Verbals: Gerunds, Participles and Infinitives
Explain what gerunds, participles and infinitives are and the job each does in a particular sentence: a gerund acting as a subject ('Swimming is fun'), a participle describing a noun, an infinitive expressing purpose
What a learner can do afterwards
- Identify a gerund and explain its role (e.g. 'running' as the subject of 'Running keeps me fit')
- Spot a participle used as an adjective (e.g. 'the broken window', 'a barking dog')
- Explain what an infinitive is doing in a sentence (e.g. 'to win' showing purpose in 'She trained to win')
1 · Read
A verbal is a verb form used in a noun, adjective or adverb role. A gerund is an -ing form doing a noun's job. In 'Cycling builds stamina,' cycling names the activity and is the subject. A gerund can also be an object: in 'I enjoy sketching,' sketching names what I enjoy. Compare 'I am sketching.' Here, am sketching is a verb phrase telling what I am doing.
A participle can describe a noun: glowing in 'a glowing lamp' or torn in 'a torn sail.' Forms include -ing, -ed and irregular forms such as torn. Participles also join helping verbs: 'The lamp is glowing' uses a verb phrase. A describing participle can refer to an action happening now. An -ing form naming an activity as the subject is a gerund. Check the word's job, not just its ending.
A to-infinitive is to plus the base verb, such as 'to practise.' It can show purpose: in 'Asha paused to rest,' to rest explains why she paused. It can also do a noun's job: in 'To travel takes planning,' to travel is the subject. The form identifies the infinitive; the sentence shows its job. Infinitives can also appear without to, as in 'We can wait.' Here we focus on to-infinitives.
A verbal phrase is a verbal with related words. In 'Painting tiny stars takes patience,' painting tiny stars is the subject. A participial phrase describes a noun. In 'Carrying a basket, Noor crossed the yard,' the opening phrase describes Noor. The subject after an opening participial phrase should name who or what it describes. 'Carrying a basket, the gate creaked' seems to give the basket to the gate.
Gerunds do a noun's job. Participles can describe nouns. To-infinitives may show purpose or do a noun's job. Check each form's role in its sentence.
Lesson text, examples, flashcards and practice questions written for this dataset.
Readings and flashcards written for this dataset. Writing Guide was consulted for grammar facts and teaching structure; its wording is not reproduced.
More to read
Find the activity's job
Compare 'Folding towels takes time' with 'We enjoy folding towels.' Both contain the gerund phrase folding towels. In the sentence about time, the phrase is the subject: what takes time? Folding towels. After enjoy, the phrase names the activity we enjoy, so it is the object.
Now read 'We are folding towels.' Here, are folding is a verb phrase telling what we are doing. Seeing -ing is not enough to identify a gerund. Check whether the form is doing a noun's job in that sentence.
Find what the participle describes
In 'a fluttering flag,' fluttering describes the noun flag. It is a participle used like an adjective. The flag could be fluttering now; describing a noun does not rule out a current action. In 'The flag is fluttering,' the participle joins is to form the verb phrase is fluttering.
A participial phrase includes related words. In 'Holding a tray, I waited by the table,' the phrase 'holding a tray' describes the subject 'I.' Compare 'Holding a tray, the table shook.' The subject is now the table, so the opening phrase appears to make the table hold the tray. Name the intended holder as the subject to make the meaning clear.
Find the infinitive's function
Look for to followed by a base verb: to mend. Related words can extend it into an infinitive phrase, such as to mend the kite.
In 'Ravi fetched tape to mend the kite,' the phrase explains why Ravi fetched tape. It shows purpose. In 'To mend the kite will take time,' that same phrase is the subject of will take. Ask 'What will take time?' to find it.
A phrase's form and its function are different things. To mend the kite keeps its infinitive form in both sentences, but its function changes. Some infinitives have no to, as in 'We can listen.' The examples above focus on to-infinitives.
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Optional connections
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
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