--- title: "Verbals: Gerunds, Participles and Infinitives" description: "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 ex" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/verbals-gerunds-participles-and-infinitives-mt_bz_7yQVJaw source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/verbals-gerunds-participles-and-infinitives-mt_bz_7yQVJaw.md retrieved: 2026-11-12 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # 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 Subject: English · Area: Grammar & Punctuation · Ages 12 to 14 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/verbals-gerunds-participles-and-infinitives-mt_bz_7yQVJaw ## Ready when they can - 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') ## Lesson: Verbals: Gerunds, Participles and Infinitives 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. *(drawing: Cycling names an activity. It is the gerund subject of builds.)* **Example.** 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. **Example.** 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. **Example.** 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. **Recap.** 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.* ## Practice 8 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [Phrases & Clauses](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/phrases-and-clauses-mt_IdFxLz-UW9) ## Optional connections - [The Present Perfect Tense](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/the-present-perfect-tense-mt_7D-vlii8F-) ## Opens up - [Sentence Craft for Rhythm and Emphasis](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/sentence-craft-for-rhythm-and-emphasis-mt_4opgg-pdsr)