbs
 Commonly used with help, have, let and make, these verbs
express that “X” caused “Y” to do something.
S CV
O BV
 She made me wash the dishes. Forced
S
CV O BV
 My Dad let me go by myself. Gave permission
 S CV O
BV
 He had the students do the assignment. Forced
S CV O BV
 She got me to mow the lawn. Convinced
S
CV
O
BV
 My tutor has helped me improve/to improve. Aided
Infinitives and Time
 The infinitive does not inflect for person or number,
but can indicate different time references.
 Basic Infinitive – expresses time that is simultaneous
with or future from the time expressed by the main
verb.
Problems for ELLs
 Infinitives can be confused with prepositional phrases
beginning with “to.”
 Advice to offer: “to” of an infinitive is followed by a
verb describing an action, event, or state.
Prepositional phrases beginning with “to” have a noun
or noun phrase after the “to.”
More problems for ELLs…
 Remembering which verbs require an indirect
object before the infinitive and which do not.
 The teacher arranged me to have a tutor.
 Remembering to include the “to” before an
infinitive.
 Her friend encouraged her study for university.
 The teacher made me to do my homework over
again.