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VERBALS
W H E N V E R B S A C T L I K E O T H E R PA R T S O F
SPEECH
WHAT IF VERBS WANT TO BE NOUNS?
• Verbs sometimes get tired of being verbs; so, in some sentences the can act like nouns. When
this happens, they are not called nouns, they are called GERUNDS and they have an “—ing” at
the end of them
• Swimming
• Thinking
• Walking
• Cooking
SO HOW ARE GERUNDS CONSIDERED
NOUNS?
• When the gerund (ing form of a verb) becomes a THING in a sentence, then the verb is acting
like a noun.
• Ex.
• Swimming is my favorite sport.
• Cooking relaxes me.
• Working can make you tired.
• In each of these sentences the gerund, the ing form of the verb, is the subject and is acting like
a noun.
WHY USE GERUNDS?
• Gerunds---“Writers sometimes want to indicate
that a particular action takes on a noun role in a
sentence and gerunds represent a way to
communicate that information clearly and
accurately” (Ruday, 97).
VERBS CAN ACT LIKE ADJECTIVES
TOO!
• If a verb wants to act like an adjective it needs to become a participle. A participle can have a
“—ing” ending or a past tense form of the verb ending in “-en” or “ed”.
• If the verb is describing a noun or a pronoun, it becomes like an adjective and we call it a
participle.
• Ex.
• Swimming in the pool, he imagined the gold medal.
• Amazed, John stared at his new car.
WHY USE PARTICIPLES?
• Participles— “Participles and participle phrases can help
add important details to a piece of writing, as they allow
writers to include information that helps readers clearly
picture a situation” (Ruday, 97).
AND WHAT DO WE DO WITH
INFINITIVES?
• Infinitives are formed by combining the base form of the verb with the word “to”.
• To drive
• To run
• To think
• Infinitives can act like nouns, adjectives, or adverbs!
INFINITIVES AS NOUNS
• Infinitives function as nouns when the action being described takes on a noun role in a
sentence.
• Ex.
• Josh wants to fly in a hot air balloon.
– To fly is the THING Josh wants
INFINITIVES AS ADJECTIVES
• Infinitives function as adjectives when they are used to describe nouns.
• Ex.
This is the best restaurant to eat pizza.
“to eat” pizza is the adjective describing the noun restaurant
INFINITIVES AS ADVERBS
• Infinitives are sometimes used to provide additional detail about a previously used verb
(making it an adverb because it is describing a verb)
• Ex.
– Chris exercised to improve his health
– “To improve” is describing the verb exercised, so it is an adverb
WHY USE INFINITIVES?
• Infinities– “The versatility of infinitives lies in the way they
can not only function as nouns, but also adjectives and
adverbs, grammatical tools that provide additional detail to
a piece of writing” (Ruday, 98).
WHY ARE VEBALS GOOD IN WRITING?
• “Verbals are important tools for writing because they allow
writers to make their works as clear and accurate as
possible” (Ruday, 97).