Download Verbals Sometimes there are words in a sentence that look like

Verbals
Sometimes there are words in a sentence that look like verbs but aren’t
actually working as the verb in the sentence. In these cases, these verb-like
words actually work as a noun or an adjective within the sentence. They may
be made up of the base form of a verb and end in –ing or begin with “to”. In
such cases, they could be a subject or an object within the sentence.
GERUNDS are always made up of a verb and end in –ing. So, words like
“hiking”, “fishing”, “dancing”, “sitting”, and “teaching” might actually be
NOUNS depending on how they are used within the sentence! GERUNDS END
IN –ING AND ARE ALWAYS NOUNS.
Here are some examples of sentences with gerunds:
Hiking is my favorite outdoor sport.
Teaching requires several years of college.
In both of these examples, the gerunds “hiking” and “teaching” are nouns and
are the subjects of the sentences. In the first example, “is” is actually the verb
of the sentence, and, in the second one, “requires” is the verb.
Now, let’s use these same gerunds as objects:
The topic of his essay was hiking.
I was hesitant to go into the field of teaching.
In both examples, the gerunds “hiking” and “teaching” were nouns used as
objects. In the first sentence, “topic” is the subject and “was” is the verb. In
the second sentence, “I” is the subject and “was” is the verb with “hesitant” as
the predicate adjective. In this case, “teaching” is the object of the
prepositional phrase “into the field of teaching.” So, you see that gerunds can
either be the object of the sentence or of a prepositional phrase.
INFINITIVES are always made up of a verb and start with “to”. “To drink”, “to
hike”, “to dance”, and “to study” are all infinitives. LIKE GERUNDS,
INFINITIVES MAY LOOK LIKE VERBS BUT THEY ACTUALLY WORK AS NOUNS
WITHIN THE SENTENCE.
Here are some examples of how to use an infinitive in a sentence:
I love to hike!
She decided to teach after she finished college.
In both cases, the infinitives “to hike” and “to teach” are objects in the
sentences. In the first example, “I” is the subject with “love” as the verb and
“to hike” explaining what “I love” to do. In the second example, “she “ is the
subject with “decided” as the verb and “to teach” explaining what “she
decided” to do.
Infinitives can be used as subjects too. You may have heard or seen the
quote: “To err is human; to forgive is divine.” In this case, “to err” and “to
forgive” are both infinitives. Infinitives are easy to find in a sentence because
they look like a verb and always have “to” in front of them.
PARTICIPLES are another type of verbal. They are made up of a verb and end
in –ing. PARTICIPLES WORK LIKE ADJECTIVES WITHIN A SENTENCE.
Remember that adjectives describe a noun.
Look at this example of a participle:
I nearly tripped as I cleaned up the water pouring into the hallway.
In this case, “pouring” looks like a verb, but notice that it is actually describing
the water. What kind of water did she clean up? She cleaned up the pouring
water, or, more specifically, “the pouring into the hallway” water (this is the
whole participial phrase).